From time to time, the Guelph Politicast likes to do a sit down with a member of City of Guelph staff to talk about their job in detail with all its day-to-day demands, challenges and rewards. This podcast is in the mode of one of those past explainers, but with a COVID-19 twist because what is possibly affecting City business more these days than the global pandemic? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #218 – COVID Administrative Officer”
The City of Guelph had been looking to reopen its facilities and get back to some sense of normalcy at the beginning of May, but as we itch closer to the end of April that plan was starting to seem less likely to come to fruition. On Tuesday, the City confirmed that facilities will remain closed until the state of emergency is lifted, and they will only open on the best advice of public health and the Province. Continue reading “City Will Stay Closed till the End of the State of Emergency”
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”
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”
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”
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?”
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”
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”
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”
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”
