Cam Guthrie - Ward 4 Candidate - Guelph

Art-Attacking Council Response:

Last week, a local musician wrote an opinion piece HERE in the Guelph Mercury about Guelph's noise by-law and how he beleives the bylaw will destroy the ability of kids to learn how to play instruments across this city.

Here's my response:

As a musician (drummer) I can beyond assure you that there is nothing going on here to seek out and destroy musicians in this city. And if there was, I'd be making an issue out of this, you can be assured of that.

Over the last 22 years, I’ve played in 4 bands. Recorded music with my bands and others on over 13 albums. I’ve produced, arranged and personally financed several albums for local Guelph bands. Some of those even ended up playing at Guelph’s Hillside Festival. Even while on city council presently I still continue to play in my band "Fitness Club Fiasco". I’ve also taught drums for music schools and privately for a dozen students in their homes. When it comes to promoting the arts in this community I pride myself on doing everything I can to help out. I even brought music & culture change to city hall by promoting local musicians and artists to start our council meetings by playing our national anthem.

Bottom line is this: I love music.

I tell you this because I would never subject my fellow musicians, let alone myself, to any bylaw that could stifle our collective creative juices or ability to practice our art in this city.

In over 22 years as a drummer, I’ve never had the surprise knock on my door from city by-law officers to tell me to stop being creative and that the big mean by-law officers are out to “silence the artistic community in Guelph”.

Never. Not once.

In over 22 years, playing with other Guelph bands and artists all over this city, at all times, both outside and inside, have I ever heard from them that they too were given a fine for breaking the noise by-law.

Never. Not once.

To this day without any sound-proofing or expensive music reducing sound barriers, I still practice very loudly in my garage or basement. I’ve never been interrupted by a bang on the garage door to tell me “keep it down”.

Never. Not once.

Since being elected 2 and half years ago, I have never heard, read or felt my "spidey-senses" going off to any deep dark plot to attack musicians through the noise by-law from city staff or fellow councillors.

Never. Not once.

So here are the facts about Guelph’s noise-bylaw and the art community:

1. The wording regarding musicians or instruments was not recently changed at all.
2. Out of the 2733 complaints by-law recieves, less than 5 a year has to do with loud stereos or instruments. (These are grouped together in the same category)
3. Out of those 5, actual ticketing or charges only comes after numerous attempts of education or efforts of finding reasonable solutions to work with effected neighbours & those effected etc...
4. By-law officers have never once, kicked down a door and immediately handed out a ticket to a kid learning to play Aerosmith in his bedroom. As I said, when they're called out to investigate a potential noise violation, their first step is to try to work with you and your affected neighbours through education or other solutions to resolve the issue BEFORE enforcement takes place.
5. The officer uses his/her discretion when addressing these situations. Just as a police officer uses their discretion when handing out a speeding ticket or instead giving you a warning.

I respect anyone's opinion on this but wanted you to know some of the facts and to reassure you that I would be the first to step up, and loudly bang my drums if this bylaw was being abused. But it's not.

Feel free to call me anytime at 519-830-7625

Take care,
Cam Guthrie

P.S While I got your attention, my band has a show June 22nd at Van Gogh's. Hope you can make it!

Update from STAFF as of May 15th - 1:15pm

In regards to your letter to the Mayor’s office, please note that the City of Guelph does support the music industry and those wishing to pursue music.

Before I clarify the information printed in the Guelph Mercury, it is important to note, as indicated in the City of Guelph’s Noise Bylaw, noise is defined as sound that is of such a volume or nature that it is likely to disturb the inhabitants of the City of Guelph. Therefore, if any activity, including the playing of music is not likely to disturb others, no violation is occurring.

This being said, there was a recent amendment on February 2013 to the noise Bylaw addressing the following:

•   Regulation of air conditioner noise by decibel level.
•   Regulation of motorcycle noise by decibel level.
•   Amend the prohibition for unnecessary yelling from 11pm to 7am (9am) to 24 hours a day.
•   Create a mixed use category within the Bylaw to recognize the diversity within the City’s downtown. Specifically to recognize both residential and business properties and to align the existing residential regulations to the mixed use category.
•   Recommend an increase to the set fines of the City’s Noise Bylaw.

The wording in the City’s Noise Bylaw regulating musical instruments has been in effect since 1998 and was not changed in the recent amendment. In addition, the wording and regulation is not unique to the City of Guelph, numerous municipalities across North America use similar if not identical wording when regulating music that may disturb others.

To provide some context, Bylaw staff do respond to calls, in which the use of musical instruments is affecting others. Bylaw staff seek compliance through education with all parties involved. In the majority of cases, the disputes between neighbours are often addressed without charges being issued. Unfortunately, there are a small number of incidents where education is not enough to curb the inappropriate behaviour and circumstances warrant the issuance of charges.

In 2012, of the 2,733 calls attended by Bylaw staff, less than 5 charges were issued for noise caused by musical instruments, most of these charges were with respect to amplified instruments being played late at night, in which previous warnings failed to resolve the issue.

I trust this is of assistance.

Yours truly,
STAFF

Upcoming Council Workshop on Salary/Benefits:

Some quick Q&A's for Upcoming meeting on April 23rd.

1. What is the purpose of the workshop?
Answer – The purpose of the workshop is to provide information to Council on the elements of Compensation. As you will recall, during the 2013 budget process there was considerable discussion and public delegations regarding compensation and pensions, wherein there was some misinformation put forward. In addition, there was a motion of Council that was subsequently referred to Committee for a broader discussion of FTE’s and gapping – the workshop on Compensation is intended to provide a baseline/shared understanding of Compensation as a precursor to the workshop (now scheduled in September) on FTE’s and gapping.

2. You reference in the report changes to benefits? Is that not going to be difficult to do?
Answer: As indicated in the report, benefit costs at the City have been increasing each year as reported in the HR Annual Report and are higher than our benchmarks. In addition to savings achieved through administrative process changes, the City will be seeking through collective bargaining and working with our union partners ways to modify the benefit plan design to manage costs going forward. This will be guided by balancing fairness to employees and affordability, again as mentioned in the report.

3. Regarding sick time, what are you hoping to achieve with the attendance technology?
Answer: During 2012, the Attendance Support policy, program and technology supports were developed and the new Attendance program was formally launched in January 2013. The technology enables us to provide more meaningful information to Managers/Supervisors about their employees, departmental averages of attendance and those that are exceeding the average who require support/accommodation to ensure regular attendance at work. This is more than Managers/Supervisors knowing who is at work or not. The purpose of an Attendance Management program is to ensure a consistent corporate approach to managing attendance across the City based on established criteria that is well understood by employees, unions and management. There are considerable labour relations/arbitration decisions that highlight this as a requirement for a corporate attendance management program.

4. If employees are off sick, there really is no cost to the City since they receive their pay correct?
Answer: When employees are off sick and go on Short Term disability they receive 75% of their salary paid from the City’s Insurance provider. Not all employees are replaced when they are off sick- some are however . For example, in Fire, there are minimum staffing requirements, so when a firefighter is off sick, they are replaced, usually paid through overtime of another firefighter- so there are costs to the City for those staff that are replaced. In addition, when staff are off sick and are not replaced, the ‘cost’ is lost productivity for the period when the staff person is off ill.

Guelph RANKS HIGH for INVESTMENT!

Guelph recognized as international hot spot for investment activity

GUELPH, ON, April 17, 2013 – Compared to 422 cities in North and South America, Guelph has ranked 5th in economic potential for a small city and 10th in business friendliness for a small city by fDi Magazine’s “American Cities of the Future” bi-annual rankings.

“It is no secret that Guelph is primed for investment with our abundant supply of employment land, proximity to large Canadian and US markets and high quality of life,” says Peter Cartwright, General Manager for Guelph Economic Development. “We can link much of our success to the expansions Guelph has seen in recent years, the Hitachi expansion alone was recognized by fDi Intelligence as the top job creation project in the province for 2012.”

Guelph was shortlisted based on points awarded in investment readiness and economic stability such as a low unemployment rate, low inflation, high credit rating and the growth of the knowledge-based sector.

Attraction and retention activities were topics of great discussion at the Guelph Wellington Economic Summit held by Mayor Karen Farbridge and Warden Chris White earlier this year. “The City of Guelph is committed to building a diverse and prosperous local economy that attracts jobs, investment and talent to our community. Rankings like this demonstrate that Guelph is a good place to do business,” said Mayor Farbridge.

About fDi Magazine
fDi Magazine is a specialist publication which reports on cross-border investment and is read
by senior-level executives at multinational corporations and others involved in corporate
greenfield site-selection decisions. A bimonthly publication, fDi Magazine is part of the fDi
Intelligence division of the Financial Times

About American Cities of the Future rankings
To create the shortlist of 'American Cities of the Future 2013/14', fDi's research team collected data using the specialist online FDI tools fDi Benchmark and fDi Markets as well as other sources. Data was collected for 422 cities under five categories. Cities scored up to a maximum of 10 points under each individual data point, which were weighted by importance to the FDI decision making process in order to compile both the subcategory rankings as well as the overall ‘American Cities of the Future’ ranking.

For complete methodology and a full list of data points for each category click here.
For a link to the report click here.

Guelph Parking Study Extended:

From STAFF:

Good evening Mayor Farbridge and Councillors,

This email is to inform Council of a decision to extend the completion date of the Parking Master Plan study from March, 2013 to July 2013. The final report, inclusive of recommendations, will be submitted to the July 29th, 2013 meeting of Council.

