This has been an exceptionally busy week for the City of Guelph’s planning department. As the staff were getting for the final approval of the new Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw this week – the first update in nearly 30 years, remember – the Government of Ontario dropped their decision on Official Plan Amendment #80, the latest version of Guelph’s Official Plan. It never rains, but it pours! Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #369 – What’s the Deal with OPA 80?”
Conestoga College is making a $90 million bet on downtown Guelph, and in the process answering the great economic development conundrum for the next few years: What happens to the Co-operators’ building when they move to their new south end headquarters. Business and government dignitaries were drawn to City Hall today to hear the news, the culmination of years of planning and advocacy. Continue reading “Conestoga Coming to Downtown by 2025 After Buying Co-operators Building”
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: Easter Hours, Transit Changes, and Baker Street Debrief”
For this first new podcast of 2023, let’s clear the air. In the process of going non-stop, 52 weeks a year on all the issues that come at us on a regular basis, how often do we just stop and take stock? How can we keep up with everything and not get caught in the undertow? How can we overcome that feeling that we’re not doing enough and stay hopeful in an ever changing world? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #359 – Starting Fresh”
Tuesday night marked the first meeting of the Guelph Public Library Board of Directors for this term, and it’s newly embiggened with two additional city council representatives. At this meeting, all the new and old members got an update about the now finished plans about the new main library building and next steps, which includes fundraising. In other news, learn about changes that staff are making to improve membership for everyone. Continue reading “RECAP: Library Board Learns About Card Changes and Fundraising Plans”
For the last couple of years, we’ve used the Christmas week episode of the podcast to sit down with an influential Guelphite and talk a little more broadly about life and politics while looking back at some of the year’s highlights. This week’s podcast interview comes to you via a Zoom call from the hallways of Parliament Hill, which was the site of what the Canadian Press calls the Biggest Story of the Year. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #353 – Christmas With Lloyd”
What a year! Perhaps you don’t need to be told, but from this side of the computer it was a very busy news year indeed. For the last 11-and-a-half months it’s felt like not a day’s gone by without some major breaking news, or another new development in long-term stories as our community absorbed one challenge after another. From new maps to new councils, and from election changes to changing issues, let’s count off the Top 10 Guelph news stories for 2022! Continue reading “Top 10 Guelph News Stories for 2022”
It happened in the middle of the fall election campaign, but the new Strategic Advisory Group on downtown Guelph released a series of short to long-term goals that they hope to achieve to create a safer and more welcoming downtown core. The City of Guelph released a new update on Thursday saying that their aspirations have started to take shape with more formal directions, a “high-level, tactical roadmap to achieving the objectives” if you will. Continue reading “Advisory Committee Lays Out More Specific Plans for Downtown”
In the midst of an election where housing affordability, homelessness and mental health and addition issues are all on the frontburner, the City of Guelph is announcing some direction. Following up on a July vote by the current city council to approve a new Strategic Advisory Group on issues affecting downtown Guelph, the group itself has now announced its six strategic priorities to tackle those problems. Continue reading “Advisory Group Sets Six Priorities For Homelessness and Downtown Issues”
“International Overdose Awareness Day is the world’s largest annual campaign to end overdose, remember without stigma those who have died and acknowledge the grief of the family and friends left behind.” That’s what the day is officially about, but it means something different to everyone who’s experienced loss caused by the drug crisis. All those experiences were marked today in a packed event in St. George’s Square. Continue reading “Hope and Healing at the Commemoration of Overdose Awareness Day”
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