OPINION: Canada Day Transit debacle demands a response
33City staff unaccountable and incompetent? Say it ain’t so. It’s almost like there are so many of them that they can spend their time figuring out what vanity projects to spend money on and pointing fingers when it goes wrong instead of focusing on the core issues of running an efficient municipality that’s good value for tax dollars. Every department needs to clean house and the start over with half the management headcount, that are more accountable and more effective.
3- BH6
OPINION: Canada Day Transit debacle demands a response
35I really appreciate your take on the Transit issue. Moving here from Burlington 11 years ago I looked forward to living in a city that had a much better transit system. Sadly Guelph hired the same fella who managed to all but destroy BT. Yes, Guelph has a very poor road layout but there has to be a way to make what we got work. On the positive side, I end up walking & riding my bike more as it's often faster than catching a bus. On the other hand I also drive more. Transit works when it's frequent & easy to navigate - GT seems to, as you point out, WORK at making the opposite true.
1- JAJS
OPINION: Canada Day Transit debacle demands a response
25This latest fiasco should be discussed at performance review time. Sadly, these managers are not performing at "meets requirements". Time to conduct a full department review. These bloated salaries and not justified. What's concerning is we have a mayoral candidate wanting more people to use transit. They should be more concerned about fixing the system!
- William the Great
OPINION: Canada Day Transit debacle demands a response
6This is not meant to be adversarial. The Guelph transit system is supported by UofG students. Last time I checked they paid for 25% of it. Their contribution is significant. We rarely hear a peep out of them about poor service. Admittedly, it would be hard to mess up running busses up and down Gordon St. The people that use it to get to the industrial parks also are rarely heard from, so I’ll assume it’s working for them. Everyone else needs to chill out, including the author who apparently only knows how to complain about city hall. We are a small city and cannot run transit like Toronto. We the taxpayers do not have an obligation to make City buses the equivalent of owning a car. This is especially true when the Coty decides to spend their transit budget on ultra expensive electric buses rather than on expanded services
15- JK19
OPINION: Canada Day Transit debacle demands a response
20I could not agree more strongly. It’s a disgrace and I have been baffled for years about how the people responsible for it are allowed to continue in their roles
- Mark McCullagh
Work to improve notorious Cox Creek intersection starts Monday
2Well look out. There will be many more accidents and deaths in that spot. What kind of safety measures are you putting in? What will be the speed? 40? Can’t be called a highway anymore.
16- Lucy Ladham Dyment
Rental replacement bylaw headed to council for final approval
11Ridiculous bylaw, this will drive potential landlords away from any rentals and likely lessen the availability of affordable ones! Not very well thought out......
6- John Smit
Work to improve notorious Cox Creek intersection starts Monday
5Well that will be interesting driving for the future. 80 km on major hwy down to roundabout in my opinion will be a cluster mashup
12- nannabon
OPINION: Canada Day Transit debacle demands a response
17I did a quick review of three transit searches in Google "transit for +++ ontario" - where +++ was replaced by... Guelph (~160,000 population), Peterborough (~100,000 pop) and Collingwood (~30,000 pop).For the Guelph Search - GO Transit was the first site on the list!! Guelph Transit Bus Passes and Fares was next, then a link to Guelph Tranist. The Guelph Transit page had a link to Trip Planning - which wasn't. Trip Planning informs the viewer to Download the App, Use Google maps, or Look at our schedules and maps.For both Peterborough and Collingwood there was a link to an interactive map to assist with planning your trip. Peterboruogh allowed planning in the map.If the city is not interested in easy trip planning options, they are not interested in easy transit.
- Gruntfutak
OPINION: Canada Day Transit debacle demands a response
16A city of 150,000 doesn’t need Toronto‑level transit, but it does need buses that reach employment areas and run reliably enough that people can actually get to work and to actively participate in the community. That’s not asking for car‑equivalent service; that’s asking for basic functionality. Guelph Transit isn't functional. And on electric buses, I agree: the City spent heavily on a showy capital upgrade that didn’t expand routes or frequency. Cities without real transit don’t hit top tier because they trap people in one option: drive or stay home. Car dependency isn’t just inconvenient. It’s expensive, exclusionary, and puts a ceiling on growth.
- David Gibson
Rental replacement bylaw headed to council for final approval
11Again, our elected council gets bullied by a bunch of do gooders and will drive landlords out of town
5- Paul Bb
OPINION: Canada Day Transit debacle demands a response
16It is surprising nobody at the top can put a finger on where the problem might lay? How many General Managers did the Deputy CAO of Public Services go through in 15 years until hiring the current one? (no background in transitl. The attitude from City Hall has toward people, the transit union, and advocacy groups - who have brought forward constructive criticism of Guelph Transit - unprofessional and disturbing. There is a need to change things top down because it hasn't been working for the last 15 years!
- STopp
OPINION: Canada Day Transit debacle demands a response
15"Accountability" and "City of Guelph" are 2 things that don't mix. It's almost as if the enture organization is afraid of that word or something.It's sad, but clearly true. Wether we look at Guelph Transit, the Library, bike lanes, or snow removal.
1- McDuncan
Rental replacement bylaw headed to council for final approval
4Wow! 3 straight negative views. I wonder which ones have stable housing? Guelph's selfish attitudes showing again.
11- Doug Frank
Work to improve notorious Cox Creek intersection starts Monday
12Dude literally just explained why there needs to be something done for safety at that intersection."I can't slow my car down on the highway."
1- usr_717383
Work to improve notorious Cox Creek intersection starts Monday
11Not an issue at Kossuth and hwy 24, or Maple Grove and hwy 24.
1- Julian H
OPINION: Canada Day Transit debacle demands a response
3We had no issue with the buses on Canada Day. We use the generic transit app which showed the 99 as well as the special Canada Day zone buses.
9- Steve Spyderman
OPINION: Canada Day Transit debacle demands a response
12Your reasoning neglects that “not heard from” includes those who long ago gave up. My son had to buy a car for a job in the industrial park, because GT’s service was so abysmal. To an INDUSTRIAL PARK. And yes we certainly could run transit “like Toronto” if by that we mean with sensible routes
- Mark McCullagh
UGDSB director of education/CEO announces retirement
12Stayed long enough to dismantle the Board - cutting teaching sections to teachers, cutting programs, fewer EAs, laying off many low-paid Office, Clerical, Technical, and Custodial front-line staff just last week, and running the finances into the ground. I'm sure we'll see him in the Ministry this fall.
- MarthaJ
Rental replacement bylaw headed to council for final approval
7Selfish? I think that's what those demanding other people house them at below market rent are doing. Why would anyone choose to invest in a rental property? There are safer ways to make a profit.
5- WendySmith