By way of background, during the 2012 budget deliberation process council approved $100,000 to undertake a Master Parking Study within the downtown. The study Request for Proposal (RFP) was prepared and issued with a closing date of October 15, 2012, and a proposed completion date of the end of April 2013 with a view to reporting to Council in May 2013.

After the initial Public Information Session on February 26th, 2013 the study Steering Committee, comprised of staff from various departments and external stakeholders (i.e. the Downtown Guelph Business Association), realized that an extension to the completion date would be required for a more comprehensive community engagement process. In addition, it was recommended by the Steering Committee that Council should be made aware of, and approve, the Guiding Principles in advance of the final report to allow for a more focused approach. The extension will still allow sufficient time for any financial implications from the recommendations to be addressed through the 2014, and beyond, Operational and Capital budgets. Finally, please note that there will be no additional financial costs accredited to the extension of the project schedule. The study will be completed within the budget allocated.

Thank you,

STAFF

Mercury Article Correction re: Construction

Article is posted at:

http://www.guelphmercury.com/news/local/article/919816--caution-roadwork-ahead

Our review of the article indicates an incorrect statement:
"There will be further construction on Victoria Road in 2014 from Stone Road north to the bridge over the Eramosa River."
The timing indicated in the article statement is incorrect as the future timing for road reconstruction in the area is for Stone Road from Victoria Road to Gordon Street to undergo construction in 2014 with Victoria Road from Stone Road to the bridge over the Eramosa River being forecasted for subsequent years, pending development of the adjacent Guelph Innovation District lands.

We have advised the Mercury and are working with them on this correction.

My "Rough" notes from April Audit Meeting:

These were the rough notes and remarks that I wrote before going to the audit committee meeting this week. Since no-one from the public was there I thought it best to share them here.

ITEM #1 - CVOR ISSUE

1.   First of all I want to thank our CAO for recognizing this issue when the MTO letter revealed less then stellar results. As the administration director you did the right thing on this and may I also add that you made the call quickly. When so much in government seems to go at a snails pace, this was triggered, investigated and responded to appropriately. So thank you.
2.   I want to thank our new internal auditor Loretta. You should have been hired years ago and if cloning were allowed I’d put a motion down to make several of you. This is your first audit and I cannot overstate how professional this report is. You did exactly what you needed to do, to root out the issues of concern, and then make the recommendations to our staff. This particular audit was vital. Because not only does it show missing pieces, or provide efficiencies, it deals with the safety of our employees and the citizens we are called to serve. If this is the type of detail we are to expect from future audits then I hope I’m around for a very long time.
3.   Lastly, to all of the staff who had to endure their first audit, where you have to be vulnerable, accessible and open about these issues, I can’t thank you enough. You are an example to the rest of the staff who may just have to go through a future audit themselves.
4.   As someone who for a living deals with risk management and insurance on fleets, I can assure you that whoever insures our auto fleet in this city is going to be very happy & in-turn, if these recommendations are implemented properly and adhered to, over the long run, I am sure they should result in lower premiums. And lower premiums means we save the taxpayers more money. And getting a better handle on the safety issues will only reduce the risk of bodily injury, property damage or the potential for lawsuits.
5.   This audit worked as it should. Issue identified, scoped, recommendations offered and a implementation plan put in place.
6.   But now comes the accountability part. I am sure not only this committee, but the residents now have a clear measuring stick to determine if all of us will be accountable to this issue. And I’m sure we will.

ITEM #2 - FURTHER VALUE FOR MONEY AUDITS

•   The $500,000 efficiency target was approved by council at the budget in December.
•   This report would not have existed had it not been for this committee requesting “OVER AND ABOVE” value for money audits. Therefore, these new audits should not be used to meet the $500,000 efficiency target. In fact, there is never any pre-determined outcome from an audit, that it will result in efficiencies found. So if these further approved audits so happen to result in efficiencies, then it’s gravy over and above the $500,000.
•   The point of an efficiency target was for all to be looking out for savings. Not for the weight of this target to rest solely on our internal auditor.

POTENTIAL MOTION: Amendment
And, that recommendations or potential efficiencies from report CAO-A-1304 not contribute to the efficiency target for 2013.

Clarification from CFO to Council:

Madame Mayor & Council:

During CAFÉ’s deliberation of the 2014 Budget Workshop Report this week, staff received significant feedback about the proposed budget guideline (target) formula. It appears Committee members and Visiting Councillors have differing interpretations of the guideline and its application that need to be clarified.

As such, the formula and its use will be further shaped over the next week leading up to consideration of the report at Council, Monday, April 29, 2013.

In the meantime, staff acknowledge Councillors’ feedback and recognize there are questions. Council’s uncertainty appears to be tied to budget targets having historically been indicative of (or equated with) the proposed property tax increase. While the recommended budget guideline (target) formula isn’t proposing a tax rate increase, staff appreciate how it might be interpreted this way, given historical considerations.

The following needs to be clarified: In short, the 3.87% target derived through application of the proposed formula is net of assessment growth so in the historical context described above would be the property tax rate targeted. Of course, the final tax rate increase would be subject to Council approval.

Again, it’s intended that further follow up and work will be conducted between now and the April 29, 2013 Council Meeting but staff felt it was important to clarify the 3.87% in the meantime.

Staff look forward to the continued conversation.

Regards,

Albert Horsman, Executive Director and CFO
Finance and Enterprise
City of Guelph

Weekly Items For Info:

INFORMATION ITEMS

Week Ending April 19, 2013

REPORTS

1.   Tourism Services Public Consultation

CORRESPONDENCE

1.   Township of Wainfleet – Motion declaring the Township of Wainfleet not being a “Willing Host” for Wind Turbine Development
2.   Community Care Access Centre – Spring Symposium Invite, May 22, 2013
3.   Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health – Regarding consultation about smoking in outdoor public spaces.

ITEMS AVAILABLE IN THE CLERK’S OFFICE

1.   Municipal Information Form – Liquor Licence Application – Montana’s    Cookhouse, 201 Stone Road West

Weather Warnings:

Good afternoon Mayor Farbridge and Councillors,

Public Works Staff have been monitoring a significant weather front moving into the region from the West that may bring severe thunderstorms and high winds (gusts up 55 km/hr) over the next 24 hours.

This may cause further damage to our urban forest given its vulnerability from last Friday’s ice storm and spring conditions. A public notice has been coordinated with Corporate Communications staff and is now posted on the City Website. Radio, Twitter and Facebook updates are also scheduled to go out.

This is a coordinated message between Public Works and Emergency Services Departments.

Farmers Market Moves!

Exhibition Arena to host Guelph Farmers' Market during renovations

GUELPH, ON, April 19, 2013 – The Guelph Farmers' Market building, located at 2 Gordon Street, will be undergoing major renovations this summer.
The City is renovating this Guelph landmark to improve accessibility, long-term maintenance and operations, and overall aesthetics.
During the renovations, the Farmers' Market will be temporarily relocated to the Exhibition Arena, located at 70 Division Street. The Farmers' Market will be operating at this venue every Saturday from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. starting Saturday, June 15 until Saturday, August 31, 2013.
"Exhibition Arena was identified as the most desirable alternate venue for the Farmers' Market because it can accommodate all the vendors, has indoor and outdoor space, has ample parking and is located relatively close to the downtown core," explained Mario Petricevic, General Manager of Corporate Building Maintenance.
The facility requires floor recoating; the addition of an accessible washroom; wall painting; installation of new vendor partitions and millwork; plumbing modifications; office renovations; installation of fire suppression and exhaust hoods; an upgrade to the entrance vestibule and doors; repainting and/or filling of cracked concrete; and coating of the foundation wall.
To accommodate customers’ parking and transportation needs during the renovations, the City is offering free parking at the Fountain Street lot and shuttle service to and from the Exhibition Arena. In addition, there is free onsite parking at the arena.

Camps, Grants & More:

April 2013

Final call for Summer Camp Grant Applications
The deadline for our Children and Youth Summer Camp Program is fast approaching. We're pleased to offer our grant application process online and encourage camp organizations to apply prior to the April 12th deadline. Grants are supported by several funds held at The Guelph Community Foundation, including the Guelph Mercury Kids to Camp Fund and Camp Discover, a field of interest fund. If approved, grants typically range between $500 to $1,500 with a total of approximately $10,000 available for this granting program.

If you are interested in applying, please review our grant guidelines to determine your eligibility and to learn more about what we do and do not fund. Applications will be reviewed by the Grants Committee mid May and successful applicants advised by late May.

_______________________________________

Community Grants and Musagetes Grants Program 2013
The Foundation is pleased to offer two robust granting programs this year totaling over $100,000. Over $50,000 is available through our Community Grants Program, and approximately $50,000 is available from The Foundation's Musagetes Fund. The Musagetes Fund is a donor advised fund focused primarily on arts and culture.

Our 2013 Community Grants program will open as of April 8th. The Guelph Community Foundation invites applications from charitable organizations providing projects / activities in the following areas:
~ Health and Wellness
~ Social Services
~ Recreation
~ Children and Youth
~ Environment
~ Education
~ and Arts and Culture.

Be sure to visit our Grants Program for more details in the coming weeks. The deadline for Community and Musagetes applications is July 26, 2013 (4:00 p.m.) and funding decisions made by mid-September

STAFF

FCM - 2013 Fed Budget & Antennas:

Guelph residents:

Some on council like to take swings or jabs at the federal Conservative government on a constant basis. (Actually anything to do with Conservative values.)That's fine. I too have voiced opinions on the provincial Liberal government. But when good news for municipalities comes from any level of government, or any party, it's important to share them. That is why I'm sharing some of the good news that has come our way through a letter from the president of FCM.

