This Week at Council: Does Anyone Give a Dam?

It was back to the Allan and Macdonell bridge structure at this month’s regular meeting of city council, but did anyone give a damn about getting rid of the dam? That was going to be the question at this meeting as numerous delegates tried to convince council that the dam’s time was over, and in the interest of flood control and re-naturalization it should be removed. But as you might already know there’s an issue with unknown amount of money needed to make it happen. Let’s recap… Continue reading “This Week at Council: Does Anyone Give a Dam?”

RECAP: City Council Meeting for October 28, 2025

After a week off, council gets back to business with back-to-back meetings! 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 during the meeting on Blue Sky or recap the complete thread after the meeting below. You can also watch the City’s own live-stream of the meeting here. Continue reading “RECAP: City Council Meeting for October 28, 2025”

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the October 28, 2025 Meeting?

This end of October meeting has a lot of action, and most of it will be happening in the closed meeting agenda. No big deal. There should be some action in the main portion of the meeting though with some discussion about election behaviours and expectations, plus an update about the rationalization of back office functions at the City of Guelph. (Don’t worry, there’s a whole other meeting for this week.) Check out the preview below. Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the October 28, 2025 Meeting?”

This Week at Council: Allan’s Bridge is Coming Down!

This week. city council came back from an inexplicable two-week break and sat again as Committee of the Whole. For this edition, there were two main focuses, one had to do with billing for water and wastewater servicing, and the other concerned more downtown construction work! Read on to learn how a very busy intersection at the eastern end of downtown is going to get a facelift in the years to come in this week’s recap! Continue reading “This Week at Council: Allan’s Bridge is Coming Down!”

RECAP: Committee of the Whole Meeting for October 7, 2025

Back to city council with another Committee of the Whole meeting! 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 during the meeting on Blue Sky or recap the complete thread after the meeting below. You can also watch the City’s own live-stream of the meeting here. Continue reading “RECAP: Committee of the Whole Meeting for October 7, 2025”

Committee of the Whole Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the October 7, 2025 Meeting?

After a couple of weeks off, council gets back to work in the chambers again for the October Committee of the Whole meeting. This month, there will be some points of interest as more future construction downtown comes up for discussion, and so does a change to how residents are billed for water. There’s also some administrative moves including new names for new parks, and the usual staff recognitions. Check out all the details below… Continue reading “Committee of the Whole Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the October 7, 2025 Meeting?”

GUELPH POLITICAST #331 – The Edinburgh Conundrum

The rail crossing on Edinburgh Road has been the site of some controversy lately. The City of Guelph initiated the study of seven different street level rail crossings along the Metrolinx line across town, and they determined that there was one crossing that they had to look at a lot more closely. The implications could be big, so this week, we’re going to sit down and talk things out. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #331 – The Edinburgh Conundrum”

Province Says City’s Environmental Review of Emma-Earl Bridge Doesn’t Go Far Enough

The controversial Emma-Earl pedestrian bridge has hit an unexpected delay after a citizens’ group wrote to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks with concerns about the City of Guelph’s environmental assessment process. The Ministry has concurred with the group that there have been “deficiencies” with the City’s environmental review, and the project could now be delayed by a year. Continue reading “Province Says City’s Environmental Review of Emma-Earl Bridge Doesn’t Go Far Enough”

PRESS RELEASE – Niska Bridge to be Closed till May 1

The Bailey Bridge over the Speed River on Niska Road is a bit of a local legend, and in case you don’t know it, that history is outlined here. For a “temporary bridge” it’s held up remarkably well for the last four decades, but the growing Guelph and more wear and tear from the increased traffic is starting to take its toll. A regular inspection lead to the discovery that there maybe some bigger issues, so while the City closes the bridge for repairs starting today, they’ll be taking the opportunity to determine a more permanent solution. Continue reading “PRESS RELEASE – Niska Bridge to be Closed till May 1”