David Gibson

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With apparently no new ideas, the mayor is raising the dead

GuelphToday

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The Mayor launched this latest attack on his most vulnerable constituents (and as Adam points out, complete waste of the City and Council 's tine) from Paris, France. Where he is attending a glitzy conference. (During the Olympics, no less). Not that we'd know. The Mayor is staying mum about this trip. Anyways let them eat cake! Clearly, being Mayor is a real cushy gig!

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OPINION: 'Guelph has become a cold and mean place in recent weeks'

GuelphToday

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The cracks in Guelph's legendary faux progressivism are really starting to show. I've soured on supporting any of the business owners who delegated in support of this bylaw. Guelph hasn't meaningfully invested in or incentivized transit, the arts, tourism or the downtown for DECADES. Every downtown in every major Ontario city has visible indicators of poverty. Those cities also have great restaurants, vibrant live music scenes, repertory cinemas, rent incentives and a reliable, cost effective way to get home after 11pm. Our anchor businesses cater to binge drinkers and our street patios look like leftover traffic barricades. The magical thinking behind this bylaw isn't going to change the character of the downtown. Nor the entitlement of the way too many business owners looking for an easy scapegoat.

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The politics of snow removal are bad for the City

GuelphToday

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Many folks are physically unable to shovel. Never mind that its terrible exercise for any age. Most folks don't have the luxury to 'stay home' from work or postpone day to day responsibilities. Guelph Transit is poor at the best of times. When the roads are sparkling. We don't need an app to tell us that.

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OPINION: Messy process leads to messy policy in public space use bylaw

GuelphToday

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When Councillors attend remotely, they should be required to notufy the chair if they need to turn their cameras off. I'm not convinced all of council was even present at that meeting. Al of this has left me wondering if council routinely passes laws without due process relying mainly on antecdotal evidence. "In my opinion, the hedge setback should be 10 feet not 3" or "but I feel like parking in the middle of the road" or "a poodle bit me in Guthrie park, so poodles shouldn't be allowed there." This meeting was a textbook in how not to run a public meeting craft policy Aside from the courts, Council's also made a really good case for an Ombuds inquiry; tribunal submissions: and closed meeting complaints.

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A midsummer's transit rant

GuelphToday

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Guelph"s transit system is stunningly inadequate for a city of its size. Particularly one with a significant commuter population. It's truly embarrassing to explain to GTA transplants that bus service ends at sundown on Sunday night. Or, that Presto is no good here. Building condos in the suburbs with no transpo is truly mind boggling.

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City hall flails as they move fast and break things

GuelphToday

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Guthrie is an atrocious mayor but he is a symptom of the city's dysfunctional administration and severely outdated governance model. Despite explosive growth, Guelph is still run like the quaint farming community that it once was. Maintaining a part time Council for a city of this size and complexity essentially abdicates decision making to the bureaucracy. Guthrie has never shown any inclination or ability to develop policy, work cooperatively or define a strategic path forward. And so, we end up with these incoherent council meetings where its obvious that most of council is completely unprepared or obsessed with meaningless granular details. It's going to take a real Mayor, a professional council and genuine political will to shift the culture even a little bit. We're about 20 years behind.

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Guelph's car-free nirvana is impossible without more regional transit

GuelphToday

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@BH6 Suburbs, roads, highways, vehicles, oil and gas — these are just are few of the highly subsidized pieces that make auto-centric cities like Guelph possible. Add in the environmental costs, health care costs for good measure. If we paid out of pocket for what owning a private vehicle actually costs, we'd all be getting around on public transit.

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Public concern led to controversial draft bylaw’s return: mayor

GuelphToday

10

Clearly, the Mayor refuses to confront the reality and complexity of the issues affecting our downtown. Clearly, Mayor Guthrie favours antecdotal, personal stories about trampled flower beds, 'meth smoke' and sinister poor people (and his 'personal opinion') over the vast, vast empirical evidence that this bylaw is a dud. Morally, financially, legally. Angry antecdotes make for good politcs, but bad policy making. It's actually a Mayor's job to lead council and to support the city partners who are engaged with the reality of this problem. Flower beds? Really? This meeting is a wasted opportunity. I hope the rest of council is less susceptible to the pull of an easy solution.

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In Guelph, and across Ontrio this week, Doug Ford embraced cruelty

GuelphToday

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Aside from its inherent cruelty and lack of evidentiary basis, the timing is so cyncially calculated to appeal to voters before a probable fall election. Similarly, I have a feeling that next week's redux for the public safety bylaw is political kayfabe. The Mayor wants this bylaw. May not have the votes. Doesn't matter. He does have the 'strong mayor veto power to push it through. Do the math.

