If it’s the middle Wednesday of the month, then it’s time for the new regular monthly council meeting. Staff will present an update on all the effects and costs of the pandemic, but we’ll have to wait an extra couple of days to find out the full measure of those details. Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the June 17 Meeting?”
Thousands of people flooded Market Square Saturday and than marched through the streets downtown to send one message: anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism must end, and so must police brutality against those groups. In what might have been one of the largest protests Guelph has ever seen, especially in recent memory, a diverse group of residents joined a worldwide chorus of people demanding the elimination of systemic racism. Continue reading ““The Change Starts Now!” Thousands Take Over Market Square to Say, “Black Lives Matter!””
Since March, Guelph Transit has gone to extraordinary measures to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 by having people board and exit the bus at the rear door, blocking off seats for physical distancing, making the bus free, and limiting riders to 10 at a time. Starting Monday though one of those conditions will change. As the economy continues to re-open, and more people will depend on the bus again, more than 10 people will soon be able to ride at a time again. Continue reading “More People Get to Ride Transit, But Please Wear a Mask”
For nearly two weeks, protests demanding an end to police brutality and anti-Black racism have taken to the streets in cities across the U.S., Canada, and around the world. On Saturday, it will be Guelph’s time to demonstrate with what’s looking to be a very large gathering of people in support of Black Live Matter out in front of City Hall. What’s it going to look like, and what’s it been like organizing something like this in a pandemic? Continue reading “Q&A with Kayla “Kween” Gerber About Saturday’s March, and Combatting Racism in Guelph”
The civil rights demonstrations and marches that have erupted after the killing of George Floyd while in police custody last week continue to occupy people, politicians and current affairs both here and in the United States. After thousands showed up at a march in Kitchener Wednesday, the City of Guelph and the Guelph Police Service have both put out messages in advance of Saturday’s event in Downtown Guelph. Continue reading “City of Guelph and Guelph Police Thinking Ahead to This Weekend’s Protest”
On Wednesday afternoon, the local Board of Health met for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and while the general message was that the pandemic response has been good, it’s not come without cost. Many of the regular programs at Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph have been interrupted due to the pandemic, and the literal price tag to protect us from COVID might be close to $1 million. Continue reading “Public Health Board Told COVID Costs Have Topped $1 Million (So Far)”
City council got back to some kind of business as usual in May with the announcement of a new schedule for a slate of meetings to carry us through to September. Will we be allowed to attend these meetings in person by then? Who can say? But for this month we got our COVID update, plus a planning meeting, and a regular meeting of city council. Here’s the recap from May. Continue reading “The Month at Council: COVID Continued and Back to Regular Order”
Whether it’s an event at the River Run Centre, your child’s favourite summer camp, or booking a picnic site in Riverside Park for your family reunion, when it comes to City of Guelph properties, it’s “See you in September” for local amenities and the people. City officials announced today that all scheduled programs, performances, and events at their facilities are cancelled until after Labour Day. Continue reading “City of Guelph Says No Programs, Permits, or Events Till September”
June will bring some adjustment to the new normal in our pandemic times. As promised, the Guelph Public Library will begin curbside pick-up on Monday, and speaking of promises kept, the City of Guelph is also following up on city council’s May 11 decision to create options on city streets and sidewalks to get better social distancing. Continue reading “Library Announces Curbside Pick-Up Deets and City Releases Modified Street Deets”
Council will hold its first planning meeting of the pandemic era. 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 May 27, 2020”
