Guelph Politico: January 2017

Tuesday, January 31, 2017

FACEBOOK LIVE: City Council Meeting Post Game - January 31, 2017

Last night's city council meeting was short and sweet, and so is the Facebook Live post game report.

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 January 30, 2017

Its the first city council meeting of the year, just in time for the end of January! 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 is responding to the death of five people and the injury to 19 others in a shooting at the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre in Sainte Foy in typical Guelph fashion.

The Politico Calendar for February 2017

February is for lovers, but it's also for those that love fun and informative political and cultural events in the Royal City. Here's the Guelph Politico Calendar for the second month of 2017.

Fair Vote Blinds Longfield with Electoral Reform Science

On Friday morning, Fair Vote Canada demonstrated in front of the constituency office of Lloyd Longfield on Cork St. ahead of a meeting the the Member of Parliament for Guelph. According to organizers, a meeting with Longfield last month was positive, but the MP didn't think that Guelph cared enough to make the issue a priority. Fair Vote begged to differ.

VIDEO: Watch Mayor Guthrie Deliver the 2017 State of the City

This morning, Mayor Cam Guthrie delivered the annual State of the City address at a Chamber of Commerce hosted event at the Delta Hotel and Conference Centre. The theme of the address: #GuelphProud.

Mayor Guthrie delivering 2016 State of the City.

Mayor Cam Guthrie delivers the annual State of the City address this morning at the Delta Hotel and Conference Centre on Stone Rd. The annual event hosted by the Guelph Chamber of Commerce is a chance to talk broadly about the City of Guelph commitments and priorities for the year ahead. So what will Guthrie commit to or share for 2017? Follow along on Twitter and Storify too.

GUELPH POLITICAST #65 - Phil Andrews, Former Editor of the Guelph Mercury

It was one year ago today that the news broke that the Guelph Mercury was shutting down. Under different circumstances, this year would be a cause for celebration for the Merc, it's 150th birthday, but instead, despite the honest efforts of several people in the community, the hole left behind by the paper's closure still hasn't been filled. So is there a better time to look back?

City Council Preview - What's on the Agenda for the January 30 Meeting?

The first full council meeting of the year will be a mix of planning and regular council meeting concerns.

VIDEO: A Farewell to Thomas Video

Saturday marked the sad goodbye of another Downtown Guelph institution, Thomas Video. I worked there in its final phase of life, and before leaving for the last time I got store owner Ian Findlay in a corner for a minute to talk about the store, its legacy, and what he'll miss after 34 years in business.

GUELPH POLITICAST #64 - The Allt Brothers

It's arguably the most important meeting of the year for any city councillor, the night when council votes on the city budget for the coming year. What could possibly more important that the immediate financial future of the city for one of the politicians that oversees it? Well, Phil Allt couldn't make the budget night vote last month, and he had a very excellent excuse: he was saving his brother's life.

FACEBOOK LIVE: Committee-of-the-Whole Post Game - January 17, 2017

It's a Politico first! Check out the Facebook Live recap of yesterday's Committee-of-the-Whole meeting.

Guelph's Going to Protest Trump Too

You may have heard about the more than 200,000 people that are heading to Washington D.C. this weekend to protest incoming President Donald Trump. You may have read about the quartet of Guelph women who are going to join them. But if you can't make the trip yourself, or even go to a solidarity march just down the road in Toronto at Queen's Park, then there's good news. The Royal City's going to show their anti-Trump colours too.

It's back to business as unusual at City Hall today with the first 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.

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

Committee of the Whole Preview - What's on the Agenda for the January 16 Meeting?

It's back to business as the Committee-of-the-Whole meets for its January confab with issues ranging from a staff presentation on infrastructure to sign bylaw variances, and an update on District Energy.

GUELPH POLITICAST #63 - Electoral Reform Redux

It was a little over six months ago that I sat down with Steve Dyck and Ken MacKay of Fair Vote Canada's Guelph branch to talk about electoral reform, it's various options, and what form it might take when the Trudeau government came back with its options this past December. Those were the days.

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.

Parking Frustrations an "Ongoing Battle" at West End Rec Centre

If you've been on the bus going through the West End Rec Centre loop lately, or are maybe just an eagle-eyed traffic water in the neighbourhood, you might have seen that there's a lot of people just not obeying the posted rules for parking and one-way access there. If it ticks you off to see people park in a loading zone, or head in the opposite direction of the one-way, you're not alone, but sadly there's not much Rec Centre staff can do about it.

Why Shouldn't Guelph Get an IMDb Page?

Scene from the movie 'Blindness'

If city council is looking for priorities in this new year, then perhaps they can follow Toronto's lead. A recommendation from the City of Toronto's Economic Development Committee earlier this week (that sadly wasn't discussed due to quorum issues) floated the idea that T-dot should have its own IMDb page, administered by the City, to promote film and TV production in Toronto. Well, if it's good enough for Toronto, I say it's good enough for Guelph too.

U of G Strengthens Sexual Violence Policy

When the students of the University of Guelph come back to campus next week, they'll find an even less-tolerant attitude, at least in regards to those that commit sexual violence. At a Board of Governance meeting before the holiday, the U of G enacted new policies and resources aimed to support any and all victims of sexual violence on campus.