This Week at Council: Campus Redux, Elliott Expansion, and The Pledge!

It was a very busy agenda to end February at city council. Along with the potential construction of the operations campus, the likely construction of new space at the Elliott, and the annual (albeit thin) report from the Integrity Commissioner, the big item of the night was The Pledge. Council had to endorse the Government of Ontario’s goal of building 18,000 homes by the year 2031, but they had some serious caveats. Here’s the recap… Continue reading “This Week at Council: Campus Redux, Elliott Expansion, and The Pledge!”

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for February 28, 2023

Last day of the month, last meeting of the month. A busy one too. 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 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 February 28, 2023”

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the February 28 Meeting?

You might almost consider them some last minute decisions for this February, the last meeting on the last night of the month. Naturally, this means that there are some big moves to make along with the ratification of this month’s committee agenda, which itself had some pretty big decisions. Long-term care, housing, the integrity commissioner and more are all on this agenda to close out the second month of 2023! Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the February 28 Meeting?”

RECAP: Heritage Moves Ahead with OR Land Boundary and “Top 11” List

In many ways, the February Heritage Guelph meeting was a continuation of the January meeting with the committee affirming the new boundaries for the proposed Cultural Heritage District for the OR Lands. In other news, Heritage Guelph took staff’s Top 10 list of the non-downtown heritage properties they’re most concerned about and added a couple of amendments including a big one on Catholic Hill. Continue reading “RECAP: Heritage Moves Ahead with OR Land Boundary and “Top 11” List”

MEETING PREVIEW: Heritage Guelph Meeting for February 13, 2023

For February’s Heritage Guelph meeting, it feels like we’re resetting the table for the tricky years ahead. Two items will be before the committee this month, both already familiar to the public at large; Heritage Guelph will formally recommend the shape and size of the heritage district at the old jail lands, and then begin the busy work of saving as much heritage as they can in the next 24 months. Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: Heritage Guelph Meeting for February 13, 2023”

RECAP: Heritage Guelph Likes the OR Land Boundaries; Also Bill 23 Update

Heritage Guelph kicked off the new year with an update about a couple of key areas of concern: The Heritage Conservation District study of the Ontario Reformatory Lands, and an update about the post-Bill 23 workload for heritage staff. There was progress on both counts, especially with the HCD study which looks about ready to move on to the next phase, the phase where it comes to council! Continue reading “RECAP: Heritage Guelph Likes the OR Land Boundaries; Also Bill 23 Update”

MEETING PREVIEW: Heritage Guelph Meeting for January 23, 2023

With the new year, Heritage Guelph is now officially under the proverbial gun thanks to changes in Bill 23 and the ongoing efforts to preserve the Ontario Reformatory Lands in the east end. Both of these items will be front and centre at this month’s Heritage Guelph committee meeting as the people in charge of protecting Guelph’s old places face some new challenges. Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: Heritage Guelph Meeting for January 23, 2023”

On OSG, Schreiner Calls Out Ford Policies as “Dangerous” and “Unnecessary”

It’s 2019 all over again! That’s how Guelph MPP and Green Party leader Mike Schreiner described the situation at Queen’s Park during his most recent appearance on Open Sources Guelph. It’s been a very busy first few months for the new Ontario Legislature, and as we close 2022, Schreiner has notes about Bill 23, Doug Ford’s leadership style, and whether or not he’s going to change team colours. Continue reading “On OSG, Schreiner Calls Out Ford Policies as “Dangerous” and “Unnecessary””

RECAP: The GRCA Board Copes with Rapid Changes in First Meeting of the Term

Unlike a lot of boards and committees that are meeting for the first time in this pre-holiday, post-election period, the Grand River Conservation Authority Board of Directors had a pretty big agenda to cover from changes created by Bill 23, new fees at parks, and the shocking (!) increase to the cost of worms. Want to learn more? You can click here to see the agenda for the board meeting, and below you can watch the YouTube broadcast of the meeting, or see the live tweets. Continue reading “RECAP: The GRCA Board Copes with Rapid Changes in First Meeting of the Term”

Guelphites Join Province-Wide Protest of Planning Changes

Doug Ford’s promise to not touch the Greenbelt was turned into a hip-hop beat, and it led a couple of hundred people milling about in the Boathouse parking lot over the covered bridge York Road Park. And they kept coming. Guelph joined the province-wide series of protests happening around Ontario this weekend, another loud choir of voices who are against recent changes the Ontario government’s made to planning rules. Continue reading “Guelphites Join Province-Wide Protest of Planning Changes”