MEETING PREVIEW: County Social Services Meeting for July 26, 2023

Surprise! You cannot escape July without one last meeting, and it’s the Wellington County Social Services Meeting. It’s fitting that just a week after that Grace Gardens officially opened that we get a meeting with the one item that’s on this agenda, and having said that you can probably guess what it is. If you’re concerned about the progress on social housing here in Guelph and Wellington County, you may be about to hear some good news. Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: County Social Services Meeting for July 26, 2023”

This Week at Council: Strong Mayor Blowback

What was supposed to be a rather unexceptional week at council turned out to be very busy indeed, and it really had nothing to do with what city council was working on. Upset about the Ontario government’s decision to grant Strong Mayor powers to most heads of council in the province’s biggest cities, several delegates came out to let council know it, but it turned out even staff have problems with the implementation. Here’s the recap. Continue reading “This Week at Council: Strong Mayor Blowback”

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meetings for June 27, 2023

It’s the last meeting of the month! 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 Meetings for June 27, 2023”

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the Meeting on June 27?

It’s the end of June, and this agenda certainly feels like it’s the last day of classes before summer vacation. Granted, there are still a bunch of meetings coming in July, but you’re looking for something new and exciting on this agenda, it appears that all you have is the stuff already talked about at Committee of the Whole. Can we find new controversy to exploit, or will this meeting be brief? Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the Meeting on June 27?”

RECAP: Social Services Committee Hears ECE Recruitment Needs and How Housing Stresses Ontario Works

The June meeting of the Social Services Committee at Wellington County covered all the bases, and some bases that aren’t typically covered at these meetings. The pressures on housing in the region are having a pronounced effect on the bottom line, and they’re also having an effect on the people using Ontario Works. In other news, the committee supported a call endorse new federal legislation to help people with disabilities, and the plight of hiring ECEs in this climate was discussed. Continue reading “RECAP: Social Services Committee Hears ECE Recruitment Needs and How Housing Stresses Ontario Works”

This Week at Council: Non-Stop Governance and Downtown’s Future

It was a long afternoon and evening in June at Committee of the Whole. After a couple of months with some shorter agendas, it seemed like everything came home to roost this month with a massive agenda under the Governance service area including procedural updates, the Strategic Plan annual report and the last (?) you’ll hear from the Smart Cities Office. Also, there’s a lot of work coming soon in Downtown Guelph. Let’s recap! Continue reading “This Week at Council: Non-Stop Governance and Downtown’s Future”

MEETING PREVIEW: County Social Services Meeting for June 14, 2023

This month at Wellington County’s Social Services Committee, there’s going to be a lot of information. It’s going to have financial information, planning information, information about who’s being helped by the programs, and there will be some delegates too. Whether your concern is housing, social assistance, or childcare, there is something for everyone at this month’s meeting in the Guthrie Room. Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: County Social Services Meeting for June 14, 2023”

LIVE BLOG: Committee of the Whole Meeting for June 6, 2023

It’s going to be a long 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: Committee of the Whole Meeting for June 6, 2023”

Committee of the Whole Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the June 6 Meeting?

It’s June! The weather is nice, and there are lots of outdoor activities to take part in, so naturally this month’s Committee of the Whole agenda is one of the longest in some time. In terms of long-term issues it’s going to cover all the bases including social services, community engagement, council governance, water, Smart Cities, strategic planning and downtown renewal. All that, and a lot of staff members need to be honoured too. Continue reading “Committee of the Whole Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the June 6 Meeting?”

RECAP: Social Services Committee Reviews Housing and Childcare Changes Are Coming

There wasn’t much to do for the Wellington County Social Services committee at the May meeting, but there was a hint of some changes to come. Ontario Works was able to take the month off, but there was some interesting new developments to discuss around childcare in the region, at least in terms of future funding. Also, it was the Housing Division’s turn to tell committee what they do and how they do it. Here’s the recap… Continue reading “RECAP: Social Services Committee Reviews Housing and Childcare Changes Are Coming”