GUELPH POLITICAST #523 – What’s Next 2026? Politics and Policing (feat. Chief Gord Cobey and Peter McSherry)

Is there a bigger political lightning rod when it comes to the City of Guelph budget than the police budget? For some people, we spend too much on the police and at the expense of expanded funding for social services, and for others we don’t spend nearly enough on the police. As we look to the next term at city hall, what challenges around policing will be presented to the new council? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #523 – What’s Next 2026? Politics and Policing (feat. Chief Gord Cobey and Peter McSherry)”

This Week at Council: Mixed Reviews for Fiscal 2025

Money matters were on the agenda for the May Committee of the Whole meeting! First up, the internal auditor returned with the results from the latest value-for-money audit, which this time focused on the building permits office. For the rest of the meeting, the City of Guelph’s finance staff officially closes the book on the 2025 fiscal year with the final report save for the outside auditor’s double check next month. For now, here’s the recap! Continue reading “This Week at Council: Mixed Reviews for Fiscal 2025”

RECAP: Heritage Committee Told Decision on McQuillan’s Bridge Coming to Council Next Month

Eleven minutes. That was how long it took for the Heritage Advisory Committee to get all their business done for this month. Several new designations were approved and there was a report about the cultural heritage impact of major proposed project downtown. The big news though was an update about the environmental assessment concerning a major piece of demolition by neglect, and when council will decide its fate. Here’s the (brief) meeting recap! Continue reading “RECAP: Heritage Committee Told Decision on McQuillan’s Bridge Coming to Council Next Month”

GUELPH POLITICAST #522 – The Year at Council… So Far (January to April)

Sure, it’s an election year, but that doesn’t mean that the current city council is coasting in their last year in office. The council calendar has been pretty busy these first four months of 2026, and some of the things that have kept them busy might surprise you. This week, if you don’t follow the news, or subscribe to this website, or have heard about it somewhere else, you will get your chance to catch-up on all the latest council business here. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #522 – The Year at Council… So Far (January to April)”

RECAP: Committee of the Whole Meeting for May 5, 2026

The fourth may not be with them, but the fifth will be! You can click here for the amended 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 during the meeting on Blue Sky or recap the complete thread after the meeting below. You can also watch the City’s own live-stream of the meeting here. Continue reading “RECAP: Committee of the Whole Meeting for May 5, 2026”

MEETING PREVIEW: Heritage Advisory Committee Meeting for May 7, 2026

This month’s Heritage Advisory Committee has a lot of new designations to offer as some pretty important properties have finally come up for designation. In other news, the heritage planning staff have notes concerning a tower project downtown and how it might impact another one of Guelph’s historic houses, plus there’s some mystery around what’s next for one of the city’s most famous bridges. Let’s check out what’s on the agenda! Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: Heritage Advisory Committee Meeting for May 7, 2026”

GUELPH POLITICAST #521 – One and Done (feat. Erin Caton & Michele Richardson)

Near the end of every council term, we invite the rookies who were elected in the previous election onto this podcast to talk about their experience. This time it’s different because one, there were so many new councillors in 2022, and two, in this case, we have two people who’ve decided that one term is enough. How can just four years on Guelph city council possibly be enough? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #521 – One and Done (feat. Erin Caton & Michele Richardson)”

This Week at Council: Debating Bumps in the Road at Regular Meeting

Straightforward regular council meeting to end April, right? (Albeit a week earlier than what have been expected.) Not so fast! The agenda was the confirmation of stuff that’s already passed, and the endorsement to create a Canadian Chinese Heritage Month, but there was apparently more to be said about traffic calming, and traffic calming options. What more was there left to say and how did the traffic calming policy change? Read the recap below… Continue reading “This Week at Council: Debating Bumps in the Road at Regular Meeting”

Committee of the Whole Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the May 5, 2026 Meeting?

It’s “Money May” for this month’s Committee of the Whole meeting. The lion’s share of this agenda concerns the fiscal wrap-up for 2025 and there’s going to be some extremely mixed news there. There’s also going to be the results of another value-for-money audit, plus some timely reports concerning the election that’s about to begin, and the possibilities for the election coming up in four years. Let’s check out the preview… Continue reading “Committee of the Whole Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the May 5, 2026 Meeting?”

RECAP: City Council Meeting for April 21, 2026

It’s the last council meeting… before the election begins! You can click here for the amended 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 during the meeting on Blue Sky or recap the complete thread after the meeting below. You can also watch the City’s own live-stream of the meeting here. Continue reading “RECAP: City Council Meeting for April 21, 2026”