In the past, Guelph MPP and Green Party of Ontario leader Mike Schreiner has gone to the media studio in Queen’s Park, and presented ideas for the reigning Progressive Conservative government to implement. On Thursday, he did it again by offering 10 principles for a “Greener and More Caring COVID-19 Recovery”, but will the Premier Doug Ford take him up on the offer? Continue reading “Steal These Ideas Part 2, Schreiner Has Plans for a Better Recovery”
The annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference wrapped up on Wednesday with some speeches from opposition leaders including Green Party of Ontario leader and Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner. After Premier Doug Ford’s somewhat rosy appraisal of the current response to COVID-19 on Monday, Schreiner notes there’s still a long, long way to go, and a lot of stuff that’s been overlooked by the provincial government. Continue reading “Schreiner Wants Less Cheerleading More Regular Leading from Ford”
Months of advocacy finally paid off for the City of Guelph and other municipalities in Ontario on Wednesday with the announcement of the first phase of emergency operating funds. Just in time for Guelph city council’s monthly COVID-19 response meeting, Mayor Cam Guthrie shared the news that Guelph’s share of $1.6 billion in funding under the Safe Start Agreement is $12 million. Continue reading “Cities Finally Get Details on Emergency Funds, Guelph to Get $12 Million”
COVID-19 has ravaged long-term care homes here in Ontario and across Canada, and a lot of people have been wondering why. A report from the Canadian Forces back in May started pointing some fingers, but now the Provincial government is going to start a more formal process. Ontario is finally launching its independent long-term care COVID-19 commission, but some people think we should already know the answer. Continue reading “Ontario Government Finally Announces Plans for Long Term Care Review”
It’s hard to imagine a more personal environmental issue for many in Guelph than water. We’re a community that gets our drinking water from ground sources, and that means we have to be even more guarded about potential threats to those sources, which has long included private water taking operations. Some big changes are coming in that sector as you might have heard, and we’re going to get perspective from an activist and a politician. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #230 – Messaging on a Bottle”
It’s never an easy thing to vote against your own party, especially when that party forms the government in power. As they say, “Elections have consequences”, but so does defiance, and Progressive Conservative MPP Belinda Karahalios paid the price on Tuesday when she was tossed from her own caucus for voting against the government on extending emergency powers. Continue reading “Cambridge MPP Tossed From Caucus After Voting Against Her Party”
As businesses continue to struggle through the pandemic, one of the primary concerns has been whether all shop owners will have a storefront to go back to once the economy re-opens. It’s why for weeks now business owners and politicians have been asking the Government of Ontario to put a moratorium on commercial evictions, and after all that advocacy, Queen’s Park finally granted that request. Continue reading “After Much Pressure, Ontario Government Moves to Ban Commercial Evictions”
In Toronto, starting next week, if you’re in a public building, you’re going to have to wear a mask. With more and more medical professionals recommending the wearing of masks as one of the best ways to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Canada’s biggest city has now made it the law of the land to wear a face covering in all indoor public spaces for the foreseeable future. Continue reading “Toronto Makes Mask Mandatory, Other Municipalities to Follow?”
At their daily media briefing at Queen’s Park Monday, Premier Doug Ford and members of his cabinet announced that Ontario will begin Stage 2 of the economic re-opening at 12:01 am on Friday June 12. The hitch is that only some portions of the province will move on to Stage 2, as several areas in Ontario will remain at Stage 1 for the time being. Continue reading “Guelph Will Be a Part of Stage 2 Opening of Ontario”
People around the world have been watching the events unfolding in the United States last weekend, and some of those people live in Guelph. As we struggle with our own feelings about the death of another Black man in police custody, and we think about our own roles in combating anti-Black racism, Guelph’s leaders have been offering words of comfort, understanding, and self-reflection. Continue reading “Guelph’s Leaders Offer Messages of Hope and Encouragement”
Guelph Politico 