Guelph Politico: April 2018

Monday, April 30, 2018

MANGEZ! Dine Safe Guide for April 16-30, 2018

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 May 2018

With two elections coming in May, this calendar is by no means exhaustive, but if you're looking to start planning your next 30-some odd days of political and cultural events, then this is a good place to start.

Committee of the Whole Preview - What's on the Agenda for the May 7 Meeting?

At this month's Committee of the Whole, the Community Energy Initiative gets an update, the Parking Master Plan and Red Light Cameras will be discussed, surpluses will be allocated to various funds, and we'll try again to review the present committee structure without blowing it up.

This Week in Guelph Beer News

We don't often talk about beer here on Guelph Politico, but sometimes circumstances warrant the stretching of this site's normal beat, and here we are, about to talk about beer. And for local beer lovers, this is going to be a good news/bad news situation.

GUELPH POLITICAST #121 - What Happened in Syria?

7 years, 1 month, 1 week, and 3 days. That's how long the Syrian Civil War has been raging. Most of us understand that there's a crisis there, but do we understand the extend of that crisis? Do we understand who the players are? Do we know why they're fighting? Is there anything that we can do in Canada to address such a huge international crisis?

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for April 23, 2018

Unfinished business from Committee including election signs and the taxi bylaw are on the agenda tonight. You can click here for the amended 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 the tweets below.

Suzuki, May, and Cast of Thousands Rally to Support Schreiner

It was an afternoon of song and dance, spoken word, fiery political rhetoric, and hope that Guelph's future, in the short term, will be Green. The campaign for Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner held what was billed as the "largest political rally in Guelph history" Saturday at the Hanlon Convention Centre.

Agnieszka (Aggie) Mlynarz is the New Democratic candidate for Guelph in the 2018 Provincial Election. Mlynarz edged out two competitors to take on Liberal Sly Castaldi, PC Ray Ferraro, Alliance Party candidate Thomas Mooney, and Green Party leader Mike Schreinerin the June 7 contest.

It what was already a busy political day in Guelph when an announcement from Progressive Conservative headquarters offered one more surprise: Ray Ferraro is one of 11 candidates acclaimed across Ontario today to complete their province-wide slate.

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.

Q&A with Alliance Party of Ontario Candidate Thomas Mooney

He made news last summer by deciding not to run, but now he's running for an upstart party that's aiming to be an alternative to voters across the entire spectrum fed up with politics as usual. The Alliance Party of Ontario wants to bring provincial politics back to the grassroots, and their local candidate is Thomas Mooney, a man that knows all about standing up for what he believes in. A few weeks ago, Mooney took part in a Q&A with Guelph Politico...

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for April 18, 2018

At this meeting, the fate of the Rykur development plan for 75 Dublin St. N. will (hopefully but not likely) be settled once and for all. You can click here for the amended 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 the tweets below.

The news is full of election stories, and politicos everywhere are eagerly counting down to the beginning of the campaign. That's the provincial story, of course, but there's more than one election this year. We're going to focus on the municipal one for this week's podcast, and if you're thinking about running, or thinking about supporting someone that's running, this one's for you.

MANGEZ! Dine Safe Guide for April 1-15, 2018

This Week in Press Releases - April 9-13, 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.

City Council Preview - What's on the Agenda for the April 23 Meeting?

After a couple of very long meetings this month of April, things wrap up with a few new committee appointments and review of left over issues from Committee before election season begins!

Leaders Debate? Schreiner Says He'll Be There With "Grassroots Demand"

Despite a grassroots effort, a Change.org petition, and the seal of approval from the Premier herself, a consortium of broadcasters announced yesterday that Green Party leader, and Guelph MPP candidate, Mike Schreiner will not be taking part in the main televised leadership debate on May 27. Schreiner, himself, is not impressed.

Solid Waste Review Report Delayed... Again

If you diligently watch the City Council calendar, or even Politico's own monthly calendar of events, then you will recall that there was supposed to be a special council meeting this coming Monday. This meeting was supposed to deliver the final report of the Solid Waste Service Review, but as of today, no agenda for the meeting, or a final report, have been delivered. That's because, as it turns out, the meeting is not going to happen.

Guelph wasn't the first on the list to get a legal cannabis store, but we are one of the first to get a location for ours. The LCBO, and its legal post subsidiary the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS), announced Wednesday where four of the government pot shops will open this summer. Appropriately enough, the Royal City's OCS will open nestled near a number of snack-friendly locations in the plaza across from, appropriately enough, Stone Road Mall.

GUELPH POLITICAST #119 - Move Out Madness

It's April, and you know what that means! No, we've already had Easter. And April Fools' Day. Sure, Earth Day is next weekend, but we're here today to talk about Move Out Madness, the annual scramble by University of Guelph to pack up their Guelph lives and head home for summer jobs or vacations. This is easier said than done.

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for April 9, 2018

It's a packed schedule for this month's planing meeting. You can click here for the amended 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 the tweets below.

Dorgo Makes a Case for Himself as PC Nominee

Steven Dorgo is at his most animated when talking about the possibilities of Diyode, Guelph's "do-it-yourself" community workshop. Dorgo says life is about more than you're job, it's about unwinding from that work stress, indulging your creative instincts, and using your hands to make stuff. It's something he thinks that the present provincial government hasn't taken into account, which is one of the reasons why he wants to run for office... as the PC candidate.

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

Many eyes have been looking for this final decision on the part of staff: the approval or disapproval of the resubmitted plan for 75 Dublin Street North. So is the City of Guelph finally ready to get behind the project 17 months after turning it down in the first place?

LIVE BLOG: Committee of the Whole for April 3, 2018

You can click here for the amended 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 the tweets below.

City Council Preview - What's on the Agenda for the April 9 Meeting?

It's an astoundingly busy planning meeting this month as programs and manuals come back for review, and several new rezoning applications hold their statutory public hearing.