After a lengthy closed meeting debate, and two emergency meetings, city council has finally released the details around the emergency demolition ordered for the old Shortreed Farmhouse at 797 Victoria Road North. The redacted report outlines in specific detail the risk to the property, and the risk to the City of Guelph’s liability without the demolition after several meetings between Guelph Fire and the Grand River Conservation Authority. Continue reading “Redacted Report on 797 Victoria Notes Ongoing Threat to Life Without Demo”
Tag: City of Guelph
LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for October 6, 2021
For the third time in two weeks, Guelph City Council had to deal with matters pertaining to 797 Victoria Street North. On the docket, council had to decide if what they voted for at *last week’s* emergency meeting was really what they voted for and set off a complex and often confusing chain of discussion about procedure and the validity of the meeting’s minutes. So how did it all turn out? Check out the link to the video and the meeting recap below. Continue reading “LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for October 6, 2021”
LIVE BLOG: Committee of the Whole Meeting for October 4, 2021
A new month means it’s time again for Committee of the Whole. 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 October 4, 2021”
CITY PAGES: Mental Health, Scams, and New LGBTQ+ Support Line
The City of Guelph, and it’s various partners and agencies, put out a lot of information on a weekly basis, and while it all ends up on the City’s website somewhere, wouldn’t it be easier to just scroll through it all on one easy-to-read article on Guelph Politico here…? Continue reading “CITY PAGES: Mental Health, Scams, and New LGBTQ+ Support Line”
City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the October 12 Meeting?
The October planning meeting will feature an autumn chill. There’s not a lot of action, perhaps appropriate given the post-holiday timing of this month’s meeting, but there are a couple of interesting items on the consent agenda, and there will also be an awards show. (Sort of.) Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the October 12 Meeting?”
Local Leaders Share Thoughts on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Today is the first ever National Day of Reconciliation, and there were a number of activities around Guelph to mark the day. Many local politicians have also marked the day by making special statements, wearing orange shirts, and speaking to the need to address long-standing Indigenous issues that come from centuries of systemic racism and genocide. Here are some official statements from local leaders and all levels of government. Continue reading “Local Leaders Share Thoughts on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation”
LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for September 30, 2021
Surprise! It’s an emergency council meeting for a Thursday evening. Coming out of a contentious motion on Monday day, the emergency demolition of a heritage farmhouse on Victoria Road North, new information needed to be presented to council, with a vote to reconsider Monday’s motion to follow. Did council reconsider, and what was this mysterious new information? Let’s recap the live(ish) tweets. Continue reading “LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for September 30, 2021”
This Month at Council: Clair-Maltby, Townhouses, and an Emergency Demo
After a month off, Guelph’s city council got to work again around the virtual horseshoe and handled a lot of business, but September wasn’t as busy as some months this year. There wasn’t a lot of controversy either, but there was a lot of regular order type business taken care of including changes to payday loan businesses, a third-party trails agreement, some planning meetings, and a draft plan for Clair-Maltby. Here’s September at city council. Continue reading “This Month at Council: Clair-Maltby, Townhouses, and an Emergency Demo”
Damage, Fireworks and a $30,000 Bill is the Homecoming Tally from Guelph Police
The Guelph Police Service released the tab for Homecoming 2021, and it comes in at 310 calls for service over a 17-hour period that will ultimately cost the City of Guelph over $30,000 in police time and resources. The price tag, and the fallout, will likely spurn a previously unfinished discussion pre-pandemic about where the financial burden of events from Homecoming will lie. Continue reading “Damage, Fireworks and a $30,000 Bill is the Homecoming Tally from Guelph Police”
GUELPH POLITICAST #291 – On Trying to Do Better with Truth and Reconciliation
This year’s first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation comes on the coattails of a Federal Election, and before that almost weekly news about unmarked graves being discovered on the property of old residential schools. Like a lot of communities across Canada, Guelph promised to do better, and thousands came out to march to show their commitment. So how are we doing this September 30? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #291 – On Trying to Do Better with Truth and Reconciliation”









