The Politico Calendar for January 2018

Whether you're looking to get back to business as usual, or are looking for something different to do, there's no shortage of events, meetings, and gatherings for you to indulge in with this first month of 2018. Here's this month's Politico Calendar. 

The Year of Transit: A ReView from the Bus

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... That line from A Tale of Two Cities seems apt to describe this year of Guelph Transit news. There seemed to be a renewed focus and urgency on improving Transit services, but the results seemed to leave a lot to be desired according to the people on the ground, or in the bus.

Remember: The Election Doesn't Really Start for a Few More Months

It was a cold and snowy day on January 2, 2014 when then Councillor Cam Guthrie announced his intention to ask voters for a promotion to mayor. For Mayor Guthrie, and all other people considering a run in the 2018 Municipal Election, be advised that nominations don't open until conditions are a little better for an outdoor announcement.

GUELPH POLITICAST #106 - Guelph's Crooked Media

Before we wrap up 2017, let's review the year that was at city council. That's 12 months of decisions and debates on all matters of local governance from big items like merging hydro, to smaller items like approving sign bylaw variances. To take this one on, I needed a team. A group of people that observe city hall as closely as I do. Let's assemble Guelph's Crooked Media.

This Week in Press Releases - December 18-22, 2017

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.

Changes to Guelph Politico Coming in 2018

In the interest of taking stock, as usual, at the end of the year, let us now look ahead to the coming year, and what changes you might expect on your favourite local political site. No! I mean Guelph Politico. Here are seven goals that we can all look forward to in the coming 12 months.

Top 10 Guelph Political Stories of 2017

It's the end of the year, and that means that it's time for lists. Lists and more lists. Top 10s on every conceivable subject. Guelph Politico also likes to do lists this time of year, and the subject we chose is the Top 10 Guelph Political Stories of the Year. From retirements to mergers, from reviews stalled and reviews achieved, and from one renovation project nearing completion to another finally making it on the books, it was another busy year in the Royal City. Let's countdown the hits in order...

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for December 18, 2017

Only a couple of items are on the agenda for council's consideration before the Christmas break. You can click here for the agenda from City Hall, and you can click here for the Politico preview. For the complete blow-by-blow of tonight's council meeting, you can follow me on Twitter, or follow along below via Storify.

MANGEZ! Dine Safe Guide for December 1-15, 2017

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 #105 - Sarah Wilmer, Women's Community Development Co-ordinator, ARCH

Let's get the obvious out of the way: Yes, there are sex workers in Guelph. Any time the topic is bridged in the corporate media, it comes with this strain of shock that such a thing is happening in our own backyards. Of course it is. Perhaps that's why sex workers find themselves particularly vulnerable to violence. Hear no evil, see no evil, right?

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for December 13, 2017

Tonight City Council will decide whether or not to repaint these trucks to the Alectra colours, or leave them just as they are under the Guelph Hydro banner. You can click here for the agenda from City Hall, and you can click here for the Politico preview. For the complete blow-by-blow of tonight's council meeting, you can follow me on Twitter, or follow along below via Storify.

The Alectra Merger: How's it Going Elsewhere?

On Wednesday, Guelph City Council will meet to discuss whether or not to merge Guelph Hydro with Alectra Utilities, a publicly-owned conglomerate of several Ontario local distribution companies. We know what's in it for Guelph if they sign on to the deal, but what about Alectra itself? How is their expansion project going thus far?

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for December 11, 2017

Council meets to plan again one last time before the end of the year. You can click here for the agenda from City Hall, and you can click here for the Politico preview. For the complete blow-by-blow of tonight's council meeting, you can follow me on Twitter, or follow along below via Storify.

Council, Committee and Election Calendar for 2018

The council year is almost over with just three more meetings before the Christmas break, but when do we get back to business as usual at City Hall. That date, and every date after, for the 2018 Council calendar is below with every Committee date and important election-related date as well.

City Council Preview - What's on the Agenda for the December 18 Meeting?

It's the end of the year for council as we take one last meeting before the Christmas break. Tying up loose ends from this month's committee, and the start of a commercial policy review is all that's got to be taken care of before it's egg nog and good cheer time!

Transit Announces "Tweaks" to Several Routes for the New Year.

It's been a tough couple of month for Transit with the realignment of routes and schedules not going exactly as planned, so they've announced some tweaks for January that might try and alleviate the pressure, or might create some new issues.

City Council Preview - What's on the Agenda for the December 13 Meeting?

