Tag: Municipal Governance

GUELPH POLITICAST #492 – A Broken Political Scene (feat. Doug Craig)

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It was about this time two years ago that former Guelph CAO Scott Stewart told city council in an open meeting that there needed to be a new deal for Ontario municipalities; that they were trying to solve 21st century problems with 19th century rules. As Guelph tackles another difficult budget season, one regional councillor is putting this issue in stark terms: Ontario’s councils are “on the verge of life support”! Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #492 – A Broken Political Scene (feat. Doug Craig)” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #487 – Inside the Mind of a CAO (feat. Stacy Hushion)

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StrategyCorp puts out a report every year called the Ontario Municipal Chief Administrative Officer Survey. The CAOs profiled have some strong feelings about Strong Mayor Powers, intergovernmental relations, housing, growth, financing, and and more, but what’s interesting is not what the CAOs had to say, it’s the fact that they said it. What are CAOs thinking when they’re given the cloak of anonymity? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #487 – Inside the Mind of a CAO (feat. Stacy Hushion)” →

This Week at Council: More Debate on Public Space, Plus Road Safety

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There was a lot going on at this meeting, and some of it had nothing to do with what was on the agenda. For instance, one city councillor was absent because they’re now busy chasing a new gig at a different level of government.  In terms of stuff at the meeting, there was a new development around the Public Space Use Bylaw, which caused some controversy despite how little about it was available in the agenda. Hopefully this recap has more detail! Continue reading “This Week at Council: More Debate on Public Space, Plus Road Safety” →

RECAP: City Council Meeting for March 25, 2025

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Council has the last word for March, but will it go out like a lamb or a line? Tune in and see! 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 “RECAP: City Council Meeting for March 25, 2025” →

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the March 25, 2025 Meeting?

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The last meeting for March is a recital of the past. Yes, as usual, we will revisit the (almost whole) agenda from this month’s Committee of the Whole meeting, but there’s also new/old controversy with a returning bylaw that caused a lot of hand wringing last year. The ball will be in the people’s court (so to speak) to see if they have anything new and interesting to say on these matters, otherwise this could be a short meeting. Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the March 25, 2025 Meeting?” →

RECAP: Committee of the Whole Meeting for March 4, 2025

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It’s going to be a jam-packed meeting with an earlier than normal start time! 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 “RECAP: Committee of the Whole Meeting for March 4, 2025” →

Committee of the Whole Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the March 4, 2025 Meeting?

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The first couple of Committee of the Whole meeting this year have been pretty dry, but this March meeting is very stacked by comparison! First, there will be long awaited final report on changes to advisory committee of councils, and along with that there will be the mid-term review of governance at city council. And if that’s not enough, we’ll talk about water, traffic, and how we can get by better without single-use plastics! Continue reading “Committee of the Whole Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the March 4, 2025 Meeting?” →

GUELPH POLITICAST #374 – The Problem (?) With Government

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We’re coming up on the end of the first year of the Ford government’s second term, and it’s been a highly consequential year if you work in one of Ontario’s 444 municipalities. At times, it felt like there was an announcement every week about some change to how cities conduct oversight or run their own planning processes. It’s enough to make you ask, “what will happen next?” and last week we got the answer. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #374 – The Problem (?) With Government” →