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Mayor, MP and MPP pen letter saying they don't support urban park 'at this time'

GuelphToday

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Disappointing but on brand for the present city administration. NDAs be darned! 25 years of dithering, honest discussion on this file is needed. The jail closed & the city had a chance for "other public uses" & again when the "award winning innovation district" was published - no action. The province offered for sale the block along Victoria from the Eramosa to Stone no "other public uses" came forward. A National Urban Park concept has grown with a 3,000 signature federal petition - more silence. Now signs calling for a park are popping up all over town & City of Guelph chooses a cowardly "other public uses" ploy under the cloak of NDAs. What shenanigans are NDAs covering for? Ironic if the costly mess of the new Police HQ were followed by another costly mess at an old Jail. No wonder people are losing faith in our institutions when our money & resources are kept in the dark.

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OPINION: Canada Day Transit debacle demands a response

GuelphToday

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I 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.

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Council rejects developer’s request to demo heritage buildings

GuelphToday

11

Just what the developers would like to happen! This has been on the list of heritage properties since before the current owners purchased the land. Why should the city reward bad behaviour?

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Hospital or national urban park? Nearly 350 acres of former jail land

GuelphToday

10

Considering a hospital in this location is the opposite of good planning. Considering that the majority of population & planned for population growth is in the SOUTH END moving a Hospital to a new site that's at the edge of the EAST END with poor connections to rest of the city is an odd idea at best

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Council rejects developer’s request to demo heritage buildings

GuelphToday

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What's never mentioned on this file is there is a perfectly good heritage home on the same property very close to the barn. With proper upkeep, this house could still be occupied. The owners choose to let it sit vacant and also fall into ruin rather than rent it. So much for developers wanting to house people.

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‘There's a heck of a lot more work to do,’ says Schreiner on reelection campaign

GuelphToday

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Goody Gumdrops! Mr Schreiner wants your vote so Guelph is: not at the cabinet table, not represented in any legislation committee, can't hold the current Premier to account due to lack of party status. All the while Mr Schreiner's vanity project helps to elect Tory MPPs across the province so we in smug Guelph can have a coffee cup reading "don't blame me, I voted Green!"

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Council rejects developer’s request to demo heritage buildings

GuelphToday

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This property owner was taken to task years ago for cutting large numbers of trees w/o permission. The state of the barn has continued to get worse & the owner has been warned AND the city's Heritage department has not lifted a finger to do anything about the poor state fo this structure for YEARS. In fact, the city's heritage department has turned a blind eye to this deterioration & is almost an accomplice to this deterioration.

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Hospital or national urban park? Nearly 350 acres of former jail land

GuelphToday

6

You may want to re-read the article, MOST of the site, not all, but given the size required for a hospital, it's a non starter in this location.

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Province says local club failed to save historic trestle bridge

GuelphToday

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This is yet another example of this provincial agency being opaque & answering to no one but themselves. Perhaps our MPP could take a moment from his other very important missions to raise this issue with the Minister in charge of IO. If our MPP is too busy to help, perhaps the MPP for Wellington Halton Hills might take time from his schedule to raise the issue. As the Assistant to the minister of "Cutting Red Tape" this might be right up his alley as IO is going to spend more to tear down this iconic bridge than it would cost to restore it.

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Hospital or national urban park? Nearly 350 acres of former jail land

GuelphToday

11

Guelph has more than enough new housing sites approved & not yet built. Were it even possible to build housing here, by the time this site was ever ready to build would be in the 2040's or 50's

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Hospital or national urban park? Nearly 350 acres of former jail land

GuelphToday

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Brian Poole and the Tremeloes. Never heard of them? Me neither, but they were going to be the next big thing at Decca Records in 1962. Decca put their efforts into this safe bet rather than sign a more creative option. You might have heard of the other band from Liverpool who's song LOVE ME DO hit the charts later that year. In my experience, Guelph is the Decca Records of mid-sized Canadian Cities. A National Urban park is an opportunity for Guelph to shed the timid image. Maybe we don't transform into the Beatles of mid-sized Canadian Cities, but certainly at least The Dave Clark 5. Turning down federal investment in a National Urban Park on the site in the fait hope for a hospital would leave the remaining natural areas in bits & pieces while a Park on the site would leave me glad all over.

