David Gibson

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OPINION: Council readies its most disgusting attack on the homeless yet

GuelphToday

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"I fully support (undesirable project) just not in (desirable area) is textbook NIMBY-ism". The classist bigotry of mayor and councillors is appalling, of course, but hardly surprising. City council exists to protect the so-called interests of property and business owners. Twas always thus. Weaponizing hatred of the visibly poor, disabled and struggling remains a surefire deflect attention from the catastrophic failure of sprawl, decades of underinvestment in local business and social infrastructure and the other neoliberal policies which, in almost every case, are fully supported by the same political class punching down on the poor. If this is how the Mayor and Councillors speak in public, I can only imagine the depth of their animosity towards the working poor, the disabled, the senior citizens in our community who rely on vital services. I don't expect anything resembling moral leadership from the Mayor or most of council. But this is the lowest of the low.

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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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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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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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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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Guelph council condemns Ford’s Bill 5 and Bill

GuelphToday

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I'd be interested in hearing the rationale for Councillor Gibson's declaration of a conflict of interest for this issue. Unless he's changed jobs, my understanding is that he works for the Ontario Power Generation. This isn't the first time Gibson has been absent from votes on contentious matters of provincial policy. Just another example of why Guelph needs full time Councillors.

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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

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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: Guelph Transit is a failure; we need a real transit option.

GuelphToday

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Ironically, Guelph's abysmal transit system is one of the major barriers to creating the bougie downtown paradise that the Mayor and Council believe is just one more anti homeless bylaw away. While I'm not sure that scrapping the system is feasible, fixing it will take financial and political capital that we simply don't have. Guelph is a wee historic college town that's been long swallowed up by sprawl and chain stores. By definition, an environmental catastrophe. When the monorail and John Galt Casino comes, we should not be surprised.

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OPINION: 'Downtown Guelph isn't failing, it's asking us to show up'

GuelphToday

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There’s definitely a nexus between decades of provincial and local underinvestment and the state of cities. Unfortunately, this piece pivots to the false premise that city cores are intrinsically commercial playgrounds for the privileged. This has never been true. Not in Guelph or any other Canadian city. I assume that Councillor Klassen knows that the goal of sustaining small businesses is nowhere equal to the goal of including and sustaining all human life. Yet, that's essentially the premise of this article. Good intentions and nice sounding pleasantries about those in poverty mean nothing if your actions demonstrate a fundamental lack of understanding why it exists. I am appalled by the rhetoric from this and many other councillors. If your vision of an 'inclusive' downtown involves discouraging the presence of those don't have the money for artisinal soaps and Cafe lunches, then exclusion is actually your goal.

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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.

‘We just need to say no’: Mayor on provincial downloading impact to 2026 budget

GuelphToday

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No one is buying the Mayor's mathematical gymnastics required to spin the budget conversation. Where was this nuance when he barrelled into office promising to tame taxes and clean up city hall. How's that going? While I agree that an advocacy mindset is pivotal and long overdue. Mayor Guthrie is absolutely not the person to lead this shift. For years, he's stood shoulder to shoulder with the currenr Premier (sometimes literally) avoids even the most performative advocacy against provincial policy; and routinely wastes his own poltical capital on pet projects and wedge issue. There's a leadership vacuum at city hall. Has been for years. There's no quick fix for the problems, which are definitely real. The Mayor is right about that. But, people are going to have to get fed up enough to move the needle. Mayor Guthrie is going for another term. Why wouldn't he? No one credible runs against him. He's got gobs of developer cash. And, we don't vote.

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Former councillor, 10 others so far seeking vacant council seat

GuelphToday

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Actually, I'm mostly impressed with this slate. So much so that If the seat goes to one of the boomer white guys, something is seriously, seriously wrong with the appointment process. Women, renters, Indigenous folks, young folks. IMO the only hard nos are Gordon and Coole. Gordon has served Guelph well. New blood, please. Coole is far too partisan to be a viable choice. Good luck.

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Meet Guelph’s newest city councillor

GuelphToday

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A good outcome from a poor and unnecessary process. Council should not have been involved in this decision. Obviously they chose their horses well in advance. Four hours of political theater culminating in a coin toss. How was this preferable to a by-election? Also, thumbs down to the Councilor who wasted their airtime asking candidates where they live. It's ONE city. I give the Mayor credit for shutting down Councillor Gibson's request to peacock over his shocking preference for Business McBusiness vs. Lefty McLefterson. We get it. Council. You're all so very clever. Thanks to the clerk and the candidates for putting up with this circus.

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OPINION: Council readies its most disgusting attack on the homeless yet

GuelphToday

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Instead of attempting to shift the conversation to the supposedly "good intentions" of the mayor, some councillors and so called "stakeholders" (a corporate buzzword that sends chills up my spine) perhaps we could take a moment to reflect on the harmful impact of their words and actions? All the good intentions in the world don't matter one bit if the end result is more pain for the already disadvantaged? The Mayor and Councillors have publicly kneecapped this initiative before a single tangible proposal or delegation hits the floor. This isn't collaborative or rational. Iit isn't inclusive. And, it isn't fair. It's grandstanding. Pre-emptive NIMBY-ISM.. Rejecting even the idea of a space in the area it almost certainly would have to be, isn't 100% support. It's smoke and mirrors. A way for the Mayor and certain Councillors to say "we tried" without actually trying.

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Mayor wants property owners to be responsible for removing graffiti

GuelphToday

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I assume this is just about as important and pressing as it was when the Mayor first started bringing it up well over ten years ago. As a councillor, he had a report graffiti option on his website. Like many of his pet initiatives, this is populist political theater. Or, as Adam Donaldson summarized, more "hat" politics. I mean, who can be against "civic pride". Lol. Ill save the Mayor and Councillor Goller some time, blaws without enforcement or teeth or money behind them are all hat and no cattle.

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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