Cam

Dear FCM Members,

What a month March gave us! A whirlwind of activity led to a truly historic federal budget for the municipal sector on March 21.

On the last day of February, I had the honour to represent FCM at a media event in Ottawa where we and the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association announced a joint protocol on the siting process for wireless antenna systems. This protocol ensures that wireless providers will notify municipalities of all proposed antennas prior to construction. It also establishes a process for meaningful consultation between municipalities and wireless providers on tower locations.

On March 21, Budget Day, First Vice-President Claude Dauphin, our Government and Media Relations Director Gabriel Miller and I attended the budget lockup in Ottawa, where we had access to all of the budget materials on an embargoed basis. This was my first experience in a budget lockup and it was exciting to read through the Budget 2013 documents and discover that the government had listened to our ask and addressed our needs head-on with a number of key funding announcements. Success! Our advocacy efforts over many months had now paid off!

In fact, FCM was mentioned four times in the budget document as a key partner of the Government of Canada. A strong sign of the respect we have earned in federal circles came in the ground-breaking commitment the government made to index the Gas Tax Fund — and to credit the move to FCM. In his budget address, Minister Flaherty announced: “Acting on the advice of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the Gas Tax Fund … will be indexed and therefore will increase over time.”

In addition, Minister Flaherty announced a 10-year renewal of the Building Canada Fund with a formal five-year review, and an invitation for FCM to provide input into the fund as well as into the development of affordable housing programs. All of these are key achievements for our members!

This budget clearly indicates that the federal government views local government as partners and the discussion on how to entrench this partnership will continue.

Karen Leibovici
President, FCM
Councillor, City of Edmonton

Alice Street Construction Open House:

TO: Property Owners, Businesses and Residents

The City of Guelph is hosting an Open House to discuss the reconstruction of Alice Street.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
5-7 pm
Italian Canadian Club
135 Ferguson Street

WHY COME TO THE OPEN HOUSE?
You are invited to view presentation panels, ask questions about traffic and access to properties, and learn about the project. You are encouraged to provide comments to City staff at this Open House.

ABOUT THE PROJECT
The project involves the reconstruction of Alice Street between Sackville Street and Arthur Street including replacement/upgrading of sanitary sewer, storm sewer, watermain, curb and gutter, sidewalk and asphalt roadway. Reconstruction is anticipated to start in May 2013 and take approximately 4 months to complete. Alice Street will be closed to through traffic during the reconstruction. Access to abutting properties will be maintained as best as possible throughout the duration of the reconstruction.

The City of Guelph appreciates your patience and understanding as we complete this important infrastructure project.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Brad Hamilton, P.Eng.
Project Engineer
Engineering Services
Planning, Building, Engineering and Environment
Location: 1 Carden Street
T 519-822-1260 x 2319
E brad.hamilton@guelph.ca

Thank you from Resident:

Sent: March 28, 2013 9:48 AM
To: STAFF
Subject: thanks

Dear Staff,
The Executive Committee of the Old University Neighbourhood Residents' Association has asked me to pass on their thanks for the excellent job that you and your by-law enforcement personnel did on the St. Patricks Day weekend. We have not heard of any significant issues in our neighbourhood. This is a big change from just a few years ago, and we credit this change to the proactive efforts of your department, the police and the university. Many thanks. Please keep up the good work and do let us know if there is anything we can do to help.
Best wishes from OUNRA
President, Old Univeristy Neighbourhood Residents' Association

Watermain Replacement Notice (Not Ward 4):

Good Afternoon,

Please find the attached Construction Notice for Laneway Watermain Replacement (between Powell St E and Clarke St E). The City has hired Network Sewer and Watermain Ltd., with construction tentatively scheduled to begin the second week of April, 2013 with a target completion date the first week in May, 2013.

This notice will be hand-delivered to businesses and local residents in the area and advertised on the City Page in the Guelph Tribune as well as posted on guleph.ca/construction.

For more information you may contact Mr. Majde Qaqish at ext. 2225 or via cell # at 519-362-5147.

City of Guelph Fleet Audit:

Hello,
Click here to read the City's latest news release: City audit prioritizes actions to improve fleet management
If you do not have links enabled, copy and paste http://guelph.ca/2013/04/city-audit-prioritizes-actions-to-improve-fleet-management/ into your web browser.

NEWS RELEASE

City audit prioritizes actions to improve fleet management

GUELPH, ON, Thursday, April 4 – On April 17, Guelph’s Audit Committee will review and discuss 24 recommendations designed to improve the City’s vehicle fleet management and operations.

Last fall, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation warned that Guelph’s Commercial Vehicle Operator’s Registration (CVOR) safety violation rate of 38.6 per cent was higher than the Ministry’s satisfactory threshold of 35 per cent. There is no threat to Guelph’s CVOR permit, and the City expects its safety record to return to good standing in May.

“Upon receiving the warning, the City requested an audit of its fleet services to find ways to continue improving regulatory compliance, driver safety, and fleet performance,” said the City’s Internal Auditor, Loretta Alonzo.

“Several recommendations from the audit were already underway,” said Derek McCaughan, Executive Director of Operations, Transit and Emergency Services. “For example, we are in the process of hiring a driver safety trainer who will lead the City’s effort to build on departmental practices that are working well, and improve fleet operations across the organization.”

Using findings from the audit, the City has developed an action plan to address inconsistencies and deficiencies in driver training, disciplinary programs, record-keeping, reporting and corporate policies.

The City will implement 21 of the 24 recommendations in the audit report; three of the recommendations not being implemented are not related to safety or regulatory compliance. The list of recommendations and the City’s plans for implementation are available as part of the staff report.

The internal auditor will present a follow up report showing the City’s progress in January 2014.

About Guelph’s Internal Audit Function

The City’s internal auditor performs operational, financial, compliance, information system, special investigation, follow-up audits, and consulting to identify potential savings, efficiencies and service improvements. To ensure objectivity, transparency and accountability, the internal auditor uses best practices and standards established by the Institute of Internal Auditors, and reports directly to the Audit Committee of City Council.

For more information

About fleet management and operations:

Derek McCaughan
Executive Director
Operations, Transit and Emergency Services
T 519-822-1260 x 2018
E derek.mccaughan@guelph.ca

About the internal audit process:

Loretta Alonzo
Internal Auditor
Office of the CAO
T 519-519-822-1260 x 2243
E loretta.alonzo@guelph

New Council Minutes Format:

From Staff:

Good day, you will soon likely notice that we have implemented a new format for Council and Committee meeting minutes. This was done for several reasons:

•   To Improve the overall readability
•   To better align minutes with the principles of the Municipal Act and municipal best practice
•   To eliminate formatting that was used previously as a linkage to work processes which no longer exist
•   To follow the same formatting used for closed meeting minutes which were implemented last year

This action represents the next step in an iterative process designed to modernize and streamline the public record with respect to the actions of Council and Committee. We will also be reviewing the format used for meeting agendas in an effort to do the same, however, this will be a longer term review.

Although we have been somewhat delayed in doing so for March, we will continue to post draft minutes to the City website as soon as they have been completed following a meeting.

If you have any feedback and/or questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

Regards,

Blair Labelle | City Clerk
City Clerk’s Office | Corporate and Human Resources
City of Guelph
Phone 519-822-1260 x2232 | Cell 519-803-4474
Fax 519-763-1269 | E-mail blair.labelle@guelph.ca

Thanks to City Staff!

This email was sent by a Guelph resident:

Dear Staff,
I am an architectural designer living in Guelph and I have been working with the City of Guelph staff for over 10 years now. There are always lots of people I deal with criticizing but not enough complimenting the work the city hall staff is providing.
This is the reason of my email to you.

I'd like to take a minute and let you know that your staff have been very helpful to me over and over again. When I had questions he answered it fast, correctly and in a kind manner. Also offered his help at "any time"! It is very important to me to have someone I know I can count on when I'm not sure of a certain situation in regards to building and design. He was always ready to help. I shouldn't forget your other staff either who has been a very pleasant to deal with time after time.
Thank you!

Regards,

Cheaper Fitness Programs?

March 18th, 2013:

What do you think of this email and my response below Guelph? Should this program or other city programs be more subsidized by the taxpayers at a greater rate?

Your comments are always appreciated:

Original Email:

From: O
Sent: Sunday, March 17, 2013 06:02 PM
To: Mayors Office
Cc: Cam Guthrie
Subject: seniors strenght training programs

Mayor Karen Farbridge,
I am a senior citizen currently a member of evergreen seniors centre and currently registered to take the strength training at the seniors centre. I wish to complain of the costs to seniors who are on a fixed income. More would benefit and want to
Take the course twice a week but can’t afford it. The cost is higher than other fitness centres. It is an excellent benefit to the health of seniors and should be subsidized by the City of Guelph. We have paid our dues in all our working years and now should be helped. Healthy seniors must benefit other areas of city expenses.
Please reply with your comments.
Thank you.

