This week, the Guelph Chamber of Commerce posts the recorded Q&As they’ve done with the candidates running in each of Guelph’s six wards, and the mayor’s race, deviating from the live format they’ve done in years past. But today, it’s the Chamber’s CEO and President turn to answer the questions as we dive into the election issues at the intersection of government, business and community. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #341 – Election Economics”
The bad news is that your rent might be going up, but the good news is that it’s not going to go up as much as it could have. According to the Government of Ontario, the province’s rent increase guideline for 2023 will be set at 2.5 per cent, meaning that’s how much your landlord might be able to raise your rent by without getting approval from the Landlord and Tenant Board, but hey, it could have been 5.3 per cent. Continue reading “Government of Ontario Cap Rent Increases to 2.5 Per Cent in 2023”
For the second time in a year, the Ontario government has announced an increase to the minimum wage. Phrased as an eight per cent bump to “help workers keep up with rising costs and inflation”, and as another positive pre-election announcement from the government, the exact amount of the increase is 50 cents, which means that starting on October 1, the minimum wage for Ontarians will now be $15.50 per hour. Continue reading “Ontario Government Announces Second Min. Wage Hike in 6 Months”
The anticipated re-opening of the Ontario economy is Monday, and there have been some last-minute details released from both the Provincial government and the local public health unit. Locally, a public health order issued in December will be rescinded on Monday, and there have been some adjustments to the re-opening protocols from the Province while all levels are sending out a message that COVID is something we have to get used to. Continue reading “Last Minute Details Before Monday’s Re-Opening Announced”
Will Ontario businesses be allowed to open again exactly one week from now? That was not a question firmly answered by the Minister of Health and the Chief Medical Officer of Health on Wednesday at a media conference. One day after Premier Doug Ford told an Ottawa radio station that there will be good news about the lockdown conditions later this week, Christine Elliott and Dr. Kieran Moore seemed to signal that’s still TBD. Continue reading “Elliott and Moore Say There’s Reason for Hope (Not a Guarantee)”
As of January 1, 10C Shared Space took over the management of the Guelph Farmers’ Market. The goal is simple: turn an underperforming asset that’s only open five hours a week into a new economic hub and accelerator that ties together food security, sustainability, local markets, and opportunity development. Getting there is an ideal challenge for Guelph’s community changemaker. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #307 – New Year, New Market”
During his usual Thursday press briefing, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore tried to offer assurances about the re-opening of schools next week and the potential re-opening of the provincial economy the week after. Meanwhile, teachers and public health units still have concerns about what’s coming, and whether teachers and parents have everything they need when the bell rings on Monday morning. Continue reading “Moore Gets Questioned About the Future As Schools Have Concerns”
On day two of the new light lockdown for many businesses in Ontario, Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner appeared on a virtual press conference with Guelph entrepeneur Court Desautels, the CEO of The Neighbourhood Group. The point of the conference was to call on the Ontario government to do more for small businesses, even after an announcement from Queen’s Park to that effect, both Schreiner and Desautels say it’s not enough. Continue reading “Schreiner and Desautels Call on Ontario Government to Do More for Restaurants”
For the first time since May, there’s a COVID-19 outbreak at Guelph General Hospital. The news comes just a day after the hospital announced that they’re limiting visitors for patients starting Thursday, and more than seven months after the last outbreak. At the same time, there was some good news on Wednesday as the Government of Ontario announced that there’s help for small businesses fighting to stay open in the wake of Omicron. Continue reading “COVID-19: Outbreak at Guelph General While Ontario Announces Help for Businesses”
The economic issues stemming from COVID-19 are as well known as the health implications at this point: The massive disruption to service-based businesses, the lack of summer work in those businesses for young people, and the disproportionate effect on women in the workforce. Not for the first time, Federal money is going to Second Chance Employment Counselling to help answer those employment issues. Continue reading “More Federal Money for Second Chance to Find Jobs for Women”
Guelph Politico 