Guelph Politico: April 2016

Saturday, April 30, 2016

The Politico Calendar for May 2016

It's May tomorrow, and you know what that means: no more students for four months! Just kidding, kids (mostly). For the rest of us you stick it out here in the Royal City, there's still a lot going on in Guelph. Here's the Politico calendar for the fifth month of the year.

Twice-monthly, Guelph Politico posts the latest inspection results from the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health Unit inspection of local restaurants, hotels, cafes, grocery stores and other businesses that handle food. We call it "Mangez!", and this column highlights the latest inspections done by WDGPH, and the results they've posted.

GUELPH POLITICAST #36 - Brandon Kidd, Library Chair of Out on the Shelf

The end of April means the beginning of Pride. Guelph Pride. The annual event is meant to celebrate the Queer community in fun and inclusive ways as the push for universal acceptance continues to grow and be demanded of by both those who identify as LGBT and their allies. While no one in this country is trying to pass new laws about who can and who cannot use what bathrooms, don't think the struggle isn't still real, and one Guelph organization is pushing back 365 days a year.

Transit Changes to Routes and Schedules Have Begun

Keeping up with the changes to Guelph Transit can be tricky sometimes, but this is one of those occasions where we're dealing with a lot of information at once. The next few weeks are going to be hard on just about everyone taking the bus as routes and schedules are altered thanks to budget cuts, film shoots, road construction and the end of the school year.

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for April 25, 2016

This may be the most contentious Guelph City Council of the year yet with a lot of potentially dramatic issues on the table. You can click here for the amended agenda from City Hall, and you can click here to read Politico's preview of tonight's meeting. For the complete blow-by-blow of tonight's council meeting, you can follow me on Twitter, or follow along below via Storify.

So What's the Deal with the Community Energy Initiative?

Monday's action-packed council meeting will include a presentation about updating the Community Energy Initiative, a plan created by various stakeholders in the Royal City to make Guelph more energy efficient from now on through 2031. The report coming to council though has come attached now with a bit of controversy thanks to some comments Mayor Cam Guthrie made at the Governance Committee earlier this month. So what is the CEI, and what so controversial about it?

City Ambitions Are Huge for the Wilson Street Parkade

Did you know that Downtown Guelph has a parking problem? It's the worst kept secret in town, and the City's trying to move quickly to do something about it. Today, city hall hosted the first of four public meetings to get feedback about the features residents would like to see incorporated into the new six-storey parking structure that will sit upon the lot across the road from 1 Carden Street.

Now surrounded by blue construction fencing, the headquarters for the Guelph Police Service looks very different today than it will three years from now. After months, and years, of debate and planning, the $34 million renovation official began with a ceremonial groundbreaking ceremony this morning in front of the building.

City Council Preview - What's on the Agenda for April 25's Meeting?

This looks like it's going to be a late one. At least three contentious issues are on the docket for Monday's city council meeting including an Integrity Commissioner report, the end of the standing committee structure, and the renewal of the Community Energy Initiative. And that's only the beginning of the fun...

Niska Road Bridge Debate Continues with Official City Response to EA Part II

After a six-hour meeting on the subject last December, a decision was made that even the Mayor admitted would mean that "some people may be going home not liking the result." Still, even by a vote of 9-4, the council endorsement of the new two lane Niska Rd. Bridge and other improvements to the western portion of the road was not the end of the story. As the Environmental Assessment at the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change moves on to part II, the city has posted its responses to the concerns raised by local residents.

Reporter's Notebook: What Does a Prime Minister Photo Op Look Like?

You may noticed that coverage of the Prime Minister's visit to Guelph didn't say much, because when Justin Trudeau was here he didn't say anything. Well, he did talk to staff at Polycon, a plant owned by Magna on Independence Road, but nothing was said to the dozen or so in the local press that was there, no announcement, and no speech about the awesomeness of Guelph and/or Canadian manufacturing. Still, I'm sure there's some curiosity out there: What does a prime ministerial photo op look like?

MANGEZ! Dine Safe Guide for April 1-15, 2016

Toronto Argon players and former Gryphons Cam Walker (left), Jake Reinhart and Dan MacDonald.

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.