My Response:
From: Cam.Guthrie@guelph.ca [mailto:Cam.Guthrie@guelph.ca]
Sent: March-19-13 12:32 AM
To: O; Mayor@guelph.ca; Cam.Guthrie@guelph.ca
Subject: Re: seniors strenght training programs

Hi O,

I appreciate you sending me your email. I'm sorry it took me a while to respond, but I'm sure you can understand due to the impact of our city's tragic loss of Const. Jennifer Kovach.
The city reviews its program fees every couple of years. I'm sorry that you, and possibly others feel the pricing could be too high.
You've asked for my comments about this situation but I believe I can answer your question by stating what you actually wrote to me within your email.
You stated that "the cost is higher than other fitness centers". I believe in limited government and the freedom of individual choice. Therefore you, I and all residents of Guelph can choose to use city run programs or not use city programs. If a private enterprise can offer you better rates or better service than it would make more sense to frequent and support that establishment then to prop up a bloated government program that is usually already subsidized by the collective tax payers. In fact, I wish there were less government programs like this that compete against the free market especially when its proven, even as you stated, that they can provide the same service for a better price.
I hope you can respect my thoughts on this and if you need anything else please let me know.
Take care,
Cam Guthrie

Clarification of Youth Strategy:

Good Morning,

I have been requested to share the following response I prepared to comments we have received on the CSS-CESS-1312 - Youth Strategy Report. Please be in touch if you have any additional questions or comments

The purpose of the report was not to outline all of the ways that the recommendations can be linked and aligned to existing work but rather to show what youth and youth service providers are interested in. A more detailed implementation plan with resource requirements, timelines, KPIs etc can be developed once staff have a sense that they are headed in the right direction. The use of the term “endorsement” is intended to signal this rather than open ended direction for staff to pursue recommendations without further planning, projections or budget.

The recommendations of the 2013-18 Youth Strategy are the amalgamation of the thoughts and feedback of 700 members of Guelph’s youth population. The recommendations do not reflect the voice of one individual or smaller group but the sentiment of the collective. The recommendations were drafted and reviewed independent of each other and do not speak to the potential (and expected) connectivity between themes or recommendations. Through the process of collecting data and generating themes/recommendations, many of the young people involved expressed great interest in supporting the work of the Strategy and are enthusiastic to continue their involvement. The development of the 2013-18 Youth Strategy is based in the 10 Principles of Authentic Community Engagement as published by KnowledgeWorks Foundation and as detailed in these principles, encourages and supports sustained involvement from community stakeholders, in our case Guelph youth and youth stakeholders.

The 2013-18 Youth Strategy speaks directly to the Guelph’s youth community and has been drafted to complement existing and developing City Strategies and Initiatives. Each goal connects directly to Guelph’s Corporate Strategic Plan and Community Wellbeing Initiative and is based in best practice and/or successful implementation in other communities. The recommendations are intended as a starting point and each is given an appropriate timeline to investigate, adapt, build, partner and implement. City staff are expected to guide the process but will rely on community involvement, wisdom, resources and support to see each recommendation to fruition

Barbara Powell |General Manager of Community Engagement
Community Engagement and Social Services Liaison
Community and Social Services
City of Guelph

So You Want to Be A Nuisance Delegate?

This by-law would allow By-law Compliance and Guelph Police officers to address unwanted behaviour and minor offences quickly and cost-effectively—without laying criminal charges.

The City has updated the draft by-law based on feedback from 130 community members and removed sections related to regulating public protests, rallies, and distributing handbills. All the changes, as well as other considerations made, are documented in the summary report attached to the Operations Transit and Emergency Services staff report. Click here to read the report.

Upcoming committee and City Council meetings
The final draft by-law and staff report will be presented to:

Operations, Transit and Emergency Services Committee
Monday, March 18 at 5 p.m.
City Hall, 1 Carden Street
City Council
Monday, March 25 at 7 p.m.
Council Chambers, City Hall, 1 Carden Street
Register as a delegation
If you wish to voice concern and/or support for the final draft public nuisance by-law, please register as a delegate to speak or provide written comments to either or both the OTES Committee meeting (registration deadline: Friday, March 15 at 4 p.m.) or the City Council meeting (registration deadline: Monday, March 25 at 12 noon). For more information or to register, contact the City Clerk’s office at 519-837-5603 or clerks@guelph.ca.

For more information about the public nuisance by-law, please click here, visit guelph.ca > city hall > bylaws & policies > draft bylaws or call the By-law Compliance Office at 519-837-2529.

Regards,

Doug Godfrey
Manager, Bylaw Compliance and Security Department
Operations, Transit and Emergency Services
T 519-822-1260 x 2520
E doug.godfrey@guelph.ca

Construction Notice: Howitt Park Area:

Good Morning:

Please find the attached Construction Notice for Howitt Creek Flood Protection and Watercourse Renaturalization (formerly Lafarge Property) – East of Howitt Creek. The City has hired Hermanns Contracting Limited to undertake construction, to start after March 15th and expected to end in approximately September. A Project Open House was held on June 19th, 2012.

The project is an outcome of the OMB Minutes Settlement between the City, Howitt Park Neighbourhood Association and Silvercreek Guelph Developments for the development of the Silvercreek Lands.

The land for the flood protection and renaturalization works is being transferred to the City by Silvercreek Developments and the flood protection measures will address the storm drainage from built up areas to the north of the subject lands. The flood protection area will be landscaped and will incorporate a multi-use trail system.
This notice will be hand-delivered to businesses and local residents in the area and advertised on the City Page in the Guelph Tribune as well as posted on guelph.ca/construction.
If you have any further questions, please contact Mr. Majde Qaqish at ext. 2225.
Kindest Regards,

STAFF

Some Nuisance By-Law Q&A:

Some Q&A from STAFF:

Q: why is the bylaw being introduced now?

A number of situations have been encountered over past few years where staff have found we didn't have the necessary 'tools' to deal with them effectively or expeditiously. The conversation evolved to the point staff had a number of reasons for such a bylaw and the initiative was launched.

Q: Did the City review similar bylaws from other Cities?

Yes

Q: there is confusion on the penalty amounts identified in the bylaw. Are we really going to charge thousands of dollars for nuisance infractions?

The penalties in the bylaw meet the requirements of the Provincial Offenses Act. These are prescribed fine ranges that the Court may impose on an individual/Corporation who has been summoned to appear for a violation of the bylaw. However, most infractions will be dealt with through the issuance of Provincial Infraction Notice (ticket) which carries a set fine amount. The set fine amounts are generally in the low hundreds and is attached to the report. Should Council approve the bylaw, a request to approve the Set Fine amounts will be issued to the Chief Magistrate.

Q. Can you give an example of 'interfering' with a permitted event?

It could range from someone occupying a sports field preventing a permitted game to occur to someone interfering with a special event.

Q. Would that include protests?

Yes. The violation would be for interfering, not protesting.

Tourism info & Engagment:

From STAFF:

Dear Mayor Farbridge and Members of City Council:

As you know, Guelph is a great place to visit. Our community is filled with music, arts and culture events, history and heritage, unique shopping and dining experiences, and outstanding sports and recreation facilities. It is important that the community is well supported and represented by effective Tourism initiatives and programs. This month, in support of Council’s direction regarding a request for proposals (RFP) for Tourism services, the City is hosting a community consultation session:

Wednesday, March 20, 2013
River Run Centre
4-6 p.m.

The purpose of the session is to gather community input to develop a new vision for tourism in Guelph—we’ll focus on what services should be offered and delivered. The feedback will be used to inform the development of a request for proposals to identify a new community partner(s). The City has invited tourism partners, agencies, community organizations, and individuals—people who organize and participate in local and regional tourism activities—to come and share their ideas for promoting Guelph to potential visitors. You are welcome to attend the session and listen to these community discussions first-hand. Please encourage interested folks to come out and participate.

After considering all proposals, staff will report its findings to City Council and make a recommendation regarding the provision of Tourism Services in Guelph. Until then, the City's Tourism Services department will continue promoting Guelph to visitors using promotional tools and activities which do not incur any additional costs for the corporation.

If you have any questions about the community consultation session, please contact me directly.

Best wishes. Colleen

Colleen Bell, Executive Director
Community & Social Services,
City of Guelph

Possible Meeting Changes for 2013:

Good day Members of Council, a few scheduling related notices for your information.

Scheduling Tentative 2014 Budget Dates
Potential dates relating to the approval of the 2014 budget have been tentatively set and will be scheduled for specific dates in October, November and December 2013. These dates are being tentatively scheduled now in order to avoid any future potential conflicts. Finance is planning to bring forward further information to Council regarding the 2014 budget process this spring.

Rescheduling PBEE and OTES
Starting in May and carrying through for the remainder of 2013, PBEE and OTES meetings will be rescheduled from the 3rd week of each month to either the 1st or 2nd week (meeting times will remain the same). This change is being brought forward in order to realize some efficiencies with respect to our agenda production schedule which will allow us to better consolidate agenda related information for distribution to Council. It also complements our existing practice of publishing agendas a week sooner than last year by allowing us to similarly back up the addendum production cycle so that Council can receive addendums a week prior to the meeting (versus the same day). In order to effect this latter change a report and by-law amendment recommendation will be brought forward to Council on April 29. As this will also result in backing up the addendum submission and delegate registration deadline we will ensure that there is ample and detailed external communication in place to advise potential delegates accordingly.

Meeting invites related to these scheduling changes should be going out prior to the end of next week.
Regards,
Blair Labelle | City Clerk

Some Info on Audit & Internal Audit:

Posted March 13th, 2013

There have been a few questions sent my way about audit. Here is some info for you:

I am the chair of audit. Within that role I don’t have the luxury of saying I don’t want to audit something that I might not have agreed with in the first place. It’s my role to see if the right risk management, staff/management responses to our external auditor concerns, proper oversight etc... are being done. Through this lens, as chair, I can say that these oversights are being done very well. However, we can always do better.

I ran for that position, needing to be elected by council as chair of audit. Yes, no-one else stepped forward to challenge the post, but it was not an appointment.

