Welcome to the Guelph Politico Tip Sheet, a thrice-a-week newsletter meant to “tip” you off about some of the important stuff going on in the Royal City. It arrives directly in your inbox on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Dr. Peter Jüni says that wastewater monitoring shows Ontario is experiencing between 100,000 and 120,000 new COVID cases every day at the moment, which is way much more than the “official” count. (See below.)
That’s the reason why all of Ontario’s opposition parties spoke out Thursday demanding the reinstatement of those recently cancelled mandates.
Meanwhile in Guelph, people 60 and over can now get their fourth dose of a COVID-19 while Dr. Nicola Mercer said at the Board of Health meeting that the sixth wave isn’t that bad if we’re going by the number of severe illnesses and deaths.
The University of Guelph’s vaccine mandate did not violate the privacy of students according to… [checks notes] the Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.
Proof that the rising construction costs of community centres is not a uniquely Guelph phenomenon, the Elora Community Centre project came in 100 per cent over tenure.
Here are the highlights from the 2022 Federal Budget.
Let’s preface these updates with a general word that the official numbers released do not represent the true number of COVID-19 cases, which are likely higher due to limited testing.
There were 110 new cases of COVID-19 in Wellington, Dufferin and Guelph on Thursday, which is a lot of new COVID cases. The number of active cases is now back up to 623, while the total number of COVID cases in the region since the start of the pandemic officially crossed 20,000 to hit 20,095 on Thursday. The 7-day moving rate is up to 139.7 per 100,000 now, and test positivity is down slightly to 21.8 per cent.
The current vaccination rates for eligible populations:
Region-wide: 90.3 per cent have one shot, 87.6 per cent have two shots, and 57.5 per cent have a booster.
Guelph: 92.7 per cent have one shot, 90 per cent have two shots, and 60.9 per cent have a booster.
In Ontario on Thursday, there were over four thousand new cases of COVID-19, 4,224 to be precise. Those are levels not seen since the beginning of February and may only be the tip of the iceberg (see above). The number of COVID cases in hospitals is also going up, with 1,126 COVID patients in provincial hospitals on Thursday, which is up from 807 just one week ago, but on the plus side there were (slightly) fewer people in the ICU than Wednesday.
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Just in time for Easter: A “massive” recall of Kinder eggs due to salmonella contamination.
Food insecure students can now check out the community fridge in the University Centre.
Ageism seems to be an impediment for some people of a certain age trying to find a job.
A Kitchener man was sent a grenade in the mail.
Avian flu has been detected twice in the area, once in a flock of turkeys in Guelph/Eramosa, and again in a flock of ducks in Centre Wellington.
The GM, head coach and minority owner of the Niagara IceDogs were indefinitely suspended and fined $150,000 by the OHL for violations of the Leagues’ Harassment & Abuse / Diversity Policy.
The entire student population of York Memorial Collegiate in Toronto have been banned from a nearby Dollarama store for “a number of incidents” of “unacceptable behaviour.”
Observers are concerned with a reported surge in the number of men visiting a Quebec dating site that connects Canadian men with women from Ukraine and Russian and the increased possibility for trafficking.
Burger King has been hit with a lawsuit for false advertising because the Whopper doesn’t look as good in real-life as it does in the ads.
Planning Meeting of City Council – April 11, 6:30 pm.
A decision, a heritage designation appeal, and a new development project are all on the agenda for this month’s planning meeting. You can see the Politico preview here, and you have until today at 10 am to register with the clerks office as a delegate or to send a correspondence.
Special Meeting of City Council – April 13, 6 pm.
This meeting is dedicated entirely to the Community Benefit Charge and the updated Parkland Dedication Bylaw. You can see the agenda on the City’s website here, and you have until today at 10 am to register with the clerks office as a delegate or to send a correspondence.
Regular Meeting of City Council – April 25, 6:30 pm.
The agenda for this meeting will be posted on the City of Guelph’s website on Thursday April 14.
Committee of the Whole Meeting – May 2, 2 pm.
The agenda for this meeting will be posted on the City of Guelph’s website on Thursday April 21.
For more information on Guelph City Council meetings, from agendas to live-tweets to recaps, you can visit that page on Guelph Politico here.
REMINDER #1: You have until this Friday at 10 am to register with the clerks office as a delegate or to send a correspondence for Monday’s Committee of the Whole meeting, and you can see the Politico preview here.
REMINDER #2: Feedback for Guelph Transit’s fare review is ongoing until April 10.
REMINDER #3: The County of Wellington’s Ride Well ride share service is back up and running.
The City of Guelph announced that they will begin the process to finally removing the metal barrels buried under Bristol Street Park starting sometime this month.
Alectra Utilities has donated $18,000 to the Guelph General Hospital to support initiatives meant to reduce the amount of medical waste that makes its way to landfills.
The Healthy Smiles Ontario (HSO) program at WDG Public Health is back after a two-year pandemic hiatus.
The City of Guelph has announced the 54 Community Grant recipients for 2022.
Meanwhile, United Way Guelph Wellington Dufferin has released the first phase of their Community Impact Strategy funding. $1.3 million went to local groups like The Grove Youth Wellness Hubs in Wellington County, and the Lived Experience Advisory Network (LEAN) in Dufferin County.
The Upper Grand District School Board is looking for public input for their next four-year multi-year plan.
Guelph Transit will be doing a sneak preview of their completely on-demand holiday bus service next Friday. The official launch is on Victory Day next month.
Speaking of the holidays, here are the hours for City of Guelph facilities over the Easter weekend.
The *2020* inductees to the Guelph Sports Hall of Fame will finally get their moment in the spotlight on Wednesday May 18 at the Italian Canadian Club.
The City of Guelph will be holding sector specific town hall about the Municipal Accommodation Tax on April 20 and 21.
Crime Stoppers Guelph Wellington will be giving away 50 free Key Fob Signal Protector Pouches that prevent car thieves from copying the signal and stealing your ride. Get yours at Stone Road Mall in the parking lot near HomeSense on Saturday April 21 at 10:30 am.
The early bird deadline for the Guelph Humane Society’s 50/50 lottery is April 19 at midnight.
This year’s Guelph Lecture is May 6, and it will feature Naomi Klein and Indigenous leader Chief Ninawá Huni Kui of the Amazon forest.
Guelph Museums is organizing a summer tour of war memorial sites in Belgium, France, and the Netherlands to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Col. John McCrae.
Silvercreek Parkway will be closed just north of Speedvale Avenue for one day so that work crews can replace a water main on April 9.
Archeological work has begun again at the Baker Street parking lot after a winter break.
#WereNotLive
And finally, feel free to reach out to me by email at adamadonaldson [at] gmail [dot] com, or find me on Facebook, Twitter, and, of course, GuelphPolitico.ca!