For the first time since March, council will gather as Committee of the Whole, although they will continue to meet in the virtual format we’ve all gotten used to because of the pandemic. For this month, we will get items from Public Services and Infrastructure, Development and Enterprise with three interesting reports about three different areas of City business. Continue reading “Committee of the Whole Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the September 8 Meeting?”
Normally there are no August city council meetings, but as we all know in 2020 what’s normal got up, walked out of the room, and threw itself down the stairs. Having three city council meetings in August is unusual, but it’s hardly the most unusual thing about this political year, and to make sense of everything that’s happened at council so far in 2020, we’re going to do a recap. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #235 – The Council Year So Far”
It’s jam-packed meeting for this last meeting in a very unusual series of August meetings. 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 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 August 24, 2020”
For the eighth year in a row, the City of Guelph has secured a AA+ rating from the Standard & Poors global rating agency. This good economic news comes in the midst of a fiscal year where Guelph has been hit with the negative effects of COVID-19 and the economic problems created by the pandemic, and although Guelph is not alone in these conditions, it seems again we’re doing better than some of the others. Continue reading “Guelph Stays AA+ Despite the Financial Fallout of the Pandemic”
The annual conference of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) kicked off Monday in an unusual way: remotely. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, representatives from many of Ontario’s 444 municipalities will not be descending on Ottawa this week, but will instead be meeting via teleconference, and the effects of the pandemic will definitely be a big part of the conversations. Continue reading “At AMO, Ford is Optimistic While the City of Guelph Comes with a Wish List”
Months of advocacy finally paid off for the City of Guelph and other municipalities in Ontario on Wednesday with the announcement of the first phase of emergency operating funds. Just in time for Guelph city council’s monthly COVID-19 response meeting, Mayor Cam Guthrie shared the news that Guelph’s share of $1.6 billion in funding under the Safe Start Agreement is $12 million. Continue reading “Cities Finally Get Details on Emergency Funds, Guelph to Get $12 Million”
This could be the last COVID-19 response meeting… For now. You can click here for the amended agenda from City Hall, and you can click here and 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 August 12, 2020”
Despite conventional wisdom about there being no news in August, over 100 people went to Margaret Greene Park last week to confront City councillors, staff, and Metrolinx reps about a plan to build a traction power substation in a portion of the park. The events in the west end capture in a microcosm of big concerns about public engagement, and development running roughshod over neighbourhood concerns. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #233 – Parks or Wreck”
Two planning decisions and a notice of motion make the agenda for this bizarro August planning meeting. 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 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 August 10, 2020”
For the fifth and (perhaps) final time, council will hold a special COVID-19 response meeting before returning to a more normal council schedule in September. There isn’t much in the way of new initiatives, but there are some interesting insights into how the City of Guelph is still managing the effects of the pandemic, and what the immediate future looks like for City Hall. Continue reading “Council Preview Update: What Else is on the Agenda for the August 12 Meeting?”
Guelph Politico 