Mail I Don't Miss Getting

Making the rounds on social media today was the above photograph of a flyer sent out by Elmwood-Transcona MP Lawrence Toet to people in his riding that asked in Canada's battle against ISIS and other Islamic militants, do you agree with Toet that action must be taken, or do you disagree and think that the terrorists are victims? This, my friends, is a loaded question, but if it seems at all familiar to you, that's because it we in Guelph used to get many of the very same kind of flyers in the mail.

OPIRG Guelph Organizing Local Protest Againt Bill C-51

Guelph doesn't get out and protest in quite the same way it used to, but maybe the city's activist community were all waiting for the right cause to march against. The Guelph chapter of the Ontario Public Interest Research Group is rallying the local opposition to Bill C-51 to do the Royal City's part in the National Day of Action against the proposed anti-terror legislation. So if you're feeling particularly incredulous about the expanding power of security agencies without oversight, you now have something to do Saturday evening.

Heritage Group will Save the Petrie Building

It's not quite an eyesore, but for architectural fans and admires of the historic facades in our downtown, the disintegrating condition of the Petrie building has long been a sticking point. But good news! Today, it's been announced that Tyrcathlen Partners will be buying the building with an eye on renovating the heritage building.

Hillside Honoured by Festival and Events Ontario

Who doesn't love Hillside? The annual music festival at Guelph Lake has a great many admirers, and among them, it seems, are Festival and Events Ontario. Festivals, along with the organizers and volunteers of said festivals, were recognized Friday night as part of the FEO’s Annual Conference Let the Inspiration Flow in Niagara Falls, ON.

PRESS RELEASE - Immigration Connection Celebrates Fifth Year

Guelph Wellington Local Immigration Partnership will once again be hosting its annual Immigration Connection event a week from today at the Hanlon Convention Centre. Amongst the questions you will have is where is the Hanlon Convention Centre, because not a week goes by that someone doesn't stop at the front desk of the hotel I work at wondering where it is. (It's in the plaza at the corner of Woodlawn and the Hanlon. The same one as the Good Will, around the corner where the Three Star Cinema used to be.) And that's the one piece of information you won't get from the press release below.

PRESS RELEASE - City Assists As Brutal Winter Takes Toll on Pipes

For may home and business owners, this has been a winter of discontent as they've dealt with burst and frozen pipes thanks to the record low temperatures. As we head out the other side of of the season, it seems that the situation is dire for nearly 150 households that have no access to water, and there's an emergency bit of construction that has to be performed downtown tomorrow. So it's not over yet! Winter that is. The City of Guelph wants to put you notice that even though its March, we still have a long way to go.

City Releases Proposed Operating Budget for 2015

The city sent out an e-mail this morning that said, "Proposed Operating Budget maintains existing service levels," but naturally, there's some fine print in that very specific statement. 

PRESS RELEASE - Negotiations Begin Again with Local Firefighters

If you're thinking to yourself, "Wait a minute, didn't we just secure a new contract with firefighters a year ago?" you're wrong. It was actually 10 months ago. But since the agreement was backdated to January 2013, that means that by the time the agreement was reached it was about 60 per cent over. So the time has come to arrange a new contract, and the City of Guelph and the Mayor's Office has outlined the process.

Angus Promises Vicious, Nasty Campaign at Bullring Fundraiser

It was a bitterly cold night outside, but inside the Bullring at the University of Guelph, a small crowd of loyal New Democratic Party members stayed warm with good food, good music and more than a hint of partisan politics. Timmins-James Bay Member of Parliament Charlie Angus came to town with guitar in hand, but he also came to get Guelph riled up for this fall's (or sooner) Federal Election campaign. 

More Guessing Games About Guelph and the Election

If you feel like you're being inundated with polls and surveys regarding your thoughts on the upcoming Federal Election, you're not alone. I wrote about a call we received at my house last month that offered numerous choices for the Liberal and NDP fields, as well as a singular potential Conservative candidate. I'm not sure what informs these surveys, how they come up with some of the names they offer, but a couple of new ones have floated to the surface courtesy of a new poll I answered last night.