Julian H
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Council approves altered concept for St. George’s Square, wants final approval
GuelphToday
42As I parent of young children I'll say spending money on a playground at tge square is a total waste of money. If the city wants to add a playground it should have been at the library entrance or at city hall with the wading pool. Both are watched over by security. The reality is no one is going to intentionally have their kids play at Market Square considering the homeless situation and drug use that goes on in the area.
3- Julian H
Encampments now banned in parks beside schools and daycares
GuelphToday 27When the city cleans up encampments it is initially caution taped off, often requires special crews to address hazardous items or heaps that could pose additional danger. Somehow that doesn't square with there is no danger in having encampments beside schools.
6- Julian H
Hospital or national urban park? Nearly 350 acres of former jail land
GuelphToday 13I don't understand why it's almost all flood plain. The stretch from York road, to the prison and all the way back through the extensive auxiliary builds, right back to Cargill and the waste depot isn't flood plain. Cargill built a huge facility there and the city built the waste depot. Obviously this isn't flood risk land. Seems like 60 acres to me. The whole flood plain things seems like a straw man argument. The future hospital could be surrounded by ponds and marshes. When I spent days and weeks at McMaster children's hospital, one of the things that kept me sane was walk the university grounds. Seems like the best possible way to get use out of the area that is a flood plain is by putting a hospital in the middle of it, a grassy ridge/hill.
10- Julian H
Two additional GO train stops in Guelph begin April 27
GuelphToday 23Ok great but why is there still no train from Union to Guelph /kitchener between 6:20pm and 9:35pm Monday to Friday. This is 3:15hr period that is core travel time with no trains. Despite being after rush hour, it is an impossible time of day to be on the 401 or Gardner. All they have to do is run one or two of the trains that already run to Brampton a little further.
- Julian H
McQuillan's Bridge to be restored
GuelphToday 14If the cost increases to $4.0M as many projects like this do escalate materially, it will cost every family of four in Guelph $133.00. In before income tax dollars that's ~$175. Or about a third of your annual property tax annual increase. Basically if they don't restore this we can cut annual property tax increase by 35% for a year. In case you're wondering why our property taxes increase 6% every year.
7- Julian H
'How is this legal?' Meet the king of Ontario renovictions
GuelphToday 20What a great investigative article. Especially from a local paper so pressed in the current news environment. Will be contributing. Thanks Guelph Today
1- Julian H
Concerns mount for man living on sailboat in middle of Georgian Bay
SooToday 18Someone tried this last winter in Nova Scotia or NB, can't remember. It end with ice crushed the boat and salvage cost was into the five figures. Owner couldn't pay of course. I've personally seen how the ice in Penetang will move cribs filled with rocks and bend dock piles. That was in only chest deep water.
2- Julian H
Property taxes likely to rise 6.08 per cent next year, council confirms
GuelphToday 15Has there been any committees, boards or groups setup to look at why tax increases are well above inflation year after year? Could someone direct me if such a thing exists. It's just so unsustainable to continue on this path. I don't understand why this isn't a bigger priority.
5- Julian H
Million-dollar makeover coming to Boathouse retaining wall and stairs
GuelphToday 6I'm relieved to hear that a railing will be installed here! I have personally had to grab my toddler has he ran for the edge to see the ducks. We have an ice cream shop that attracts hundreds of young children ever day. The entrance is 10' from the water and elevated. When a toddler falls into water they sink like a rock, there is no splash, or thrash or screaming like in the movies. They go down like a stone and if no one saw that initial fall, that kid will be unresponsive on the river bottom in literal seconds. This location is a real hazard and has left me wonder how there hasn't already been an accident and why there is no railing on this 200' long stretch. This not the place to take some kind of stand against safety infatuation. This is a location that will inevitably have a terrible accident or near miss. Hopefully the railing makes up a tiny fraction of the cost though.
14- Julian H
Residential units planned for former downtown bank building
GuelphToday 19The same place the one hundred office workers (not 36) used to, when they worked here.
