The Politico Calendar for April 2017

This month you've got Easter, and Earth Day, and some kind of gathering on the 20th, but there's so much more than that to do in this fourth month of the year.

Nathan Cullen Rallies Ideas to Push for Electoral Reform in Guelph

Nathan Cullen is traveling across the country to rally support for electoral reform, and with that as a goal, bringing his message to Guelph was the closest thing to a layup in modern politics. Nearly 100 people came to the Guelph Civic Museum Friday night to hear Cullen's message, and if you couldn't make it, now you can hear it too. 

Feds Kicking in Nearly $10 Million for Guelph Transit Upgrades

March has been a big month for transit news in the Royal City, so it's apropos that it goes out like a lamb for city transit nerds with an announcement that the Federal government will be investing nearly $9.7 million in Guelph Transit improvements including new vehicles, new fair boxes, new shelters, and upgrades to traffic signalling.

MANGEZ! Dine Safe Guide for March 16-31, 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.

Committee of the Whole Preview - What's on the Agenda for the April 3 Meeting?

April's Committee-of-the-Whole meeting will be a rich mix of animal bylaws, taxation math, and new methods of voting for the 2018 municipal election. So as far as committee meetings go, there's something for everyone it seems. 

GUELPH POLITICAST #73 - Brad McInerney, Kazoofest

Kazoo, noun, "a small, simple musical instrument consisting of a hollow pipe with a hole in it, over which is a thin covering that vibrates and produces a buzzing sound when the player sings or hums into the pipe." For Guelphites that like local music and grassroots art though, Kazoo means something very different. It means the start of the local festival season, and maybe some of the best music you've never heard of.

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for March 27, 2017

Surplus assets, under-charges, an investigation of closed meetings, and whether or not Guelph will be a Sanctuary City are the matters before council this week. 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.

Media Questions, Transit Answers on the Realignment

On Friday morning, the City of Guelph officially began its charm offensive to get transit users ready for the new and amended schedules and routes being proposed for September. At a media brief, Transit General Manager Mike Spicer, Supervisor of Planning and Scheduling Nancy Button, and Route Performance and Scheduling Specialist Laura Catalano-Bragues answered questions about the initial phase of the realignment.

FACEBOOK LIVE: Transit Changes Officially Announced and Follow-Up

So we got it out there a week early, but now Guelph Transit is officially looking for your feedback to the proposed routes and schedules for the realignment starting September 3. For those of you who took the time to post your reaction on Politico, Facebook, Reddit and Twitter, you're up!

GUELPH POLITICAST #72 - Guelph's Spectacular Spider-Man

Who is Spider-Man? Depending on who you ask, they'll say Peter Parker. Or Miles Morales. Some might even say Dr. Octopus; there was a comic book story where he and Spider-Man swapped bodies you see. But in the Royal City, Spider-Man is Brandon Bott. He is Guelph's Spectacular Spider-Man!

Environment Ministry Gives Thumbs Up to Niska Development

After nearly a month of being closed to traffic for safety, the Niska Rd bridge is now one step closer to its much needed renovation. The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change today has decided that further environmental assessments are unnecessary, and that the process for reconstruction of Niska Rd. and the replacement of old Bailey Bridge can now proceed.

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for March 20, 2017

It should be relatively brief this Monday night as there are only a few items on the planning agenda. 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.

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.

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

An investigation, a 40-year-old problem, and a controversial motion all come to the floor in the second council meeting of the month for March.

MANGEZ! Dine Safe Guide for March 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.

Community Energy Manager Let Go as Part of "Minor Changes" to IDE

Saying goodbye is never easy, but the City of Guelph makes it look that way. Buried in a press release today about "minor changes" being made to Infrastructure, Development and Enterprise services is news that Rob Kerr, Manager of Community Energy, is no longer employed by the City.

Guelph Transit Looking at Schedule and Route Shake-Up for September

Guelph Transit has a plan to revitalize its system with new schedules, adjusted routes and new services to "match transit service levels with passenger loads." If implemented, the realignment will see some routes renamed, rescheduled or reorganized so that transit will no longer operate on a "pulse and wave" system, but will it be enough to get more people on the bus and get them where they're going in a timely and convenient matter?

CUPE Issues Swipe at U of G 48 Hours Before Deadine

If the students of the University of Guelph thought they dodged a labour disruption bullet a few weeks ago, it looks like their "March break" will be a forced break from routine if the university's trades and maintenance hit the picket lines. And 48 hours out from the deadline, thinks are looking bleak for a last minute deal.

City Council Preview - What's on the Agenda for the March 20 Meeting?

The typical planning meeting is delay one week because of March Break, but on February 20, council will gather for a significantly shorter agenda than Committee-of-the-Whole this week. Check out the agenda below. 

GUELPH POLITICAST #71 - College Royal

Before there was a University of Guelph, there was College Royal, an annual open house that invites the city to campus to get a sampling of all the great learning, research and education that happens between College St and Stone Rd. It's the biggest university open house of its kind in North America, so would it surprise you to learn that it's undergrad students that put it all together every year?

FACEBOOK LIVE: Committee-of-the-Whole Meeting Post Game - March 7, 2017

It was a very busy (6 and a half hours busy) Committee-of-the-Whole meeting yesterday. If you don't want to go over all the tweets that came out of the live-blog, why don't you watch this neat video courtesy of Facebook Live to get caught up? 

Is This What Guelph's Wards Could Look Like? (Should Look Like?)

Guelph's city council decided not to go forward with a review of Ward boundaries and representation last year due to budget concerns, but with the Royal City is growing by leaps and bounds. Do the old ward boundaries still make sense? Perhaps not, and one industrious Guelphite took it upon himself to prove it.

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

It's going to be an action-packed agenda for this month's committee. 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.

GUELPH POLITICAST #70 - Manuel Marques, Grievance Co-ordinator, CUPE 3913

Last weekend, the Canadian Union of Public Employees successfully negotiated an agreement with the University of Guelph and avoided a strike or lockout by the university's 2,500 teaching assistants and sessional lecturers. Not bad, right? Classes keep going, studies aren't interrupted and everybody's happy! Well, not everyone. 

3913 Rebuttal: Negotiations About Giving Power Back to Members Says Union Prez

Following up on today's new Guelph Politicast, I talked to the Canadian Union of Public Employees local 3913 about the negotiations with CUPE 1281 from their point of view, and what they're goals are so far as the difficulties in reaching an agreement.

Committee of the Whole Preview - What's on the Agenda for the March 6 Meeting?

March comes in like a lion for Committee-of-the-Whole as there are a lot of reports coming forward on the agenda for the meeting this coming Monday. Corporate Services and Infrastructure, Development and Enterprise Serves are the areas being covered.