Our new internal auditor is amazing. She really is. Since becoming chair, council has now increased the work, scope and times that we meet throughout the year as I too felt that we needed to be meeting more. Rubber stamping and short meetings are not occurring I can assure you of that.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Q: Does internal auditor Loretta Alonzo report her investigations to the external auditor or to the Chief Financial Officer?

A. Her mandate, reporting role and terms of reference, (all public documents) state she reports to audit. Her independence is paramount. And as chair, I can tell you that she does exactly that. But please take a look at this link:

http://www.guelph.ca/uploads/Council_and_Committees/Audit/audit_agenda_101612.pdf

Q. As an employee of the city, which master does she serve?

A. She serves at the direction and/or will of the audit committee and then council as a whole.

Q. Is it true that the external auditors do not audit spending less than $600,000 as part of their job description. That leaves a lot of spending that is never audited.

A. The suggestion that "Deloitte does not audit anything under $600,000 for the city" is incorrect. Deloitte (as do most external auditors) use a % random sampling technique based on materiality to focus their audit work. Once the entities are derived through this lens, Deloitte will drill down as far into the accounts and transactions as they feel necessary to satisfy their assessment that the appropriate level of risk and internal controls are in place. There is no threshold for how far Deloitte will go down to complete this assessment to their satisfaction. Any uncorrected adjustments from staff or management could be brought to audit committee. But with the C.A.S (Canadian Auditing Standards) it is practice to only show anything to the audit committee of $300,000 or more. Again, this doesn’t mean they ignore things under $300,000. For example, if they found a $500 bill not correctly noted in the right column, they would take that matter to management to have corrected. Having Deloitte come to the committee and report on all of these (minor) issues would not be a good use of our time. I had a conversation once with our external auditor and in his words “We’ll start at the first dollar and work up from there. Or drill down to the last dollar to make sure it’s correct”.

Q. Is it true that the reserves have been raided and are under funded?

A. Yes, some reserves were raided (which many I voted against) and some are/were under funded. But over the past two years our reserves have steadily been moving upward. I’m hopeful, as I’m sure you are, that this trend continues.

Q. Is Money moved around from account to account to accommodate the administration’s proliferate spending?

A. I have not seen this, if there is proof of such I would be more than happy to investigate.

Q. Six years after her election, Mayor, Karen Farbridge decided it’s time to hire an internal auditor. Is this is a political move designed to make her administration appear it’s looking after business?

A. An internal auditor should have been hired a long time ago. But we have one now, which I voted for.

Q. The next question is when does the public hear about the work of Ms. Alonzo?

A. Ms. Alonzo and I have weekly conversations and/or meetings. She comes forward a minimum of 5 times a year to report to the audit committee. These are public meetings and anyone can come and be a delegate, send in their thoughts to the city clerk or contact me to discuss anything. She has many audits to do this year. This is all outlined in the last audit meeting report that’s available here:

http://www.guelph.ca/uploads/Council_and_Committees/Audit/audit_agenda_021313.pdf

You and your readers will be pleased to know that at our last meeting, our committee passed a motion (not originally from staff), to have our internal auditor report back to us in April of potential further “value for money” audits. This passed unanimously.

Thank you for allowing me the time to answer your questions and I’m always available to discuss more if you or your readers want to get a hold of me. www.ward4news.ca

Take care,

Cam Guthrie

City Media Release re: Plantings

GUELPH, ON, March 13, 2013 – The City has prepared its 2013 horticulture planting roster and developed a plan to address reductions to or the elimination of horticulture displays across the city.
This follows Council’s decision to reduce city-wide plantings of shrubs and flowers by 20 per cent or $50,000, bringing the total shrub and flower bed budget to $198,340. The decision was made last December during the 2013 budget deliberations.
To achieve the 2013 budget reduction the City will eliminate four seasonal summer positions and 23 displays from this year’s planting locations.
“The City carefully reviewed all planting locations to determine how to keep Guelph looking beautiful, while reducing the number of shrubs and flowers,” says Karen Sabzali, manager of Parks and Open Space.
In identifying the locations for removal, staff considered the following key factors:
•   Open spaces frequented by Guelph residents and tourists
•   Plant competition—trees and other poor growing conditions competing with horticulture displays
•   Mature plants due for rejuvenation/removal
•   Staffing resource efficiencies
•   Horticultural displays funded by other sources
Read the complete list of 2013 planting locations, including sites affected by the reduction.
Staff will report on the impacts of the 20 per cent reduction to the Community and Social Services Committee this fall.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Karen Sabzali
Manager, Parks and Open Space
Community and Social Services
T 519-822-1260 x 2664
E karen.sabzali@guelph.ca

Walmart Transit Info:

March 13th, 2013

Wal-Mart bus service:

Transit moved the stops from Wal-Mart property to on-street on Woodlawn Ave on February 3rd. The reasons why the change was made was to create benefits related to system performance. Riders can still use the Community Bus which picks up/drops off at the front door of Wal-Mart if need be.

Thank you,

Cam

2013 Clean and Green Event Info:

March 13th, 2013

Good Afternoon,

This email is just to inform everyone that the 2013 Clean and Green Event will be held on April 20th.

Cleaning and collection will take place from 8:30 am to 11:30 am; to be followed by a volunteer appreciation barbeque at Riverside Park (large red picnic shelter) from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm.

Registration for event participants will open on March 18th and close on April 12th.
Registration can be completed online at guelph.ca or by calling 519-837-5628 x3305.

STAFF

The Hip Concert is Still a GO!

From Staff: Feb 8th, 2013 @ 11:30am

Tonight’s Tragically Hip concert will go on

GUELPH, ON, February 8, 2013 – Tonight’s sold-out Tragically Hip concert with special guest Arkells is going ahead as planned.
As scheduled, doors will open at 7 p.m. with the concert starting at 8 p.m.
“The show set up is progressing well and we are anticipating a fabulous show this evening,” says Rich Grau, facility manager at the Sleeman Centre where the concert is taking place.
With Guelph Transit buses operating and the weather expected to improve throughout the day, no ticket refunds will be issued.
For fans still looking to get their hands on tickets, Grau says it is possible some extra tickets will be released to the public after 1 p.m. today. Fans should visit ticketmaster.ca or call the Sleeman Centre Box Office at 519-837-5630.

Thanks!

Cam

Storm UPDATE! Feb 8th, 2013:

Good morning everyone;

The storm centre has passed us and we expect the snowfall to begin to taper off by 2;00pm and end by 7:00pm. The accumulation depth has reached and will surpass the 10cm accumulation threshold to initiate a residential street plow-out. The residential street plow-out as been scheduled to begin at 4:00pm this afternoon.

Further details on the polw-out and logistics to address cleanup to follow.

STAFF

New Governance Info:

Interesting read and attached docuement for your reading pleasure:

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

CHART FOUND HERE: Copy_of_Committee_Structure_Other_Practices2.pdf

Mayor Farbridge and Members of Guelph City Council,

As requested, please find attached other practice information regarding Standing Committees of Council. Twelve municipalities in total were contacted from the Council approved comparator list with the following questions:

Does your municipality have a Committee of the Whole or a Standing Committee structure in place?

If a Standing Committee Structure is in place, what is the Council composition? How are Council members distributed?
For Councillors who are not on a particular Standing Committee, how do they participate in the work of the Standing Committee?
Do other cities with Standing Committees have a Deputy Chair position?

Summary findings include:

Either a Standing Committee Structure or mix of Standing Committee/Committee of the Whole structure is standard practice.
Having a Vice Chair for Council Standing Committees is commonplace.
Standing Committee Chair appointment is usually for a period of one year to allow all Councillors to participate actively; two year appointments are not uncommon i.e. Barrie.
Visiting Councillors to Standing Committees participate through the Committee Chair and at the Chair’s discretion but rarely address staff directly.
In some cases, Visiting Council members sit at the Standing Committee table while in others, they sit with the observing public and approach the Committee with any comments or questions before delegations. This follows Committee debate and discussion on a topic.
Procedural by-laws detail approved practices regarding Member conduct at Committee meetings. This information is introduced during Council orientation and reviewed as required.

At the City of Guelph, Sec.10.3 of the procedural by-law is clear that any member (of Council) needs to be recognized by the Chair prior to posing a question (to another member, staff, the Chair, etc.).

Sec.10 Conduct of Members

10.3 Every Member desiring to speak, shall raise his or her hand so as to be recognized by the Mayor or Chair.

21.6 Non Committee Member Participation at Meetings

(a) Members of Council who are not Committee Members may attend both Open and Closed Meetings. They may ask questions for clarification, but shall not enter into debate.

(b) A Chair of a Standing Committee shall recognize Standing Committee Members prior to Non Standing Committee Members.

(c) All Non Members of the Standing Committee may ask questions regarding an issue for no more than 5 minutes (cumulative).

Should you require further information or have questions of clarification on the attached research data, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

Ann Pappert

Chief Administrative Officer

Attachment: Council Committee Structure - Other Practice Information

10 Questions to Ask a Transit Planner!

Click HERE

Thanks,

Cam

Transit Advisory Feb 8th, 2013:

Guelph Transit Service Advisory

Guelph Transit is running base conventional service (routes 1 to 16, and 20) as well as north and south community buses.

The University Express routes are not running today as the University of Guelph is closed.

Limited mobility services will be provided today, for medical appointments only. Discretionary trips will be rescheduled.

Delays are expected due to severe winter weather. Please plan your trip accordingly and give yourself extra time to travel to your destination.