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Guelph should be a top provincial priority for a new hospital, says CEO

GuelphToday

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The people in charge is the present (re-elected) government of Mr Ford who's been underfunding Healthcare for 7 years.

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Guelph should be a top provincial priority for a new hospital, says CEO

GuelphToday

8

Actually the 50 acres required for a new hospital campus isn't there due to provincially significant structures, flood plains, wetlands and road setbacks. Try cramming 50 acres of programme into the 20-35 acres & the plan would be a nightmare of a dog-leg making a joke of any kind of efficient floorplan. There's then ZERO room for expansion & we're back in the same place we're in now, 50 years later AND messed up the potential for a National Park. Oh, did I mention the lack of connection to the opposite end of the city where all the planned for population increase is going?

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WATCH: Doug Ford pours out bottle of Crown Royal to protest plant closure

GuelphToday

8

How does purchasing a bottle to pour it out really hurt Diageo? Similar to saying how "mad" he was at the president of Stelco there's no action. Mr Ford is all talk.

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A bridge no more: Guelph's historic trestle bridge is demolished

GuelphToday

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Thanks for recording the images of the demolition. A look ahead:Guelph Tomorrow, 20400729.09:"At the Committee From the HOLE, delegates looking for a pedestrian crossing shared a Holo-reconstructions using images from a July 2025 Guelph Today article of a bridge the province demolished fifteen years ago. Mayor Sam Huffrey chided one delegate who pointed to archival recordings of the City of Guelph council directing then city staff to work with the province to see what could have been done to save the bridge. "It's not good manners to criticize city staff at anytime, and especially those who are no longer here to defend themselves, even when wrong & council didn't follow-up" said Mayor Huffrey. They went on to add "City has more pressing priorities such as the Hanlon Ring Road rather than spending $42 million on a bridge just for a few kids & so called nature lovers." The Provincially appointed Council voted 42-7 to do nothing & voted 36-13 to fine a number of delegates.

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Province announces traffic-calming funding on eve of speed camera ban

GuelphToday

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Having recently visited a certain neighbourhood in Etobicoke, I was startled to see several Military like SUVs & minivans with tinted windows speeding around. Were I the mayor of Toronto, I'd use as many of these $ as can be had to address this very dangerous area of the city's roads.

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Province says local club failed to save historic trestle bridge

GuelphToday

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We are forever in your debt for your wisdom & insight on the issue! Having no doubt hiked on both sides of the river and having been annoyed to see the sad state of repair this structure has been allowed to fall into. I for one am humbled by you correctly blaming the volunteers who wish to save the Ontario taxpayers money. The people of the province are, no doubt, as am I, awestruck by your erudite defence of the defenceless civil servants who have kept this asset in such a happy state for oh so many decades!

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Province seeking demolition crew for historic trestle bridge

GuelphToday

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While the track record of the present government has been to "spend more on demolishing things than fixing the issue & hope nobody cares" could be argued here however; the point this article alludes to is Infrastructure Ontario is almost answerable to no one. IO does what IO wants & this regardless to what party is in power at Queens Park. Pity our MPP who "everybody likes" can't move the needle on this file.

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Historic property owner objects to heritage designation

GuelphToday

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Ever been to Niagara Falls to visit the amazing Niagara Falls Power Station Museum? Perhaps the Distillery District in Toronto? How about up the road to visit the Elora Mill Spa? Okay, maybe you don't get out much. Perhaps check out the Metal Work & Spring Mill Distillery here in Guelph? All examples of former industrial buildings that have been greatly enhanced & increased in value by people who have some creativity & vision.

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Historic property owner objects to heritage designation

GuelphToday

5

For a city known for its many fine character structures, but we do a shabby job of preserving & enhancing. Other thoughts:1- Why would someone buy an ALREADY listed structure want to demolish it?2- Why then squawk when they can't just tear it down?3- Study after study proves that designated buildings INCREASE in value4- Designation does not mean a building becomes a museum, just preserve listed elements; wanna an addition? an ADRU in the basement & backyard? Giddy-up!5- The greenest building is the one already standing6- Keeps building material out of landfill saving the city money7-In a housing crisis builders won't build what's already approved8-Many examples of heritage structures worthy of designation demolished in the city & nothing built to replace them9- If demolished how long till something is built to replace this-1? 3? 5 years?10-Renovating does more for the economy than building new

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