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OPINION: Note to council: transparency is meant for everyone

GuelphToday

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Under the municipal act, merely receiving advice is not sufficient. It must be "Advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege". Much higher bar than 'advice." Otherwise, council could essentially go into closed session whenever they wanted. Which, in my view, is common practice for this Mayor and Council. This practice not only precludes transparent council meetings, it prevents council from discussing the subject matter after the fact. There is no provision for "providing direction to staff". Adam is really on to something. Unfortunately, the onus is on the public to file complaints with the Closed Meetings. Investigatior. Or, for councillors to push back.

City failed to consult ahead of public space use bylaw approval

GuelphToday

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Council ignored its own administrative processes and passed the bylaw anyways. They are supposed to engage in a systematic consultation with stakeholders before passing any law. (This is Policy making 101) delegations only happen at the meeting itself. In other words, Council broke its own rules to get the desired result.

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Guthrie and council nip/tuck their way out of questions of trust

GuelphToday

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Guelph residents and business owners expect that their Mayor is foussed on local issues over which they have real control. Attending multiple expensive junkets funded by a conglomerate of international corporations and governments isn't typical protocol required of any mayor. If this is an important investment for the City and mayor, voters have the right to know the cost.

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South end movie theatre to remain closed into 'the fall'

GuelphToday

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It's a great theatre. When it closes permanently to make way for more condos, I want you to have expected it.

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A midsummer's transit rant

GuelphToday

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Like most North American cities, Guelph privileges the private automobile as the primary mode of transportation, to the exclusion of people who walk, bike or use public transit. In Guelph, folks that have a choice aren't going to take transit if its inconvenient, unreliable or inaccessible. Of course busses are empty at rush hour. Other than pure altruism, there's no incentive to take one. Unless you have no choice. That a city close wiith expensive real estate, low unemployment, a major college and university has no reliable or well funded transit is shameful.

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Mayor makes global connections during recent Paris trip

GuelphToday

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Sounds like an interesting conference. However,I question that attending lavish, privately funded international events is intinsic the job of a mid size Ontario city mayor. Particularly several. Copenhagen, New York, UEI. The Mayor misses council meetings to attend these events. (As for the Mayor's track record as an environmental steward- I'll leave that to others. Time is money. How the Mayor uses and prioritizes his and Council's time, and how he chooses to portray his constituents, that's what folks are annoyed about. Today, the Mayor appeared at Doug Ford's press conference to announce an invest ment in Peel. Is this part of his job, too? Didn't see other mayors there.

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Property taxes likely to rise 6.08 per cent next year, council confirms

GuelphToday

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Likely. That's an important qualifier. The strong mayor veto powers create a conundrum and a political opportunity for the Mayor, who typically positions himself as the 'common sense fiscal conservative' during budget season. Now that council has restored his initial cuts, the mayor can hang the increase on council, capitalize on the inevitable public outcry and ride in at the eleventh hour to veto on behalf of the 'taxpayer.' I hope he sticks to his commitment not to veto, but I wouldn't bet on it.

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Council approves controversial public space use draft bylaw

GuelphToday

7

Strictly from a governance perspective, this meeting was embarrassing to watch. Obviously Council made up their minds in the closed session. This isn't new. They often use the "solicitor client" provision to have the real meeting. The Mayor even slipped up a few times by alluding to conversations with councillors that clearly weren't in public. This is why fully formed motions materialize from thin air. The remaining six hours was pure theatre. As one delegate put it - the public meeting was "a waste of time."

OPINION: Is Guelph adding another wall between themselves and the public?

GuelphToday

6

Like any mode of communication, social media accounts always have and always will be subject to the Code of Conduct and the relevant Provincial legislation, whether or not the city adopts specific rules for social media. The free speech argument is ludicrous. Clearly, the mayor already endorses favoured politicians and promotes his personal views on social media. The Code exists to navigate the boundaries between the personal and the public interest. Ironically, these rules will actually help Councillors and the mayor avoid legitimate complaints and perceived conflicts of interest. It has nothing to do with free speech. It's the mode of speech and the overlap with their public role at issue. This is standard stuff in the corporate world. Leave it to council to make this needlessly complicated

Public concern led to controversial draft bylaw’s return: mayor

GuelphToday

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Even by its own logic, the Mayor's explanation makes no sense. For the last several months, the 'public' has routinely advocated against this bylaw. In front of the Mayor. On the public record - too. Policy making on 'gut feelings' isn't responsible.

A midsummer's transit rant

GuelphToday

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Similar to the electric buses, the'free' transit program is about image enhancement, not meaningful investment in transportation alternatives. It's just something that sounds good for a press release orTweet. No one who relies on (or, in my case, TRIES to rely on ttansit) is impressed.