Despite the economic issues stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, local Guelph and area governments and agencies added more than 500 more names to the so-called “Sunshine List” in 2020. The yearly disclosure of the government workers in the province making 100,000 or more was boosted largely by medical fields, but the number of employees on the list in almost all agencies went up. Continue reading “Despite the Pandemic, Guelph and Area Adds 500 More to “Sunshine List””
It’s the end of the month again, and that means it’s time for the regular meeting of city council. It may look like a short agenda, but looks can be deceiving, and this could be a long night with the return to the topic of downtown patios. Plus, there will be an additional motion that might see our local council back the near universal request to establish province-wide universal sick days. Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the March 29 Meeting?”
They said not to take “hugs over masks” literally, but there was one guy on the corner soliciting hugs. They said it wasn’t an anti-mask protest, but at one point a speaker stopped everything to burn a mask before the cheering crowd. The messages were mixed, but the messaging was as plain as day. The anti-mask movement landed in St. George’s Square Sunday afternoon attracting around 50 people, mostly maskless, all eager to deflect from the reality of the situation. Continue reading “Conspiracy Theories and Science Denial on Display Downtown at “COVID is Over” Rally”
In a special meeting of city council, there’s only one topic to be discussed, and that’s city council itself. City council has rules, and every now and then they have to be reviewed by the clerks office, and now the time has come this term’s halfway point check-in for the ways and means of conducting council business. So what changes are being proposed? Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the March 22 Meeting?”
The City of Guelph puts 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: Pandemic News, Newcomer Help, and Snow Plow Names”
Last week, the Government of Ontario announced further financial aid for cities for the 2021 fiscal year. The funds are desperately needed as we enter the second year of the pandemic, and the Provincial government wants to be seen as proactive as they get ready to deliver their next budget. So where is the money going to go, and who else just gave the City of Guelph a big cheque? Continue reading “Guelph Announces New Money from the Province and Alectra, Plus Budget News”
It’s another busy planning meeting schedule! 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 March 8, 2021”
Municipal governments, including the City of Guelph, have been keeping up the pressure against the upper levels of government, and have been demanding more fiscal assistance to combat the negative effects of COVID-19 on the local bottom line. On Thursday, the Government of Ontario opened their own pockets to offer assistance, and they challenged the Federal government to be equally generous. Continue reading “Ontario Government Announces More Money for Municipalities”
The City of Guelph had a solid 18 months there without a high-profile shuffle at the executive level of City of Guelph staff, but the streak came to end Tuesday with the announcement that the current Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Infrastructure, Development and Enterprise Services is moving on at the end of March. The search is now on for Kealy Dedman’s replacement. Continue reading “Dedman Moving to Peel, Leaves New Vacancy With City Exec Staff”
A COVID update and patios are among the topics for this meeting. You can click here for the amended agenda from City Hall, and you can click here and 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 March 1, 2021”
Guelph Politico 