RECAP: Gibson Hosts Update on the Driveway Width Enforcement Concerns

Driveway width. It's been the political controversy of the year, and as council prepares to hear the matter of a suspension of certain provisions of bylaw enforcement, members of the Guelph community gathered this evening at the Victoria Road Recreation Centre to get an update. Ward 1 Councillor Dan Gibson hosted a town hall on the matter, and this is the recap. 

RECAP: Small But Inquisitve Group Grills Councillors at Ward 6 Town Hall

It's sometimes hard to get people to think about municipal politics on a warm summer night, let alone come out for a town hall, but a small group of Ward 6 constituents came out to the Clair Road Emergency Services Centre to hear from Councillors Mark MacKinnon and Karl Wettstein on a myriad of topics. Here's what we all talked about.

Driveway Town Hall Had Sad Stories and Hard Feelings

Who would have guessed that the most contentious issue of this municipal election year might be the width of driveways in certain neighbourhoods? This topic gathered people from across the east end of the city, and from other parts of the Guelph to attend a town hall hosted by the mayor and the Ward 1 councillors.

Things We Learned at the Ward 5 Town Hall

Although not the same draw it was back in the fall after Homecoming, a Ward 5 town hall last night at St. Michael Catholic School brought over 40 people out to hear from their city councillors and city staff about the progress made in preventing another excess of partying, and to hear about student housing issues.

Guelph Politico Moderates [Almost] All Candidates Panel

In a vexing turn of events, Guelph Politico was invited to moderate an all-candidates meeting at the University of Guelph-Humber on Friday in advance of the provincial election. The topics were largely educational in nature, but might we be here looking to the future and what the tenure and tone of the debate will look like once the writ is dropped?

LIVE BLOG: Mayor Guthrie's Transit Town Hall

Mayor Cam Guthrie wants to know to know what's wrong with Guelph Transit, and he's gathering people at City Hall tonight to ask directly about it. You can follow the action on Twitter, or through the link below. 

This Week in Press Releases - March 5-9, 2018

Every week, the City of Guelph and other groups send out notices to announce new events, imperatives, and information that you need to know. Here is this week in press releases.

U of G Students Would Rather Have O-Week Than a Fall Reading Week

Do students need a longer break in the fall? That's the question that the University of Guelph is trying to get feedback on, but they've been stymied because “What we heard back was all over the map,” according to Ray Darling, the Registrar for the U of G. A town hall on campus Wednesday night drew about 50 students, but no greater clarity in terms of what the majority of campus wants on the matter.

A Contentious Town Hall About a New Library with People that Want a New Library

This evening, things got heated - but not as heated as they were at the afternoon session apparently - at a town hall about the business case for a new main branch of the Guelph Public Library. The two meetings today were meant to update the public about the pending developments for the construction of the new main branch, but it frequently descended into an inquisition as to whether or not the City and Library are being open and transparent enough about the process.

LISTEN: Chong and May Talk about Government Reform and Turning Parliament Inside Out

As you may have heard, electoral reform is a hot button issue in Guelph, which is why when Fair Vote Guelph decided to bring a couple of high-profile federal figures to town to talk about it, a few hundred people were interested in hearing what they had to say. So if you happened to have missed the talk featuring Green Party of Canada leader Elizabeth May and Wellington-Halton Hills MP Michael Chong on Tuesday, this is your chance to hear it. And if you did happen to the be there, this is your chance to hear it again.

RECAP: Mayor Guthrie Facebook Town Hall - August 15

This evening, Mayor Cam Guthrie held a town hall on the Facebook group "Guelph This & That" live from his hotel room in Ottawa. The 90-minute Q&A covered a wide variety of topics, so in case you missed it, just want the highlights, or are not a part of the "This & That" group, here's the blow-by-low of what the mayor discussed, and what questions were asked. 

Longfield to Hold 2 Town Halls, and Debate an NDP Leader Candidate

Guelph MP Lloyd Longfield is going to have a busy couple of weeks with three big events, two informational, and one to engage in civil discourse with a colleague from across the aisle. If you like discussing the federal budget, electoral reform and/or mental health, then these are going to be good times ahead for you.

Hydro Talk Energizes the Weekly Breezy Breakfast

It had been almost a year since I attended the first "Breezy Brothers" breakfast, a now weekly town hall at Breezy Corners, and what was once a single large table of concerned citizens had now turned into three. Perhaps it was the subject matter. With all the present concern about hydro, perhaps the timing worked out that the people were eager to hear from the CEO of Guelph Hydro Pankaj Sardana on a Thursday morning.

Three Hydro Open Houses Want Feedback About the Future

Energy and electricity is a hot button issue, and as you no doubt have heard, the City of Guelph is looking at ways to change up or change out the way hydro services are delivered in the Royal City. If giving your opinions to staff in person is more your speed, check out the following notice of three open houses to get feedback about possible changes to Guelph Hydro. 

Important Upcoming Meeting Dates

This is certainly a busy fall season for political events, and the next several weeks are no exception, so if you've got money on your mind, put the following dates into your calendar.

Kingsley Coming to Guelph Too

Last week, you might have read about how Jean-Pierre Kingsley, former chief electoral officer of Elections Canada, will be at the Kitchener Library next Wednesday to talk about electoral reform. Well, if you don't want to drive 30 minutes up the road, good news! Kingsley will be in Guelph, one day earlier.

Three Local Political Events; One Big Night

If you're looking for something to do on Wednesday September 28, then you're in luck! You will have your pick of three major political events in the Guelph area to check out. 

Citizens Brainstorm the Path to Good Growth in Guelph

On Thursday night, a group of about 50 people took part in the Good Growth Guelph town hall at City Hall. The event, which was really more a working group, drew many different types of people including activists, teachers, architects, developers, various business people and a even couple of city councillors. The intent: to collaborate on the ways and types of growth they want to see in the Royal City before a council meeting at the end of the month on the subject, and before public comment is due at the Ministry of Municipal Affairs by the end of October.

Upcoming Townhalls With MP Longfield Announced

Getting a jump start on Back to School, Guelph's Member of Parliament Lloyd Longfield is putting out the call: two town halls this fall about important and pressing issues before the House of Commons. 

GUELPH POLITICAST #41 - Fair Vote Guelph on Electoral Reform

You might have heard a lot of discussion in the news about electoral reform, but what is it, what are we reforming, and what are we reforming it into? All good questions that also have the virtue of not being easy ones to answer as well. This is the podcast that, at least initially, aimed to answer those questions, but if you're not sure where to begin on electoral reform, then this is as good a place as any to start.