This Week at Council: Big Nights for Big Projects

It was a packed night, or make that a couple of nights, at Guelph City Council. Two nights, two big planning projects, one in the south end and one in the east end. Both have been hotly anticipated (dreaded?), at least one for many, many years, and while one is still at least theoretical, the other is now moving on to the next phase of development. For all the details, let’s get right into this week’s recap of council business… Continue reading “This Week at Council: Big Nights for Big Projects”

RECAP: City Council Meeting for September 9, 2025

Plans are made, and plans are made to be approved. 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 September 9, 2025”

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the September 9, 2025 Meeting?

The first planning meeting of the fall has an application for more units than have been approved all year so far, but will council be interested in chasing them given the cost? That will be one of the questions councillors will tackle in this meeting as they hold a statutory meeting on this massive new project. In terms of small moves, look out for an update to everyone’s favourite planning bylaw, and something that will be discussed in closed… Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the September 9, 2025 Meeting?”

This Month at Council: Official Plan, Zoning and Homelessness

July means the end of council business for the summer, but in this election year it also kind of means the end of business for the rest of this term. With the exception of a couple of meetings in September, and one in November, this is it for the current incarnation of council and what a way to leave things with a new Official Plan Amendment, a major benchmark in the Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw review, and emergency motions about homelessness downtown. Here’s the recap! Continue reading “This Month at Council: Official Plan, Zoning and Homelessness”

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for July 18, 2022

It’s the mid-season finale for city council, and it’s going to be a busy one! 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 July 18, 2022”

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the July 18 Meeting?

Enjoy it while it lasts, because this is the last city council meeting before everyone breaks for summer vacation (and the AMO conference in August). On the agenda are the reports from committee, including a new council meeting calendar for 2023, plus the final passage of key policy items, an update about supportive housing in the city, and maybe, a surprise labour relations motion (?). Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the July 18 Meeting?”

This Month at Council: Parks, Solid Waste, and Community Benefit Charges

It was a very consequential month at Guelph City Council, especially if you’re a fan of parkland and infrastructure. Bookended by intense debates around the demand for more park space, new bans on a variety of single-use plastics, and the delegation of authority to staff when planned capital go way over budget, the month also dealt with a heritage appeal, a new big density development and the new Community Benefit Charges. Here’s the recap for April. Continue reading “This Month at Council: Parks, Solid Waste, and Community Benefit Charges”

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for April 13, 2022

It’s parklands and growth on the agenda for this special Wednesday 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 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 April 13, 2022”

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the April 13 Meeting?

This is definitely going to be a meeting that gets a lot of attention from our park-happy public. In a special meeting of city council, the horseshoe will look at changes to the Parkland Dedication Bylaw and the new Community Benefit Charge, which means we’re talking about parks and growth. Get ready for another long night! Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the April 13 Meeting?”

This Month at Council PART 2: Workshops, Development Charges, and More Drama

For a time, the second half of the month at council was more dry and wonkish with special meetings and workshops about dry subject matter like Development Charges and the multi-year budget. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on your point of view), council made up for some of the lost drama at the month’s regular council meeting, where they revisited the internal misunderstandings that stared the month. Here’s the second part of the recap. Continue reading “This Month at Council PART 2: Workshops, Development Charges, and More Drama”