LIVE BLOG: Mayor’s State of the City for 2022

For the first time since 2020, Mayor Cam Guthrie will give an indoor speech to a room full of people. The occasion is the annual State of the City hosted by the Guelph Chamber of Commerce, and just in time for some post-pandemic analysis and an election year. What exactly is the State of Guelph in 2022? Let’s find out! For the complete blow-by-blow of today’s speech, you can follow along on Twitter, or follow the tweets below. Continue reading “LIVE BLOG: Mayor’s State of the City for 2022”

Guelph Women Call to “Break the Bias” in International Women’s Day Rally

March 8 is International Women’s Day, and a time to rally for more gender equality and support for the world’s women who make up a little more than half the population. In Guelph, that meant coming down to Market Square in front of city hall, hearing some speeches, and then marching around the downtown core to make your voice heard. That’s just what a group of over 100 people on Tuesday did to mark the occasion. Continue reading “Guelph Women Call to “Break the Bias” in International Women’s Day Rally”

Guelph Rallies to Support Ukraine and Pledges to Do More

About 300 people come out on Sunday to show solidarity with Ukraine, and Guelph’s Ukrainian community. In front of a sea of yellow and blue, several speakers came out to say that the events half-a-world away are having an effect on people right here in Guelph too. From the request for financial support, to the invitation to settle refugees here, the message was loud and clear that the Royal City stands with Ukraine. Continue reading “Guelph Rallies to Support Ukraine and Pledges to Do More”

Federal Government Announces Big Investment in Grace Gardens

Housing has been a hot topic of conversation in Guelph and the surrounding area, so any housing announcement from any level of government has got obvious news value. On Wednesday, the value is nearly $6.4 million from the Federal government’s Rapid Housing Initiative, plus $25,000 through the SEED, and $460,000 from the Ontario Priority Housing Initiative. The recipient, in this case, is Grace Gardens. Continue reading “Federal Government Announces Big Investment in Grace Gardens”

ONgov Announces Nearly 200 More Long-Term Care Beds for Guelph

While the Government of Ontario is easing restrictions for long-term care residents as the Omicron wave seemingly abates, Ontario’s Long-Term Care Minister Paul Calandra announced that a couple of Guelph’s LTC homes are going to have to make room for a few more people. In all, nearly 200 new beds have been approved for three Guelph long-term care homes, in an announcement the mayor calls, “beyond exciting!” Continue reading “ONgov Announces Nearly 200 More Long-Term Care Beds for Guelph”

Local Political Leaders Continue to Call Out Convoy Participants

It’s day #6 of the so-called “Freedom Convoy” in Ottawa, and patience is wearing thin. Even here in Guelph, where there is no convoy of any kind, our local political leaders have expressed shock and dismay at the events in our nation’s capital over the last several days. Mayor Cam Guthrie, MPP Mike Schreiner, and MP Lloyd Longfield have all released statements in response to the convoy, and they’re submitted together here for your convenience. Continue reading “Local Political Leaders Continue to Call Out Convoy Participants”

Housing Summit Heralded for Progress, Schreiner Still Skeptical

Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark held a virtual housing summit on Wednesday with municipal leaders from across Ontario. The goal was to find ways to solve the province’s housing crisis, the twin furies of limited supply and sky-high prices, and all parties say some good progress was made. Guelph’s MPP though has his doubts. Continue reading “Housing Summit Heralded for Progress, Schreiner Still Skeptical”

Words of Encouragement From Medical Officer of Health Before Monday

For hundreds of thousands of Ontario school students, Monday’s a big day. Schools province-wide are re-opening, and that brings with it certain concerns about health and safety with the Omicron variant still spreading. Perhaps the public could use some reassurance? A letter from Medical Officer of Health Dr. Nicola Mercer offers some of that, but it also reminds the community that protecting schools is a group effort. Continue reading “Words of Encouragement From Medical Officer of Health Before Monday”

Mayor Guthrie Talks to Open Sources About Another COVID Year

It’s almost the end to 2021, so it seems like a good time to talk with the mayor about what kind of year it’s been. The story of the year was COVID-19, again, and there was a lot of action at the City of Guelph from lockdowns to re-open strategies to vaccine rollouts, and a lot of information about all that stuff passed through the office of Cam Guthrie. Guelph’s Mayor appeared on the most recent edition of Open Sources Guelph to talk about it all. Continue reading “Mayor Guthrie Talks to Open Sources About Another COVID Year”

In the Face of Omicron, Guelph Cancels the End of the State of Emergency

For the last few weeks, there’s been an air of anticipation that the City of Guelph might soon emerge from the state of emergency initiated in March 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Blame Omicron, but the end of the state of emergency has been indefinitely postponed as the City aims to “mobilize City resources as needed” in order to stay on top of this latest COVID-19 variant. Continue reading “In the Face of Omicron, Guelph Cancels the End of the State of Emergency”