City of Guelph Seeks Leave to Appeal for Quarry:

City will seek leave to appeal Dolime permit to take water

The City of Guelph will seek leave to appeal River Valley Developments Inc.’s latest amended permit to take water, as posted on the Environmental Registry by the Ministry of Environment on January 28. City Council directed staff to proceed with the leave to appeal at its meeting this evening.
The City has long maintained that River Valley Developments Inc.’s excavation and water-taking at its Dolime quarry—located at Wellington Road and the Hanlon Expressway—has the potential to impact the quality and quantity of Guelph’s municipal water supply system, now or in the future.
The City has been clear in its concerns regarding the amended permit. Concerns are based on the fact that increased pumping above historical levels at the quarry will impact water quantity available at some of the City’s municipal wells. The City is calling for a limit at the current pumping rate; a long-term management plan for the quarry; an effective monitoring program; and financial assurances to ensure the quarry owner—rather than Guelph ratepayers—pay for long-term mitigation costs related to its operation.
Under the Environmental Bill of Rights the City has 15 days within which it can notify the Environmental Review Tribunal of Ontario of its intent to seek leave to appeal. If the leave application is successful, the City will be granted the right to participate in a hearing on the matter.

Article from Guelph Mercury today is found HERE.

Info About Long Term Beds:

Feb 1st, 2013: From Staff

I am writing to update you with information we have received from Liz Sandal’s office in response a line on page 3 of the information report:” the province has not increased the number of LTC beds since 1999”. I would like to further clarify that statement by noting. There has not be a planned study, or a legally defined process to add additional beds. However since 2003, 288 new beds have been placed in Guelph and an additional 85 beds have been redeveloped. The Local Health Integration Network continues to evaluate needs ensuring that resources are available .Further details:

LTC Bed Fact Sheet:

In 2003, the Guelph area had 379 Long-Term Care beds. Of these, 229 LTC beds (at the Elliott and St. Joseph’s Health Care Centre) have been redeveloped to modern standards.

At this point, Guelph was clearly “under-bedded”. Since October 2003, the number of LTC beds has significantly increased.

December 2003 – 96 LTC beds open at Riverside Glen

August 2007 – Funding for the construction of 288 new beds in Guelph announced.
– Successful applicants were: St. Joseph’s Health Centre – 96 beds
Extendicare – 192 beds

2008/2009 – Extendicare withdrew from contract
– Extendicare’s beds were offered to current Guelph LTC providers. Riverside Glen accepted 96 beds. The City of Guelph, which holds the Elliott’s capital debt, did not accept new beds at the Elliott, and the remaining 96 beds were transferred to Cambridge.

November 2010 – 96 additional LTC beds officially open at St. Joseph Health Centre

April 2011 – 96 additional LTC beds open at Riverside Glen

Quick Facts:

New beds in Guelph since October 2003: 288

Redeveloped LTC beds in Guelph: 229

Total LTC beds in Guelph area in 2013: 667

New LTC beds in Ontario since October 2003: 9,207

Redeveloped LTC beds in Ontario since October 2003: 11,315

For more information, please contact:

Colleen Hogan
Office of Liz Sandals, MPP
(519) 836-4190

Should Councillors Be Full Time?

The Below Poll is from the Guelph Mercury Website currently!

Poll

Would Guelph be better served if it had full-time city councillors? (This is not a scientific survey.)

View Results

Transit Complaint Info 2011-2012:

Additional Info for Transit Issues:

Transit have a customer service contact database where they track contacts in one of twelve categories. Contacts include e-mails, telephone calls, letters and visits in-person. Here's the following data comparing activity in 2011 and 2012.

                                                                                               # of                        # of
                                                                                           contacts               complaints
* Monthly Average – Last six months of 2011                         700                          70
* Monthly Average – First six months of 2012                    1,400                         350
* Monthly Average – Last six months of 2012                         850                         100

To put some additional context on the complaint issue, transit staff receive on average 0.25 complaints per 1,000 riders or 1 complaint for every 4,000 riders. Various functions across our organization were involved in responding to inquiries/complaints depending on the nature, and staff made best efforts to respond in a timely fashion.

Staff will continue to monitor the volume of contacts/complaints after the service/route changes are made this coming Sunday.

Thanks.

Cam

Feb 1st "Items of Information" TRANSIT!

REPORTS on TRANSIT IMPACTS

1. Resource Impacts of February Service Change

ITEMS AVAILABLE IN THE CLERK’S OFFICE

1. Grand River Conservation Authority – 2013 Preliminary Budget and notice of Annual General Meeting to be held February 28, 2013 to consider the budget and General Municipal Levy.

Thanks,

Cam

City Councillors Going Full Time?

Interesting opinion piece from Guelph Mercury today: Click HERE!

Feb 1st, Winter Control Update:

From: Staff
Sent: Friday, February 01, 2013 08:30 AM
To: Councillors & Mayor
Subject: Status update February 1, 2013

Good morning everyone;
Just me again with another brief summary of our activities for your use and information.
There are no weather systems currently affecting our area. What we are experiencing are snow squalls off the Great Lakes due to the winds and cold temperatures. The squalls are hit and miss and therefore unpredictable. We are anticipating this weather to continue through the weekend followed by a Colorado low approaching which should arrive Sunday or Monday. That system may deliver up to 10cm of snow, but it is still too early to know for sure. We will continue to monitor and respond accordingly.
Status;
Roads staff have been out in full force with full compliment overnight and into this morning servicing the arterial and collector, (which include the bus routes). Although the roads are a bit greasy currently, they are driveable and improving as traffic volume activity enhance the salt activation.
We have the sidewalk plows out on the main runs only (high pedestrian volume areas serviced at 4cm accumulation) as well as hand crews addressing the city owned steps and crosswalks.
Downtown crews are active on Transit Terminal and Civic Square and downtown sidewalks and city owned parking lots.
Parks crews are active on parks infrastructure and Rec. Facilities.
Updates will be provided as conditions or status requires.
Please drive safely and have a great weekend.

Thanks.

City Storm Control Update:

From: Staff
Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2013 10:05 PM
To: Councillors & Mayor

Subject: winter control activity January 31, 2013

Good evening Madam Mayor and City Councillors;
As we approach the end of January, and almost the midpoint of this winter season, I would like to provide you with continued updates on our winter control activities as they develop.
A sharp cold front is approaching this evening. It is expected to arrive around 4:00am, dropping temperatures significantly in its wake. The event will be preceded by rain and drizzle which will convert to snow as the transition occurs.
Public Works crews have prepared the fleet for deployment in preparation for the “flash freeze” and accompanying snow which will result. We do not expect very much accumulation, but slippery conditions, none the less. In preparation for this, we will begin preparing the roads beginning at 11:00pm in order to achieve pre-salted condition of arterial and collector roads by morning rush hour.
Further updates will be issued as necessary.
Please drive safely.

Email #2

From: Staff
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2013 10:04 AM
To: Councillors & Mayor
Subject: Storm Event Update January 31, 2013

Good morning everyone;
Just a short update to let you know that our roads crews are still out tending to the conditions to maintain what we set out to accomplish last night. The snow squalls which are scattered and intermittent are still producing whiteout conditions at times. In general, all arterial and collector roads are in good condition. Our crews will continue to monitor and address conditions as they change or develop.
Further updates will follow as conditions warrant.

Thanks.

City Clerk Info on 2012 Meetings:

January 29th, 2013

Good day, the following are meeting statistics from 2012 for your information. This data was also communicated by way of a ‘Green Sheet’ Information Report on January 18, 2013.

Council Meetings
In 2012, there were 37 Council meetings totalling 94 hours of meeting time. In conjunction with these meetings, there were 29 closed sessions held totalling an additional 40 hours of meeting time. In total, Council was in session 134 hours last year.

Special Council Meetings
Of the 37 Council meetings, 16 were Special Meetings. Of the 16 Special Meetings, 10 were focused on the 2013 budget (amounting to 26 hours of meeting time) and 6 were designated as specialized workshops (amounting to 24.5 hours of meeting time).

Standing Committee Meetings
There were also 53 Standing Committee meetings totalling just over 72 hours of meeting time (inclusive of that which was held in closed session).

Summary
Overall, there were 90 meetings held last year totalling 206 hours of meeting time.

Regards,

Blair Labelle | City Clerk
City Clerk’s Office | Corporate and Human Resources
City of Guelph

Phone 519-822-1260 x2232 | Cell 519-803-4474
Fax 519-763-1269 | E-mail blair.labelle@guelph.ca

Note from Staff on Feb Transit Changes:

Email Sent from STAFF:

We have prepared for your information a summary of the service and route changes to be implemented on February 3. The key elements of the changes are provided below.

Service Model Changes

Peak service in both the AM and PM will shift from 15 minutes to 20 minutes. This service change will provide additional travel time to deal with the various issues detailed in the December 17th Council Report that negatively impact Guelph Transit’s on-street performance.

Service in the off-peak periods will remain at today’s level of 30 minutes. Off-peak periods include late morning/mid-day, evenings and weekends.

All day base level service will be established on Route 20. Field experience has shown that shift start and finish times for employees in the northwest industrial area of the City are “around the clock”, and that by not providing transit service during certain periods of the day it is causing hardship for a number of enterprises and employees in that area of the City.

Route Changes

The route changes for February 3rd were developed in collaboration with ATU through the Planning Committee which is comprised of two operators and two management staff. I have included for your information an electronic copy of the updated route maps. I can also provide a hard copy of the material if that is more convenient for you – please let me know if you would like a paper copy.

