Tibbits to Ride
For once, Conestoga controversy not involving students
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.
Just one week after Guelph experienced seven drug poisonings in one day, Guelph Police busted a woman and seized nearly $9,000 in suspected fentanyl, crystal meth, crack cocaine and hydromorphone.
Conestoga College is reviewing its own president John Tibbits for a podcast appearance where he called the president of Sault College “a whore.” Meanwhile, a Waterloo Regional Councillor has characterized Conestoga’s treatment of international students as “inhumane.”
Hopewell Children’s Homes says they need an immediate five per cent boost in funding from the provincial government or their services will be impacted.
On the bright side, the average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Guelph has fallen to $1,979.
There’s a hot ticket for the Guelph Wish Fund for Children for its silent auction on Saturday: A Kansas City Chief’s jersey signed by everyone’s favourite couple, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.
Despite all their talk about building “attainable housing”, internal documents have revealed that the provincial government doesn’t really have a definition for that.
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The Guelph Police Services Board heard about how the service is fighting the epidemic of Intimate Partner Violence locally at this month’s meeting.
Meanwhile, the Transit Advisory Committee looked at themselves as part of the clerks’ office review of advisory committees at their meeting.
There’s forward momentum on the Highway #7 expansion again as Ontario Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria announced that proposals for the reconstruction of the Frederick Street bridge will go out at the end of this month. Meanwhile, the start date for two-way, all-day GO Train service remains uncertain.
The opening of Guelph’s new high school has been pushed back a year to 2026.
Guelph Police are investigating the vandalism of several bus shelters with pro-Palestinian messages.
Autism Dog Services is in desperate need for people to raise puppies to be future service dogs.
A Cambridge company has unveiled a machine that makes paper bottles.
The Government of Ontario has reached a deal with French language teachers, which leaves the Catholic teachers as the only Ontario union without a new contract.
Meanwhile, the provincial government made life for Ontario drivers even better by announcing that there will be no more toll roads in Ontario (but 407 will be the obvious exemption).
The Ontario Medical Association warns that Ontario is already moving towards American-style private healthcare noting the growing number of nurse practitioner clinics taking money.
A bone in the McNugget?! Your worst nightmare happened at a Mississauga McDonalds.
Workshop Meeting of City Council – Wednesday February 21 at 6 pm.
After getting postponed last September, council will finally do the KAIROS Blanket Exercise. You can see the Politico preview here, but since this is a workshop there will be no delegations.
Regular Meeting of City Council – Wednesday February 27 at 6 pm.
Council will revisit reports from the Committee of the Whole. There’s also the annual report from the integrity commissioner and an update about changes to the County’s social services committee that will increase Guelph representation. You can see the agenda on the City’s website here, and you have until next Friday at 10 am to register with the clerks office as a delegate or to send a correspondence.
Committee of the Whole Meeting – Tuesday March 5 at 2 pm.
The agenda for this meeting will be posted on the City’s website on Thursday February 22.
For more information on Guelph City Council meetings, from agendas to live-tweets to recaps, you can visit that page on Guelph Politico here.
The Grand River Conservation Authority is watching water levels after the big snowfall yesterday.
CMHA Waterloo Wellington and the Grove Youth Wellness Hub have announced that the doors are now open at the new Children and Youth Services building located at 737 Woolwich Street in Guelph.
The Upper Grand District School Board and the Wellington Catholic District School Board have both shifted the April PA Day from Friday April 19 to Monday April 8 due to the solar eclipse.
There will be a community celebration to mark the retirement of Guelph Library CEO Steve Kraft at the main library from 4 to 6 pm on Thursday February 29.
Ed Video Media Arts Centre is running three 50/50 fundraisers.
The County of Wellington’s Economic Development Division won the 2023 Economic Developers Council of Ontario (EDCO) Award for Inclusive Community Based Initiatives and Programming for their ‘Wellington Welcomes’ campaign.
Bookmark for later: Here are the holiday hours for the City of Guelph, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, the University of Guelph, the Guelph Public Library for the Family Day long weekend.
Also for Family Day, the Government of Ontario is offering free fishing around between Saturday and Monday.
The Upper Grand District School Board is collecting feedback about the 2024-2025 school year calendar.
Current “Have Your Say” opportunities: Dark Sky Bylaw, Guelph’s Bicentennial, Housing Affordability Strategy, New Community Gardens, Playground Replacements for 2024, and Waste Reduction Strategies.
Transit Detours/Notices:
Nothing to report.
Upcoming Construction:
There will b an open house about stage #2 about the York Road Improvements between Brockville and Victoria on Monday February 26 at 6:30 pm at City Hall. Construction is expected to begin on April 2.
#Trekkies!
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!