In a move that surprises no one, it is being recommended that the City of Guelph as the shareholder of Guelph Municipal Holdings Inc., move forward with a merger of Guelph Hydro and Alectra Utilities. So what does Guelph get out of the deal? What does it stand to lose? And what's the deadline to make it all happen?

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for December 5, 2017

The 2018 budget process wraps up today! (Unless it doesn't, in which case it will begin again tomorrow and then be decided.) You can click here for the agenda from City Hall, and you can click here for the Politico preview. For the complete blow-by-blow of tonight's council meeting, you can follow me on Twitter, or follow along below via Storify.

LIVE BLOG: Committee of the Whole for December 4, 2017

Get ready for the final Committee-of-the-Whole meeting of 2017! You can click here for the amended agenda from City Hall, and you can click here to read Politico's preview of today's meeting. For the complete blow-by-blow of today's committee meeting, you can follow me on Twitter, or follow along below via Storify.

#GuelphBudget: Messages from the Message Board

Throughout the entire budget process we've heard council ask questions, and staff suggesting that these questions might be better answered, or resolved, on the budget message board. So let's take a look at what's been talked about on the message board as we look forward to Tuesday's passage of the Tax-Supported Operating Budget.

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

The final planning meeting of 2017 will definitely not have a "senior week" vibe as some big items come due including a plan to intensify Gordon Street, some new mid-rise standards, and a path forward for a big piece of land off York Road with some big expectations.

MANGEZ! Dine Safe Guide for November 16-30, 2017

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.

The Politico Calendar for December 2017

December is here, and that means Christmas is right around the corner. Obviously, there's lots of holiday-related stuff in this month's calendar, but there's still some political stuff to take care of before year's end. Shall we go over the month's events? 

GUELPH POLITICAST #104 - Brendan Johnson, Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition

There were 21 speakers on public delegation night for the 2018 Tax-Supported Operating Budget, and over half of them were there to support the Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition. That's 11 people, who all showed up to speak with the backing of a room full of supporters, either representing themselves, the coalition, or partner agencies that work with the coalition like the Guelph Police Service, and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health. What kind of organization drives such passion?

Greyhound Cancelling Trips Between Guelph and Kitchener

Bad news for local commuters travelling between K-W and Guelph, especially if you take the Greyhound. Starting on December 10, the bus line will be running fewer trips between the Royal City and Kitchener, merging mid-day and night schedules due to low ridership.

Guelph Going to (Legal) Pot Too Next Summer

In a surprise move, it seems that Guelph has been called off the waiting list and is getting its own legal cannabis store when legalization goes into effect next summer. Smoke 'em if you got 'em. Or rather, smoke 'em when you can get them in July.

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for November 27, 2017

Budget matters past and present, plus the passage of items from this month's Committee-of-the-Whole is on the agenda for tonight. You can click here for the agenda from City Hall, and you can click here for the Politico preview. For the complete blow-by-blow of tonight's council meeting, you can follow me on Twitter, or follow along below via Storify.

The 41 Conundrum: The University Express Only Runs Uninterrupted One-Third of the Time

To the credit of Guelph Transit, they have gotten better at letting riders know about service interruptions via social media since September. If you've observed that feed carefully though, you will have noticed a definite trend, and it concerns one of the new high-frequency routes meant to service the university corridor along Gordon and help the congestion. The #41 Downtown-University Express, during a one-month period, only ran without service interruptions every one out of three days.

City Council Preview - What's on the Agenda for the December 5 Meeting?

Decisions will be made! It's been a fairly smooth budget process so far, but now council must decide the big piece of the budget, which is the Tax-Supported Operating Budget. What will the final numbers be? What will the rate increase for next year be? Stay tuned...

Committee of the Whole Preview - What's on the Agenda for the December 4 Meeting?

Governance, Corporate Services, and Infrastructure, Development and Enterprise are on the agenda for this, the final committee meeting of 2017.

New Transit Contract Ratified, Both Sides Have Eye on the Future

After being ratified at City Council last week, members of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1189 did their share and ratified the new collective agreement on their end, and thus securing labour piece between the City of Guelph and its transit employees. Now's the part where we learn the details.

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for November 22, 2017

Members of the general public will be able to have their say on the 2018 Tax-Supported Budget at this week's meeting. You can click here for the agenda from City Hall, and you can click here for the Politico preview. 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 #103 - Jenny Mitchell, Gone Guelph

"Gone Guelph." The very name sounds almost self-defeating. But what began as a kind of memorial to beloved Royal City institutions that are no longer with us, has become a one of a kind collectable that's brought joy to more than a few Guelphites over the last year. Gone Guelph t-shirts are the toast of the town, and Jenny Mitchell is back, just in time for Christmas, with this year's new line-up.

