This month’s planning meeting of city council was all about four, and despite what you’ve heard it’s actually the loneliness number. That was the impression you might have gotten watching what happened when staff deliver their draft report about allowing fourplexes and four units as-of-right in Guelph. It looks like this policy might have an uphill climb, but staff have until June to make a case, in the meantime, here’s the recap…. Continue reading “This Week at Council: The Four Unit Problem”
On Friday, it was a rare meeting of the Advertising Review Panel. At issue was a complaint by Guelph and Area Right to Life who want to buy a couple of new bus ads and the City of Guelph who did not want to sell them. The two parties met in the council chambers to hash out their differences, and then it was left in the hands of the panel to render a decision about whether the ads will be taken, or whether the bus will leave the station without them. Let’s recap… Continue reading “RECAP: Panel Hears Appeal of Latest Anti-Abortion Bus Ads”
It was an historical day at the Administrative Centre on Wednesday as members from Wellington County and Guelph councils sat down for the first Joint Social Services and Land Ambulance Committee. Most of the meeting was in the realm of reviews, reviews of how all the key services work and reviews of projects in progress, but there were some flashing warning signs about the impact from using Strong Mayor Powers in the Royal City. Let’s recap… Continue reading “RECAP: First Meeting of New Combined Social Services Committee Painted Bleak Future”
We’ve heard a lot about tiny homes lately as the housing crisis has gotten worse, but they’ve been a thing for a while. Somehow, it’s both a niche real estate trend, and a new innovation in accommodating Canada’s unhoused population, but it’s the latter that we’re interested in today because we’re going to talk about one of Guelph’s two tiny home projects meant to tackle homelessness. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #414 – Tiny Homes, Big Impacts”
Gentle density is the name of the game at this month’s planning meeting. You can click here for the amended agendas 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 9, 2024”
Delayed a day because of the Easter long weekend, Committee of the Whole sat on Wednesday and discussed progress on the development of key policy. On the one hand, there was the Municipal Accommodation Tax and the creation of a cohesive tourism strategy, and on the other there was a question of transparency and knowing who’s lobbying who at city hall and about what. Here’s the recap. Continue reading “This Week at Council: MAT Update and Registering Lobbyists”
Wait! What’s this?! It’s not everyday that there’s the start of a new committee, or perhaps we should call this a committee reboot, because it’s taking something that already existed, but getting a new twist. In this case, it’s the old Wellington County Social Services Committee, but with the City of Guelph now bringing the regular paramedic updates and new members. So what’s on the agenda for this first meeting of the rebooted committee? Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: Joint Social Services and Land Ambulance Committee Meeting for April 10, 2024”
We’re wrapping up the month at council pretty early all things considered. Our first meeting post-Ramadan brings council back to a later start time around the dinner hour, and it also brings back all the items discussed last week at Committee of the Whole. Plus, there’s a new topic in the form of a report from the Integrity Commissioner, and this one’s a little more spicy than the last one. Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the April 16 Meeting?”
Just when you thought you were out, they pull you back in… Just over two years after the Ontario Superior Court of Justice said that the City of Guelph didn’t offer a good enough justification for removing three anti-abortion bus ads from Guelph Transit vehicles, the same group is back with a complaint about the City’s refusal to post a new ad. A meeting of the Advertising Review Panel next Friday will determine what happens next.
Continue reading “Abortion Bus Ads Going Back to City Committee for Hearing”
No April Fools, it’s time to get back to some council business! 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: Committee of the Whole Meeting for April 3, 2024”
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