- Julian H
Guelph council passes vacant home tax and renoviction bylaw
GuelphToday 8Ironically this comes at a time vacancy rates are much much higher. Lots apartments have for rent signs now. Of course no owner is willing to rent below the carrying cost. With this bylaw you now have a situation where a landlord might be forced to rent below cost and because of rent control that price might be locked in for a decade or more.. If the rent market turns even further you may have literally just forced owners to commit to financial loses in perpetuity.
10- Julian H
Urban park proposal and potential new hospital collide at reformatory
GuelphToday 9If any local politicians read these comments I'd also like to say prioritize the hospital over more green space. GGH appears so at the limit that the urgent care triage is now a permanent trailer. Nowhere else have I ever seen this. Let's not add obstacles to the province authorizing a new hospital by dividing local politicians' stance on land use!On the other hand this land seems like great urban park. However, Guelph is already a very green city and it seems to me the desire for park space is insatiable. There is a history of this in the residential planning concept of 'tower in the park' model. It left us green space that was very under utilized and made for less than efficient city scapes. Let's not repeat that mistake from the 60s.
8- Julian H
Get a sneak peek of the Guelph Public Library’s future archival space
GuelphToday 8Yup, I have to work 1.5 months just to pay my property taxes this year, so we can have things like library archival space. Bonkers.
7- Julian H
City to move ahead with demolition, commemoration of historic bridge
GuelphToday 137 and 8% tax increases, double the rate of inflation year after year, and we are building a $3.3M dollar bridge 60m from a future bridge that will have redundant pedestrian and cycle space. It boggles my mind.
1- Julian H
ICYMI: Scottsdale neighbours say concrete bike lane separators are a 'nightmare'
GuelphToday 6I use this section of Scottsdale with my bike chariot. I wouldn't dare ride here with my toddlers in an unprotected lane. There aren't a whole lot of safer alternatives to crossing Stone road in the area either. Concrete raises the stacks for cars to keep in their lane. In my opinion if you can't keep your car (that is relatively small compared to buses, trucks etc) in your lane 100% of the time and keep from hitting these barriers you need to reevaluate your attentiveness while driving. Basically, pay attention and you won't hit concrete, or me. As for concrete chunks. I saw none all summer on the road and I would if there was. On a bike that would see me go flying.
8- Julian H
McQuillan's Bridge to be restored
GuelphToday 11Matt, if we continue to 'build' and tax our city at 3-4% above the rate of inflation (as we have the last 10 years) we'll all be paying 140% more property tax in 15 years. Your property taxes will go up 2.5 times! Inflation adjusted 67% (assumed inflation at 2.5%). The math plain and simple.We will have built a city that almost no one can afford anymore. But we'll have lots old concrete bridges.
2- Julian H
Single complaint hits the brakes on 14 years of charitable bike repairs
GuelphToday 12Keep doing what your doing. Don't wait for the minor variance, everyday you're shutdown extremely needy people don't get the support your work facilitates. If bylaw or someone from the city comes knocking again you just stare them down and inform them a fine will result in your ward councilor and the bylaw office answering phone calls from angry residence for a week. At least until the minor variance is evaluated. Don't be afraid to push back hard when you have the moral high ground.
- Julian H
Conestoga ‘exploring all options’ to house future Downtown Guelph students
GuelphToday 10It feels strange to hear a potential purchaser describe the downtown as not having land readily available. I'm not disputing his view. When I look downtown I see totally vacant lots, empty store fronts, a mall with less than a trickle of people, heck even banks are leaving. There is clearly a problem with the state of things when that reality exists along side 'no readily available land'.
1- Julian H
City hits the brakes on allowing five-plexes on low density corner lots
GuelphToday 10Yes, especially Allt. Always wants more subsidized housing but when it comes to reducing barriers to building more 5 plex walk-ups that are already scattered all over single family home neighbourhoods, he votes no. These are exactly the type unit people rent that have modest means.
1- Julian H
Proposed new transit/fleet facility getting major downsizing
GuelphToday 7The old budget works out to $2400 for every man women and child in Guelph, for context. So that's almost $10,000 of after tax income for a family of four. The new budget would be $5200 per family. I find this is a good way of putting infrastructure costs into perspective.
2- Julian H
