LIVE BLOG: Committee of the Whole Meeting for November 1, 2021

This Committee meeting will start a very busy month around the virtual horseshoe. 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: Committee of the Whole Meeting for November 1, 2021”

This Month at Council PART 2: Workshops, Development Charges, and More Drama

For a time, the second half of the month at council was more dry and wonkish with special meetings and workshops about dry subject matter like Development Charges and the multi-year budget. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on your point of view), council made up for some of the lost drama at the month’s regular council meeting, where they revisited the internal misunderstandings that stared the month. Here’s the second part of the recap. Continue reading “This Month at Council PART 2: Workshops, Development Charges, and More Drama”

City Expands Capacity at Facilities, Province Expands Capacity Outdoors

It’s getting a bit easier to get together as capacity limits are changing in Guelph and across Ontario as the COVID-19 case loads remain relatively low. Locally, more areas and activities at Guelph recreational facilities will be a little easier to access, while the Government of Ontario is loosening the limits on outdoor gatherings just in time for Halloween, Remembrance Day, and Santa Claus Parade season. Continue reading “City Expands Capacity at Facilities, Province Expands Capacity Outdoors”

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the November 8 Meeting?

At every planning meeting, council hears about applications to change the zoning bylaw to allow for the construction of some new project somewhere in the city, and they’re usually looking for some kind of change to the regulations as well like a bigger yard or less parking. But who or what decides what can and can’t be done? That’s the comprehensive zoning bylaw, and this month’s planning meeting is literally all about it. Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the November 8 Meeting?”

This Month at Council PART 1: Emergency Meetings, and Demolition Fallout

This October recap of the events of city council actually started in September. Unexpectedly, an emergency meeting was called on September 30 to talk about events that occurred at the September 27 regular council meeting. Maybe you heard about it. The events of those meetings cast a shadow over a lot of council business for the rest of the month, and that includes the Committee of the Whole and planning meetings covered here. Continue reading “This Month at Council PART 1: Emergency Meetings, and Demolition Fallout”

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for October 25, 2021

Council wraps up a month of city business. 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 October 25, 2021”

Bone Fragments Found During Baker Street Excavation

Perhaps predictably, the archaeological consultants working with the City of Guelph crews to excavate the Baker Street Parking lot announced that they exhumed bone fragments from a lost grave. This is not the first time that remains have been found in the Baker Street area over the years, but this time the City is trying to carefully find them all before the redevelopment of the area can begin this coming spring. Continue reading “Bone Fragments Found During Baker Street Excavation”

Committee of the Whole Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the November 1 Meeting?

November will be a very busy month at city council, and it starts, as usual, with the Committee of the Whole meeting. This month’s business will cover the always controversial audit planning reprots, as well as customer service needs at the City, a new bylaw for trailers, and some pressing 2022 election matters. There will also be an update about the pending takeover of Guelph’s favourite Farmers’ Market by its favourite community hub. Continue reading “Committee of the Whole Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the November 1 Meeting?”

“Enough is Enough.” Police Board Moves to Recoup Party Costs from U of G

In the first meeting of Guelph Police Services Board since Homecoming, the Board decided that it would be the last Homecoming without the City of Guelph getting any compensation for the added security costs.  A motion from Mayor Cam Guthrie and Councillor Christine Billings, the two city council representatives on the board, sent a clear message to the administration of the University of Guelph: “Enough is Enough.” Continue reading ““Enough is Enough.” Police Board Moves to Recoup Party Costs from U of G”

9 Out of 10 Guelphites Now Vaccinated, as City Struggles With Unvaccinated Staff

On Wednesday, the residents of Guelph reached an important vaccine milestone: 9 out of every 10 eligible people in the city have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. By comparison, only 83 per cent of people born in 2009 and before in the whole of Ontario are fully vaccinated, which casts Guelph as pretty enthusiastically vaccinated locality in Canada. Unfortunately, not all of us are enthusiastic, even the ones that need to be. Continue reading “9 Out of 10 Guelphites Now Vaccinated, as City Struggles With Unvaccinated Staff”