GUELPH POLITICAST #35 - Chad Archibald, Filmmaker

Chad Archibald (standing) on the set of Neverlost with Emily Alatalo and Ry Barrett

This coming Wednesday is Canadian Film Day, an occasion meant to encourage people to enjoy and appreciate Canadian cinema. Guelph is no stranger to big screen dreams, or small screen ones for that matter. The Amazon series 11.22.63 starring James Franco was famously shot here (in part) last summer. The Daniel Craig thriller Dream House, the Julianne Moore drama Blindness, and the sci-fi actioner Total Recall were all shot, in part, in the Royal City as well. But Guelph's got its own filmmaking aspirations, and some Guelph filmmakers are enjoying success.

Trudeau Comes to Guelph; Sees Some Stuff

It was a good day to be on the first shift at the Magna Polycon plant on Independence Road in Guelph, because work literally came to stop as a special guest toured the facilities and made play that he was a regular everyday Joe Lunchbox. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in town for a photo op this afternoon, and in true Trudeau Mania fashion, it was a mob scene.

City Council Ratifies CUPE Deal; Full Details Still Not Known

Monday night, city council ratified the new contract between the City of Guelph and three Canadian Union of Public Employees locals that was reached on April 3. The motion was passed unanimously with all councillors and the mayor voting in favour, but they know what's in the deal. We, among the general public, still do not.

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for April 11, 2016

Time again for the monthly planning meeting at Guelph City Council. You can click here for the amended agenda from City Hall, and you can click here to read Politico's preview of tonight's meeting. For the complete blow-by-blow of tonight's council meeting, you can follow me on Twitter, or follow along below via Storify.

GUELPH POLITICAST #34 - Bryan Munn, Royal Cat Records

Next Saturday is Record Store Day, an annual occasion for people that still like to buy their music in person, on a physical medium, at a brick and mortar location. It sounds weird, but it still happens, and it happens in Guelph everyday at Royal Cat Records, one of the small independent record stores that Record Store Day aims to celebrate on a yearly basis.

Gordon and Allt Eat Success with First Breakfast Townhall

Set in the middle of Breezy Corners on Macdonnell were four tables arranged together for a unique new civic engagement event. Ward 2 Councillor James Gordon and Ward 3 Councillor Phil Allt had put out an open invitation to the Guelph community: Thursdays at 8 am, come to Breezy Corners, have some breakfast, and talk about whatever you want to talk about politically. For this inaugural townhall, the councillors got around 20 people first thing in the morning for some frank political talk "over-easy."

City Council Preview - What's on the Agenda for April 11's Meeting?

It's the first city council meeting of the month, and you know what that means: planning, zoning, and rezoning. New buildings will be built, some buildings will be torn down, sewers will be replaced, and the council will receive a report about that one contentious night back in January...

RECAP: Longfield Townhall on the Federal Budget

In his first townhall as Guelph's Member of Parliament, Lloyd Longfield kept a pretty strict time regiment while covering a lot of ground as a full house came out tonight to Innovation Guelph to get an insider's look at the 2016 Federal Budget. Longfield was joined by Vaughan-Woodbridge MP Franceso Sorbara and CPA Fred Richardson of BDO Canada, to talk about how the budget will affect the average, everyday Guelphite, and answer questions from the audience. Did you miss my live-tweet out or couldn't make it to the townhall? Check out the recap below:

Ontario Gov Looking at Changes to Municipal Elections

Even as the provincial government tries to scramble to reform their own fundraising activities, they will be considering changes to how municipal elections will be run in 2018. Queen's Park has announced today proposed changes to the Municipal Elections Act (MEA), that will, if passed, "modernize municipal elections and provide the option of using ranked ballots in future municipal elections."

City Reaches Agreement with CUPE Unions

Despite the issuance of a "no board" report a little over a week ago, and the inference that there may have been issues in reaching a deal between the City and three key CUPE locals, it seems that a four-day weekend of negotiations has wiped away all concerns. Tonight, as city plows hit the roads to deal with an early spring winter storm, the people of Guelph are assured that there will be no lockout of, or strike by its office employees, outside workers and librarians.

This Week in Press Releases - March 28-April 1, 2016

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.

GUELPH POLITICAST #33 - The Neighbours of Glasgow Street North Community Action Group

Imagine coming home from work one day and finding the home next door to yours being torn down without any advanced notice to you. That was the scenario in the minds of the people that live in the area of Glasgow Street North between London Road and Suffolk Street, and they were so concerned that they formed a new neighbourhood group called the Neighbours of Glasgow Street North Community Action Group. Even though the decision had been made to approve the demolition of the historic home, the members of this new group were determined to have their say, better late than never.