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.
There’s been an outpouring of grief after the sudden death of Mattea Somerville, a 12-year-old Guelph girl who launched a petition last fall to create a rainbow crosswalk somewhere in Guelph to honour LGBTQ+ people. Sommerville passed away in her sleep on Sunday from causes unknown.
Dr. Kieran Moore has confirmed that almost all mask mandates will come to an end on Friday at midnight, but regional hospitals, including Guelph General Hospital, will be insisting that you keep those masks on for the time being.
Aidan Kee will be sentenced on August 30 in his manslaughter conviction for the death of Nick Tanti.
Good news: Still no monkeypox in the region!
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.
The now weekly update to the Wellington, Dufferin and Guelph Public Health COVID-19 dashboard says that were a total of 92 new cases since last Wednesday, which represent most of the current 98 regional active cases; this is the lowest it’s been since the beginning of December. The 7-day moving rate is now back down to 26 per 100,000 and the test positivity rate is 5.7 per cent.
The current vaccination rates for eligible populations:
Region-wide: 91.4 per cent have one shot, 88.8 per cent have two shots, and 59.4 per cent have a booster.
Guelph: 93.2 per cent have one shot, 90.5 per cent have two shots, and 62.1 per cent have a booster.
In Ontario on Thursday there were 907 new COVID cases, which is down slightly from 1,013 new cases on Wednesday. There were also seven new COVID deaths around Ontario on Wednesday and Thursday each. On the bright side, there are now just 549 people with COVID-19 in Ontario’s hospitals, with 118 of those intensive care. Wastewater testing shows declining viral signals in all regions.
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Guelph taxi companies don’t like the sound of de-regulation after a brief mention of the possibility at Committee of the Whole on Tuesday.
Vikas Swarup, the author of the book that eventually became the Academy Award-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire, is among the honorary degree recipients at this year’s University of Guelph convocation ceremonies.
The City of Guelph is asking residents to keep an eye open for turtles on roads and trails during this, their traditional nesting season.
The repeatedly delayed final edition of Kazoofest has finally be rescheduled for July 14-17 with a complete line-up.
Starting on June 13, the morning departure time for the Guelph Owen Sound Transportation bus will be pushed back to 10:40 am so that people arriving to Guelph from the GTA can be better accommodated.
The European Union has released a proposal to push techmakers to create a universal USB-C charger for all electronics from smart phones to laptops. Experts say it won’t have a big impact on e-waste, but it could send a message to manufacturers to start dealing with e-waste problems before there’s more regulation.
Is time running out for the nickel? Two-out-of-five Canadians thinks it’s time to pull the five-cent piece, but 49 per cent are in favour of holding on to the beaver.
Planning Meeting of City Council – June 13, 6:30 pm.
Two new proposals, plus decisions on some pretty major (though controversial) projects are coming to 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.
Shareholder Meeting of City Council for GMHI – June 27, 4 pm.
The agenda for this meeting will be posted on the City of Guelph’s website on Thursday June 16.
Shareholder Meeting of City Council for GJR – June 27, 5 pm.
The agenda for this meeting will be posted on the City of Guelph’s website on Thursday June 16.
Regular Meeting of City Council – June 27, 6:30 pm.
The agenda for this meeting will be posted on the City of Guelph’s website on Thursday June 16.
Committee of the Whole Meeting – July 4, 2 pm.
The agenda for this meeting will be posted on the City of Guelph’s website on Thursday June 23.
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: Get ready for this fall’s Municipal Election by making sure that you’re on the voters’ list.
REMINDER #2: Get your tickets now for the second annual Rotary Club duck race to support Food4Kids Guelph.
REMINDER #3: The Wellington County OPP Property Auction goes online on June 16 at 8 pm, and runs to June 22.
Guelph-Wellington’s Smart Cities Office wants to know how climate change has influenced your buying habits. Take their survey anytime before Sunday June 26.
Guelph Public Library and the Vocamus Writers Community have announced the results of their Teen ETCH Short Story Contest.
If you’re heading to the Elora Quarry Conservation Area this summer, you’ll still have to buy your tickets online in advance.
The University of Guelph has installed electronic wayfinding so that people who are blind and visually-impaired can find their way around campus.
The Rotary Club is still look for volunteers for their Canada Day festivities in Riverside Park, and for the beer tent they’ll be running during the Guelph Games in Exhibition Park on July 1-3.
Before that though, the Rotary Club is looking for volunteers to assist with the litter clean-up of the Bruce Trail, which takes place this weekend and on other dates throughout the summer.
John McCormick, the associate chief information officer of the Upper Grand District School Board, was recognized with an award for “outstanding contributions to technology in Ontario schools.”
Look out for land reductions on Goldenview Drive, Wideman Boulevard and Simmonds Drive for two weeks starting today for the repair of concrete curbs, the raising of manholes and the repaving of road surfaces.
#KeepRockin!
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!