Never Mind the Smell, the Air is Fine

If you live in the south end of the city, and the air smells vaguely like "dill pickles and burnt plastic" (as one person on Facebook describe it), the good news is that you're in no danger. The bad news is you might have to live with aroma for a couple of days.

City Council Preview - What's on the Agenda for the November 27 Meeting?

This week, we take a break from the budget in order to talk about... the budget. Although this regular council meeting is not necessarily about the 2018 Guelph Budget, it turns out that there's both current and future budget stuff to go over anyway. 

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for November 15, 2017

This afternoon, the final piece of the budget puzzle for 2018 will be moved into place with the local boards and shared services budget. You can click here for the agenda from City Hall, and you can click here for the Politico preview. For the complete blow-by-blow of tonight's council meeting, you can follow me on Twitter, or follow along below via Storify.

MANGEZ! Dine Safe Guide for November 1-15, 2017

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.

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for November 13, 2017

Two straightforward items make up the demands on council for this month's planning meeting. You can click here for the agenda from City Hall, and you can click here for the Politico preview. For the complete blow-by-blow of tonight's council meeting, you can follow me on Twitter, or follow along below via Storify.

City Council Preview - What's on the Agenda for the November 22 Meeting?

If you've been dying to have your say on the 2018 Tax-Supported Operating Budget, your chance is coming up. Wednesday November 22 at 6 pm is the day and time for the public delegations portion of the 2018 Guelph Budget deliberations. Details on who and how to take are below.

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for November 8, 2017

Council hears the presentation of the 2018 Tax-Supported Operating Budget. You can click here for the agenda from City Hall, and you can click here for the Politico preview. For the complete blow-by-blow of tonight's council meeting, you can follow me on Twitter, or follow along below via Storify.

The 2018 Operating Budget in More Detail

Previously on Guelph Politico, we previewed the 2018 Tax-Supported Operating Budget in a very general way. Overall, the proposed budget suggests a 2.19 per cent, or $232,907,226, increase over the 2017 budget, and then there's potential for spending 1.4 per cent more, or $3,194,028, in expansion packages. So what new spending is there in the 2018 budget? What new savings? What are the details behind those numbers?

LIVE BLOG: Committee of the Whole for November 6, 2017

Corporate Services, Public Services, and the Audit Committee all have their say, as well as a redux of the Speedvale Bridge Underpass Trail debate, are all up for discussion at this month's Committee-of-the-Whole. You can click here for the amended agenda from City Hall, and you can click here to read Politico's preview of today's meeting. For the complete blow-by-blow of today's committee meeting, you can follow me on Twitter, or follow along below via Storify.

City Council Preview - What's on the Agenda for the November 15 Meeting?

It's the final piece of the budget puzzle for 2018: the budget for Guelph's subsidiary boards and shared services.The library, public health, the police, and county services are all up for presentation and discussion in the final council meeting before we hear from the general public.

Upcoming Councillor Town Halls on Budget and Other Things

Anxious to give your feedback on city matters? Engaging with you representatives virtually (or digitally) not enough? Well there are several opportunities coming up to meet face-to-face with your elected representatives, and here they are presented in one, convenient, chronological list.

City Council Preview - What's on the Agenda for the November 13 Meeting?

Sandwiched between big budget meetings, the regular monthly planning meeting for this month will be relatively light with one new manual for council's consideration and one rezoning bylaw to review. 

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for November 2, 2017

Decisions will be made! Two important portions of the 2018 Budget will be voted on today. You can click here for the agenda from City Hall, and you can click here for the Politico preview. 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 #102 - Emma Rogers, United Way Guelph-Wellington-Dufferin

Now that Halloween is finally out of the way, we can focus on the holiday that really matters: Black Friday! Kidding aside, retailers across town are eager to begin the busy Christmas shopping period, but the holiday season is supposed to be about more than just spending, it's also supposed to be about giving. To that end, efforts are already underway at the United Way.

The Politico Calendar for November 2017

A warmer than normal October gives way to a chillier than expected November, but the Politico Calendar is still chock-a-block with things to do as we enter the busy holiday season. 

City Council Preview - What's on the Agenda for the November 8 Meeting?

The biggest piece of the the 2018 Budget, the Tax -Supported Operating Budget, has finally been revealed for all to see. The very general overview of the numbers we're talking about and the increases (and in some cases, decreases) you will see are outlined below. 

MANGEZ! Dine Safe Guide for October 1-31, 2017

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.