Route 13 – The route will be adjusted to travel on Eastview, turning right on Starwood, right on Watt and then returning to the original route. This change provides additional coverage and responds to feedback from the local community.

Route 5/Route 16 – The changes to these routes will provide better utilization of resources and provide additional capacity to riders in the area of Gosling Gardens and Clairfields. The changes will also significantly improve on-time performance for Route 5. Route 16 will remain on the west side of Gordon in the south end and serve Gosling Gardens and Clairfields. Route 5 will remain on the east side of Gordon in the south end and serve Farley, Pine Ridge and Lowes.

Route 2 A/B and Route 3 A/B – These routes currently enter SmartCentres Guelph and load and off-load passengers on property. This routing has a significant impact on schedule adherence due to the distance travelled in mixed traffic on SmartCentres Guelph property as well as the requirement for two of the routes to turn left on Woodlawn leaving the property. The stops for these routes will be moved on-street in February. The stops both westbound and eastbound will be located after the main entrance to SmartCentres Guelph on Woodlawn. The on-property bays will still be used for layovers during certain periods of the day but all loading/off-loading will occur on-street.

Route 12 – Service was removed from the Delaware/Montana portion of the route during the construction on Speedvale. This change in service was made permanent when Speedvale reopened and the revised routing will remain in effect when the February changes are made.

Route 9 – This route currently is one of the worst performing routes in terms of on-time performance. To improve performance, the West End Recreation Centre (WERC) coverage will be transferred to another route and Route 9 will travel on Stephanie to Imperial rather than using Elmira and West Acres. We will continue to assess the optimal routing to serve WERC and this area of the City as the road network and commercial properties continue to develop in the west end.

Route 10 – This route will serve the WERC starting in February. To accommodate the additional stop/distance travelled, the inbound leg will travel directly on Paisley and not serve the existing stops on Imperial and Stephanie.

Staff believe that the changes listed above will provide an acceptable level of service and coverage and will allow Guelph Transit vehicles to make connections at the two main hubs during all periods of the day. We will be closely monitoring the changes when implemented and assessing the impact on improved on-time performance and connections.

A communications plan has been developed and is being implemented to support the change to transit schedules and minor route changes. The plan aims to inform riders of the changes so they can continue to use transit services without disruption, and to inform residents directly affected by route changes. Tactical elements of the plan include, but are not limited to: updated route brochures and maps; updated information on guelph.ca; posters on buses; updated sign-post inserts; print advertising; a media release; and letters to affected residents.

Ubacon VS Guelph Court Case:

Please see articles from Guelph Mercury below:

Article on Guelph Transit Changes:

Click here: http://www.guelphmercury.com/news/local/article/874996--guelph-transit-making-route-and-service-changes-feb-3

Guelph on National List of Government Waste:

Article found HERE

A List Not to Be Proud Of:

http://www.guelphmercury.com/opinion/columns/article/871589--jury-of-one-one-list-the-city-not-proud-to-be-on

New Mobile Stage Donated to City of Guelph:

New mobile stage to help animate Market Square

Mayor announces joint donation by Macquarie Group and Mactaggart Family

January 12, 2013, Guelph, ON – Today, Mayor Karen Farbridge announced the donation of a multi-purpose and accessible mobile stage for Market Square. The joint donation was made by the Macquarie Group and Mactaggart family.

Mayor Farbridge thanked the donors during her second annual New Year’s levee at City Hall.

“Market Square is a welcoming place for all people and this generous gift will help to bring families and neighbours together,” she noted.

Moments earlier, to the delight of the crowd, children’s entertainer, Jack Grunsky, inaugurated the new stage with a lively toe-tapping mini-concert.

“We’re pleased for the opportunity to help animate Market Square with events, activities, and performances for the benefit of the entire community,” said Earl Evans, CEO and head of Macquarie Private Wealth. “This donation is another example of how Macquarie works to support and improve the communities around the world in which we operate.”

Will Mactaggart added, ““Our family is thrilled to see that Market Square has become a lively public gathering space and we’re pleased to extend our support through the Mactaggart Family Fund to further contribute to the wellbeing of our community.”

The Mactaggart Family Fund is administered by the Guelph Community Foundation. Home to more than 100 funds, the Foundatiobuilds endowments to provide lasting support for local priorities.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Ella Pauls

Manager of Cultural Development

Culture and Tourism

T 518-822-1260 x 2589

E ella.pauls@guelph.ca

Repair Costs to Ingram Home:

From city Staff:

Councilor Van Hellemond had asked me several weeks ago if I could summarize what we’ve spent over the last five years on maintenance at this property.

Please find attached a list of purchase orders issued for work done by outside contractors. Details include vendor names, dollar value of the PO, and a brief description of the work. Please note that some of the PO’s were issued for work done on more than one property and the largest PO was issued for consulting services related to investigation of the existing condition and projected cost of refurbishing the building. Total amount spent is shown at the bottom of the ‘Total Amount’ column. $34,476.

Should you require further clarification please contact me at your earliest convenience.

Mario Petricevic, CET

General Manager, Corporate Building Maintenance

City of Guelph

T 519 822 1260 x2668

Become a Part of Design Teams:

From City staff:January 16th, 2013

Good Morning,

Here is the invitation we will be distributing to invite people’s participation in the next phase of the Community Wellbeing Initiative. This phase focuses on action planning based on the engagement results. People are asked to join discussions and planning on domain specific, design teams. In the next few weeks you will be receiving an information report on the engagement phase. Please feel free to join a design team, and distribute through your networks.

Great cities need great people... like you.

So far, you’ve shared how you feel about the quality life in Guelph and told us how you think we can work together to improve the well-being of people, neighbourhoods and the city as a whole.

Now you can help us create Guelph’s Community Wellbeing Plan.

Join a Design Team

Choose a subject that matters to you. Eight different design teams will meet, set goals and make plans to improve Guelph’s quality of life in terms of community vitality, democratic engagement, environment, education, time use, health, leisure and culture and living standards.

Design Team	Meeting Date	Meeting Times	Meeting Location	Address
Time Use	February 6^th, 2013	11am-2pm	West End Community Centre	21 Imperial Road South
Leisure & Culture	February 11^th, 2013	6pm-9pm	Guelph Youth Music Centre	75 Cardigan Street
Community Vitality	February 12^th, 2013	11am-2pm	New Life Christian Reformed Church	400 Victoria Road North
Living Standards	February 14^th, 2013	11am-2pm	Guelph Civic Museum	52 Norfolk Street
Healthy Populations	February 20^th, 2013	5:30pm-8:30pm	Guelph Community Health Centre	176 Wyndham Street North
Environment	February 26^th, 2013	11am-2pm	Clair Road Emergency Services Centre	160 Clair Road West
Education	February 26^th, 2013	6pm-9pm	Guelph Civic Museum	52 Norfolk Street
Democratic Engagement	February 28^th, 2013	6pm-9pm	City Hall	1 Carden Street

Please use this link to register for any of the Design Team meetings http://www.eventbrite.ca/event/4043931508

A participant package will be sent out prior to the event.

About the Guelph Community Wellbeing Initiative

Using the Canadian Index of Wellbeing, the City and its partners are measuring Guelph’s quality of life and developing a shared vision for Guelph’s future so the City and its partners can make better decisions, improve programs and policies, and create a community where life can be lived to the fullest.

*Please forward to your networks and those who may be interested*

If you are unable to attend but are interested in finding out more please contact:

Louise Daw

Project Manager

T 519-822-1260 x 6521

E louise.daw@guelph.ca

guelphwellbeing.ca

Barbara Powell |General Manager of Community Engagement
Community Engagement and Social Services Liaison

Community and Social Services
City of Guelph

T 519-822-1260 x2675| F 519-763-9240

E barbara.powell@guelph.ca

guelphwellbeing.ca

City of Guelph Union Collective Agreements:

Info:

CUPE Contracts expire January 31, 2016

OPSEU Contract (Ambulance) expires March 31, 2015

ATU Contract (Transit) expires June 30, 2013-01-16

GPPFA Contract (Fire) expired December 31, 2012

Thank you,

Cam

2013 Guelph Transit Changes:

2013 Transit Changes:

Mayor Farbridge and Councillors,

We have prepared for your information a summary of the service and route changes to be implemented on February 3. The key elements of the changes are provided below.

Service Model Changes

Peak service in both the AM and PM will shift from 15 minutes to 20 minutes. This service change will provide additional travel time to deal with the various issues detailed in the December 17^th Council Report that negatively impact Guelph Transit’s on-street performance.

Service in the off-peak periods will remain at today’s level of 30 minutes. Off-peak periods include late morning/mid-day, evenings and weekends.

All day base level service will be established on Route 20. Field experience has shown that shift start and finish times for employees in the northwest industrial area of the City are “around the clock”, and that by not providing transit service during certain periods of the day it is causing hardship for a number of enterprises and employees in that area of the City.

Route Changes

The route changes for February 3^rd were developed in collaboration with ATU through the Planning Committee which is comprised of two operators and two management staff. I have included for your information an electronic copy of the updated route maps. I can also provide a hard copy of the material if that is more convenient for you - please let me know if you would like a paper copy.

Route 13 - The route will be adjusted to travel on Eastview, turning right on Starwood, right on Watt and then returning to the original route. This change provides additional coverage and responds to feedback from the local community.

Route 5/Route 16 - The changes to these routes will provide better utilization of resources and provide additional capacity to riders in the area of Gosling Gardens and Clairfields. The changes will also significantly improve on-time performance for Route 5. Route 16 will remain on the west side of Gordon in the south end and serve Gosling Gardens and Clairfields. Route 5 will remain on the east side of Gordon in the south end and serve Farley, Pine Ridge and Lowes.

