Ford and Schreiner Fight Over Highway #413 in Duelling Announcements

In an announcement in Caledon on Wednesday, Premier Doug Ford lent his support, and that of the Government of Ontario, to the Highway #413 project. The controversial project needs all the friends it can get, because environmentalists, local municipalities, and all provincial opposition parties have lined up against #413, and one of those opponents, Guelph MPP Mike Schriener, was also in Caledon Wednesday for an announcement of his own. Continue reading “Ford and Schreiner Fight Over Highway #413 in Duelling Announcements”

Ontario Hitting Pause on Re-opening Plans After Bump in COVID Cases

Less than 24 hours after the Mister of Health said that Ontario will “stay the course” on its planned re-opening, there’s been a change in course. On Wednesday, Christine Elliott announced in a statement that the unfurling of capacity limits has been put on pause out of an “abundance of caution” as the Province tries to manage the pandemic, and not fall back into old, business-limiting restrictions. Continue reading “Ontario Hitting Pause on Re-opening Plans After Bump in COVID Cases”

Ontario Government Increases Access to Boosters, But That’s Not the Vaccine News Today

On Wednesday, the Government of Ontario announced that they are expanding the eligibility of third doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. Starting on November 6, booster shots will be made available to additional groups of high-risk individuals, and that boosters will then be gradually rolled out for all age groups 12 and over. Good news, but it wasn’t the vaccine news that everyone was talking about on Wednesday afternoon. Continue reading “Ontario Government Increases Access to Boosters, But That’s Not the Vaccine News Today”

Ford Announces Minimum Wage Increase That Still Falls Short of Living Wage

One of the first acts of the current Ontario government under Premier Doug Ford in 2018 was to cancel a planned increase of the provincial minimum wage to $15 per hour. So it came something of a strange development on Tuesday morning when it was announced that Ford himself would introduce a plan to increase the minimum wage by 65 cent as of January 1, which will finally bring it to $15 per hour. Three years late. Continue reading “Ford Announces Minimum Wage Increase That Still Falls Short of Living Wage”

City Expands Capacity at Facilities, Province Expands Capacity Outdoors

It’s getting a bit easier to get together as capacity limits are changing in Guelph and across Ontario as the COVID-19 case loads remain relatively low. Locally, more areas and activities at Guelph recreational facilities will be a little easier to access, while the Government of Ontario is loosening the limits on outdoor gatherings just in time for Halloween, Remembrance Day, and Santa Claus Parade season. Continue reading “City Expands Capacity at Facilities, Province Expands Capacity Outdoors”

Ontario Government Announces Plans to Fix Long-Term Care, Opposition Has Doubts

Nearly 4,000 Ontarians have died in long-term care homes because of COVID-19. It prompted a new independent commission to investigate the subject at Queen’s Park that returned several recommendations this past spring, and on Thursday the government announced the legislative plan to act on those recommendations. Still, all the opposition leaders are suspicious about whether today’s bill is the change everyone was seeking. Continue reading “Ontario Government Announces Plans to Fix Long-Term Care, Opposition Has Doubts”

Schreiner Announces Private Members Bill to Create Carbon Budget Accountability

Governments talk a lot about balancing the fiscal budget, but what about a carbon budget. Well, Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner is bringing forward a private members bill later this week that will demand of the Ontario government that they adhere to an annual carbon budget as a way to attack global climate change. His plan, Schreiner says, will cut Ontario’s climate pollution in half by 2030 and get the province to net-zero by 2045. Continue reading “Schreiner Announces Private Members Bill to Create Carbon Budget Accountability”

Ontario Government Announces No More Capacity Limits on November 15

After a couple of weeks of pressure from restaurateurs and other business owners about the Government of Ontario’s seemingly random removal of capacity limits on cinemas and sports venues, it looks like all limits are coming to an end by the mid-point of next month. In a typical late Friday announcement, Premier Doug Ford said that more limits will be lifted on Monday with an eye to end all COVID-19 precautions by the end of March. Continue reading “Ontario Government Announces No More Capacity Limits on November 15”

TAAG Teams Up With Unions for Regional Transit Strategy

The Transit Action Alliance of Guelph (TAAG) has teamed up with transit unions in Guelph, Brantford and Waterloo Region to promote a regional transit strategy that will better connect the three areas, and other smaller transit networks in rural areas. In a presentation on Tuesday night, the group unveiled a plan that they hope will appeal to regional governments to address the gaps in travelling between area municipalities. Continue reading “TAAG Teams Up With Unions for Regional Transit Strategy”

CITY PAGES: Fast Trains, Loose Leafs, Lots of Road Work

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: Fast Trains, Loose Leafs, Lots of Road Work”