City of Guelph Puts Some Full-Time Staff on Emergency Leave

Over 200 more City of Guelph employees are out of a job because of COVID-19. In an announcement made Friday afternoon, the City is temporarily putting 127 full-time employees on declared emergency leave temporarily. On top of that, most of the library’s staff is also being put on temporary leave, which all told means that about half to the City’s staff is now out of work because of the pandemic. Continue reading “City of Guelph Puts Some Full-Time Staff on Emergency Leave”

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for April 16, 2020

Been missing city council as much as Guelph Politico? Tonight, you can get your fix! 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 April 16, 2020”

“We’re Okay.” Treasurer Confident that Guelph Can Weather the COVID Challenge

On Thursday night, city council will meeting its second special session in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, and a big portion of the conversation is going to be about the City of Guelph’s financial picture in the near and long term. According to the City’s Treasurer and General Manager of Finance, she’s confident that Guelph’s balance books are in good shape to ride out the storm. Continue reading ““We’re Okay.” Treasurer Confident that Guelph Can Weather the COVID Challenge”

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the April 16 Meeting?

In the City of Guelph’s second ever emergency council meeting of the pandemic era (and last because there will be a name change later), the socially distant city council and senior staff will look at their actions so far, and the next phase of of the City’s technical and fiscal response to COVID-19, which needs to be council approved. Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the April 16 Meeting?”

Second Emergency Council Meeting is Called for Next Thursday

This past Monday would have been the monthly Committee of the Whole meeting at the council chambers of City Hall, and this past Wednesday there was a special meeting of council on the schedule. Four previously scheduled council meetings have been cancelled as we’ve been locked down thanks to COVID-19, but a second emergency meeting has now been scheduled for next Thursday. Continue reading “Second Emergency Council Meeting is Called for Next Thursday”

Wellington County Gets $750,000 to Help the Most Vulnerable Through Pandemic

One of the biggest issues with a stay-at-home order is that you have to have a home to stay at. For that reason, the Government of Canada announced last month that they were offering $157.5 million in funding to address the needs of the homeless during the COVID-19 crisis, and the County of Wellington will be getting $720,000 of that money to look after the short-term needs of our area’s most vulnerable. Continue reading “Wellington County Gets $750,000 to Help the Most Vulnerable Through Pandemic”

City of Guelph Has Cancelled All Programs and Events till July

In a move that definitely sends a message that we’ll be dealing with COVID-19 for the long haul, the City of Guelph has cancelled all events and programs at city facilities through to July 5. Although the facilities themselves are still closed until April 30, the City will be hosting no events, concerts, or gatherings at those building until well after Canada Day. Continue reading “City of Guelph Has Cancelled All Programs and Events till July”

City of Guelph Lays Off 601 Employees as Closures Continue

In a move that was perhaps inevitable, the City of Guelph announced Thursday that they are temporarily laying off 601 part-time and casual employees nearly one week after Mayor Cam Guthrie called for a state of emergency, and nearly four weeks after the closure of City facilities began. Continue reading “City of Guelph Lays Off 601 Employees as Closures Continue”

Q&A with Mayor Guthrie About the State of Emergency

On Thursday night, Mayor Cam Guthrie called a state of emergency in the City of Guelph. If you’re wondering what exactly that means for life here in the Royal City, you’re not alone. The mayor talked to Guelph Politico on Friday about what the state of emergency means for Guelph, what City Hall is doing to respond to the crisis, and his most important request to all Guelph residents right now. Continue reading “Q&A with Mayor Guthrie About the State of Emergency”

City Facilities Closed Till April 30, All Council Meetings Cancelled

The City of Guelph has announced that the closures of all City facilities will continue until the end of April. Although the original intention was that some facilities like City Hall, rec centres and the library were going to re-open on April 6, they will now remain closed till May. In-person council meetings will also be cancelled for the time being. Continue reading “City Facilities Closed Till April 30, All Council Meetings Cancelled”