The first real city council of the term is one that not many people are looking forward to. You might have heard about Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act, and City staff have heard of it too. They also have some considerable concerns about the legislation, which is why we’re having a whole meeting about it on Tuesday. Here’s the late breaking preview of the meeting per the amended agenda. Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the November 22 Meeting?”
Last night, the new Guelph city council gathered around the horseshoe and took their oath of offices, pledging to King Charles III that they will be the best council possible and make smart decisions. Newly re-minted Mayor Cam Guthrie then outlined some of the challenges that this new council will be facing including, but not limited to, division and surprises. Here’s the full text of the Mayor’s opening address… Continue reading “Opening Words: The Complete Text of Mayor Guthrie’s Inaugural Speech”
Last week, we covered the transition from the previous council to the new, and this week, we look far-ish into the future to the next election, the one in October 2026. You will hear in this podcast that planning for the next election begins almost immediately after the one that’s just completed, because there are a lot of complicated questions that need to be answered before the time comes to vote again. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #348 – What’s Next? Part 2: The Next Election”
See where it all (officially) begins! You can click here for the agenda from City Hall, and you can click here for the Politico preview. For the complete blow-by-blow of today’s council meeting, you can follow along on Twitter, or follow the tweets below. You can also watch the City’s own live-stream of the meeting here. Continue reading “LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for November 15, 2022”
Watch as the new councillors learn the ropes, and watch the new old councillors get a refresher. You can click here for the agenda from City Hall, and you can click here for the Politico preview. For the complete blow-by-blow of today’s council meeting, you can follow along on Twitter, or follow the tweets below. You can also watch the City’s own live-stream of the meeting here. Continue reading “LIVE BLOG: Special City Council Meeting for November 15, 2022”
You may have heard about the Government of Ontario’s Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act. Literally introduced the day after the October 24 municipal election, the legislation proposes to change significant portions of municipal planning policy to, in theory, increase the development of housing units. With the first round of feedback about the legislation coming due, the new Guelph city council will assemble to have their say. Continue reading “Emergency Council Meeting to Discuss Impact of Bill 23”
On November 15, five new city councillors are going to formally take their seat around the horseshoe, and they’re five people bringing a variety of skills and experiences to the table. Joining them are eight experienced councillors, so how do all these ingredients gel to immediately form a cohesive unit that will tackle some of the biggest challenges our local government has faced. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #347 – What’s Next? Part 1: The Transition”
The day after Halloween offered at least one scare for anyone worried about heritage protection in Guelph. The last two meetings of the 2018-2022 term of council heard the objection of a heritage designation passed last summer in one, and then had one last moment of togetherness in the other. So let’s take a moment and recap how this very busy term of city council came to a close. Continue reading “This Week at Council: Heritage Designation Re-Debate and Goodbyes!”
Come on down to 1 Carden Street on Tuesday November 15 and be one of the first to see the new city council in action! The inaugural meeting of the new council term will be a largely ceremonial affair, but come on out and see the new kids in their first official meeting and hear the aspirational words of the mayor before the real sausage making of local governance begins!! Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the First Meeting of the Term?”
Last night, the 2018-2022 Guelph City Council met for the last time in the newly renovated chambers, and for five of the people there, it was the last time they’ll be sitting at the council table (for at least four years anyway). In the course of the meeting, all the outgoing councillors were given a chance for some last words, and here’s what they said… Continue reading “The Last Words from Outgoing Councillors at Their Last Meeting”
Guelph Politico 