How long do you have to live in Guelph to be considered a Guelphite? As one of the fastest growing communities in Canada, there have been a lot of new people coming to town, and there’s a natural friction between them and the ones who have been in Guelph for years. So do you have to put in a lot of time as a Guelphite before you can run for council? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #545 – Short Time/Long Time (feat. Kim Fry and Phil Allt)”
“My first term experience has shown me that being a Councillor isn’t simply about having options it’s about balancing competing priorities, listening to residents and making difficult decisions that I know may not always be the popular decision. I will always make what I believe is the best decision not only for the residents of Ward 3 but for the City of Guelph.” Continue reading “QUESTIONNAIRE: Michele Richardson for Ward 3 City Councillor”
“I am a whole picture thinker and collaborator with those supporting thoughtful collaborative decision making. I am a Guelph City Councillor. That I represent Ward 3 does not mean I only think of this Ward. […] There is no way to escape the responsibility of caring for all people living in Guelph. A park in the South End, a Recreation facility in the East is a Guelph facility – we cannot balkanize the city and fragment our population.” Continue reading “QUESTIONNAIRE: Phil Allt for Ward 3 City Councillor”
The nominations are closed, the campaigning has begun, the signs are going up, and it’s not even Labour Day weekend yet! Time marches on, and so does this podcast, which this week will feature two more people running for Guelph city council, one is an incumbent looking for support to sit for another term, and the other is an insurgent hoping to replace one incumbent in his ward around the horseshoe! Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #539 – The Incumbent and the Insurgent (feat. Rodrigo Goller and Kevin Bowman)”
Near the end of every council term, we invite the rookies who were elected in the previous election onto this podcast to talk about their experience. This time it’s different because one, there were so many new councillors in 2022, and two, in this case, we have two people who’ve decided that one term is enough. How can just four years on Guelph city council possibly be enough? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #521 – One and Done (feat. Erin Caton & Michele Richardson)”
Election Day is Monday October 24, and while seven per cent of us have already cast our ballot, 93 per cent of us have not. Perhaps you need some help deciding. Wouldn’t it be great if you could scan all the available candidate debates in one convenient place? Welcome! Below, you will be able to find the videos and audio recordings of various candidate debates featuring the mayoral candidates, and people running in all the wards. Continue reading “Watch and Listen to All The Available Local Candidate Debates!”
“I decided to run for council, because I care deeply about Guelph and my community. With all the history, social and cultural diversity, there’s no place like our beautiful city. But there’s work to be done. We must build safer, more sustainable and affordable future for our children.” Continue reading “CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE – John Bertrand, Ward 3 Councillor”
Housing issues, police funding versus social services, the new main library, transit and the state of local democracy were all topics of conversation at Thursday night’s virtual debate. A consortium or different Guelph groups and organizations organized the debates in all six wards, and they all took place at the same time, so the focus of this recap is the middle-most ward, Ward 3. How did the five candidates find consensus? Read on. Continue reading “RECAP: Ward 3 Candidates Find Common Ground in Virtual Debate”
At 10C Shared Space today there was a candidate forum that tried to put the emphasis on sharing in lieu of debating. About a dozen of the candidates running in Wards 1, 2 and 3 came out in front of a live studio audience for the first to two council candidate forums to discuss the Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs, as outlined by the U.N., and how we can incorporate those goals into the solutions for the challenges facing Guelph. Continue reading “Collaborative Problem Solving the Goal with Candidate Panel at 10C”
I chose Guelph because it was the best of all the places I had been. I’ve made my most consequential relationships here, settled here, and can’t say enough about what the city has done for me personally. In return, I want to do my part to improve the lives of the people who live here. It’s already great. I just want to be part of the process of making it better. Continue reading “CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE – Sam Elmslie, Ward 3 Councillor”
