This Week at Council: Planning, Tribunal and Encampments Form the Trifecta

There are busy weeks at council, and then there’s spending nearly half of a 28-hour period in the council chambers. That was the time frame this week at 1 Carden Street, and in that period there was a planning meeting, a meeting where council sat as tribunal on a matter of misapplied Development Charges, and, the big one, a marathon meeting about a Public Spaces Use bylaw. To see how it all turned out, consult this week’s recap below… Continue reading “This Week at Council: Planning, Tribunal and Encampments Form the Trifecta”

LIVE BLOG: First City Council Meeting for February 14, 2024

In what’s sure to be one of the most controversial meeting of the year, the public spaces use bylaw. 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: First City Council Meeting for February 14, 2024”

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the First February 14 Meeting?

Just a day after a two-day meeting between representatives from Guelph and Wellington County, and about two weeks after it was first proposed in closed session at city council, staff have generated what’s sure to be the most controversial policy of the year. The growing visibility of encampments, especially in downtown Guelph, prompted the creation of a new bylaw, and it will be debated at this meeting! Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the First February 14 Meeting?”

This Week at Council: Housing, Heritage and Hesitancy in Double Header

It’s tough to summarize a nine-hour council meeting, but it kind of helps that this one came in two parts. In the first half, council tried its best to use the limited tool kit they have to generate some housing solutions amidst the crisis, and then, in the second half, it was the usual monthly planning meeting with some big new applications, big decisions, and some big heritage designations. Here’s the (lengthier than normal) recap… Continue reading “This Week at Council: Housing, Heritage and Hesitancy in Double Header”

LIVE BLOG: Special City Council Meeting for October 17, 2023

It’s another special meeting about housing. 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: Special City Council Meeting for October 17, 2023”

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the October 17 Special Meeting?

The first entry in a packed day at City Hall (which also includes an Accessibility Advisory Committee meeting and the planning meeting of city council) is all about housing. Following up on other recent meetings about the subject, city council will offer some further and firmer direction on how to combat the local housing crisis. Will Guelph City Council be finally able to make an impact? Let’s see what the plan is… Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the October 17 Special Meeting?”

This Week at Council: Housing is Exactly as Complicated as You Think

After several weeks of hype, Guelph City Council held a meeting meant to rake out most of their concerns about housing, homelessness, social services, addictions and mental health. A substantial agenda requires a commensurate meeting length, and council tackled seven hours worth of facts, figures and insights into all those issues to find the gaps, and hopefully start to find some solutions. Here’s the recap from this week’s council meeting… Continue reading “This Week at Council: Housing is Exactly as Complicated as You Think”

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for September 12, 2023

This is a meting all about housing! 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 September 12, 2023”

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the Meeting on September 12?

In July, there were promised future steps about tackling the housing crisis in Guelph, and we’ve now arrived at the next step. At this special meeting entirely dedicated to the housing crisis, council will hear about the research done about community needs, and how the City is going refresh its affordable housing strategy. For everyone in Guelph concerned about the issue, let’s just call this a must see. Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the Meeting on September 12?”

“We Love All of You, We Hear You, And We’re Here for You.” Guelph Gathers Again to End the Stigma

“My name is Nicolas. I’m an addict. I’ve done fentanyl, I’ve done meth, I’ve done every drug out there, but I am not a bad person.” If there was an overarching sentiment on the sixth annual Drug Poisoning Awareness Day (formally Overdose Awareness Day), it was that. Several community members took part and offered words of remembrance, words of caring, and words of desire that we further advance the cause of ending overdose deaths. Continue reading ““We Love All of You, We Hear You, And We’re Here for You.” Guelph Gathers Again to End the Stigma”