Route 2 A/B and Route 3 A/B - These routes currently enter SmartCentres Guelph and load and off-load passengers on property. This routing has a significant impact on schedule adherence due to the distance travelled in mixed traffic on SmartCentres Guelph property as well as the requirement for two of the routes to turn left on Woodlawn leaving the property. The stops for these routes will be moved on-street in February. The stops both westbound and eastbound will be located after the main entrance to SmartCentres Guelph on Woodlawn. The on-property bays will still be used for layovers during certain periods of the day but all loading/off-loading will occur on-street.

Route 12 - Service was removed from the Delaware/Montana portion of the route during the construction on Speedvale. This change in service was made permanent when Speedvale reopened and the revised routing will remain in effect when the February changes are made.

Route 9 - This route currently is one of the worst performing routes in terms of on-time performance. To improve performance, the West End Recreation Centre (WERC) coverage will be transferred to another route and Route 9 will travel on Stephanie to Imperial rather than using Elmira and West Acres. We will continue to assess the optimal routing to serve WERC and this area of the City as the road network and commercial properties continue to develop in the west end.

Route 10 - This route will serve the WERC starting in February. To accommodate the additional stop/distance travelled, the inbound leg will travel directly on Paisley and not serve the existing stops on Imperial and Stephanie.

Staff believe that the changes listed above will provide an acceptable level of service and coverage and will allow Guelph Transit vehicles to make connections at the two main hubs during all periods of the day. We will be closely monitoring the changes when implemented and assessing the impact on improved on-time performance and connections. A communications plan has been developed and is being implemented to support the change to transit schedules and minor route changes. The plan aims to inform riders of the changes so they can continue to use transit services without disruption, and to inform residents directly affected by route changes. Tactical elements of the plan include, but are not limited to: updated route brochures and maps; updated information on guelph.ca; posters on buses; updated sign-post inserts; print advertising; a media release; and letters to affected residents.

Thank you for your continued support.

Michael Anders | General Manager

Community Connectivity and Transit
Operations, Transit & Emergency Services

City of Guelph
T 519-822-1260 x 2795 | F 519-822-1322
E michael.anders@guelph.ca

City Seeks Community Input - Long-Term Care:

NEWS RELEASE

Guelph seeks community input on long-term care
City to consider different approaches for long-term care home services

GUELPH, ON, January 17, 2013 – Community members are invited to join the discussion about long-term care during a public forum on Tuesday, January 29 at 4 p.m. at the Evergreen Seniors Community Centre, located at 683 Woolwich Street in Guelph.

The number of seniors needing long-term care is expected to increase in the years ahead and— as one part of Guelph’s Older Adult Strategy, already underway—the City is looking at different approaches to delivering long-term care services.

To ensure Guelph is prepared to meet future demand for local long-term care services, the City plans to review several different approaches using input from community partners, health practitioners, service providers, community members, the County of Wellington, the Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care.

Community members are also invited to share their thoughts about local long-term care by participating in a survey between January 31 and February 20. The survey will ask respondents to express what they feel is most important about a long-term care home, and what role the City should play in this and related health and social services for seniors.

“The feedback we gather from the public forum and the survey will be presented during a special City Council workshop on Tuesday, February 26,” said Barbara Powell, general manager of Guelph’s Community Engagement department. “Using this information, City Council can make an informed decision about Guelph’s preferred option for long-term care home services.”

To register for the forum, or request a printed copy of the survey, community members are asked to contact Beth Bergevin at 519-822-1260 x 2042 or beth.bergevin@guelph.ca.

About Guelph’s long-term care home services
Guelph is committed to building a healthy and safe community where people of all ages enjoy the best possible quality of life, and long-term care home services are an important part of Guelph’s community well-being.

Long-term care homes are governed by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Currently, to meet its legislated requirement to participate in providing local long-term care services, the City of Guelph contributes funds to operate the Wellington Terrace long-term care home in Fergus, Ontario. The facility is owned and operated by the County of Wellington.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Barbara Powell, General Manager
Community Engagement
T 519-822-1260 x 2675
E barbara.powell@guelph.ca

guelph.ca/longtermcare

Council Attendance Records 2012:

Included in this link are the following:

http://guelph.ca/uploads/Council_and_Committees/Information/info_items_011813.pdf

2013 Community Grants
2012 City Councillor Attendance Records (Please be advised, I missed one night, which consisted of 2 meetings. A planning meeting & an in-camera meeting. I took my family to Florida for a vacation.
Long Term Care Sector Background

Thank you,

Cam

Trees for Tots Raises over $20,000!

January 14th, 2013

Since I had a hand, (and a mouth), orchestrating the removal of Christmas tree pickup from the 2013 budget, I felt it only appropriate to help the Trees for Tots Guelph fundraiser to help raise funds for the Children's Foundation.

I had an amazing time.

I drove with a man named Steve who travelled all the way from Rockwood to help. We gathered, with well over a hundred other volunteers, to receive our route and instructions on picking up the trees.

It was an early start on Saturday, about 7:30am but it didn't matter. The room, the atmosphere and the people were all cheery!

As many of you know, I have been working hard since day 1 to find services that the city really doesn't need to be providing. It's been a slow process but we are starting to weed out things like Christmas tree pickup and our amazing community stepped up to tackle 1500 trees and the Children's

Foundation is better for it. Actually, the children are better for it. Actually, the whole community is better for it.

Council saved taxpayers $22,000 this year and the non-profit raised almost $21,000. I can't wait till next year. Can you imagine how much they might raise if all 6,000 are picked up?

The Guelph Mercury has a good editorial about this here: http://www.guelphmercury.com/opinion/editorial/article/866241--picking-up-on-a-cost-cutting-success-story

Here's some pictures I took throughout the morning!

Why Good People Avoid Politics:

This is an edited version of an article someone sent me. Found it to be very very true.

Column: Why good people avoid politics

By Michael Taube, Ottawa Citizen September 21, 2012

You’d think people would admire a high-profile individual who takes a huge pay cut to work in politics for a few years. It doesn’t happen that often and when it does the person risks being repeatedly attacked for having deep pockets, powerful business connections and partisan political beliefs, among other things. Tired of having these activities constantly examined under a microscope, this person calls it a day, heads home — and never returns. This appears to be the story of many.

Many take a pay cut, and are under constant scrutiny since Day 1.
Opposition politicians mock business credentials and the press hounded people at every turn.

Think about it. We’ve always tried to encourage people, both young and old, to give time back to their community. Some people do it in the form of volunteer work, such as a food bank or soup kitchen. Others give charitable donations to groups and causes they believe in. Others build houses for poor families, clean up neighbourhoods, beautify parks, and so on.

Politics is also a form of public service.
It is a way to give back to our communities (by helping make lives better) and our country (by helping make government work better).

Sure, you’re just a small cog in the political machine. But I have more respect for people who try to make a difference in politics than for those who constantly complain and do absolutely nothing about it.

But after the scrutiny many have faced, what prominent individual in their right mind — of any political stripe — would ever want to get into politics?

They have to make a huge sacrifice in terms of giving up plum jobs and serious money, and making significant changes to their work, family and lifestyle. And for what? To be ridiculed, condemned and mocked for making an honourable decision to play by the rules and help this country (city), even for a short period of time.

Welcome to Guelph Ti-Cats!

Very exciting news. I want to welcome the die-hard Ti-cats fans to Guelph next year. As a fan myself, I know that the University, the Ti-cats organization and our city will welcome you with open arms. I hope you take the time to visit our wonderful city for more than just a game or two. Check out our downtown! Check out the wonderful hotels and places to eat! Shop till you drop! I'll see you at each game as I'm a season ticket holder myself! Congrats to the University and the Ti-cats for securing a great place to play CFL football in 2013. Welcome!

Cam Guthrie

Message from Bob Young:

Good afternoon Cam ,

Great news! The Tiger-Cats will be playing next season's home games just a short drive from Hamilton.

We've just signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Guelph that would see the Tiger-Cats play our 2013 home games at the home of the Gryphons, Alumni Field. As you know, Guelph is a beautiful city just 17 minutes north of Hamilton's city limits and their Alumni Field is a first class field in a scenic location with great access and ample parking.

Playing at the University of Guelph will be an adventure and 2013 promises to be a season to be remembered! With all the talent coming back to the Ticats coupled with the opening of our brand new stadium in 2014, the next couple of years will be truly historic times in TigerTown.

Much more news will follow soon. In the near future we'll provide additional information about next season, including parking and transportation details.

Most importantly, you're probably wondering about next year's season tickets.

The renewal date for your 2013 season seats is February 8, 2013. However, if you place a 20% refundable deposit on your 2013 seats by the early bird deadline of December 14, you'll pay the same price for your 2013 seats as you did during the final season at Ivor Wynne Stadium.

To renew your seats or ask any further questions, please call your account representative at 905-547-CATS.

I'm looking forward to our 2013 adventure together.

Oskee Wee Wee,

Bob Young
Caretaker, Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Market Square Ice Rink To Open Soon:

Dear Mayor and Council,

Staff are in the process of switching over our interactive water feature facility, here in Market Square, to an outdoor ice rink facility for another fun filled season of public skating. This is year two for the ice rink and we’re anticipating as much excitement and activity as we had last year.

This week and next our staff will be installing the ice dam (red coloured plastic and metal ring), laying out the rubber mats that protect both the interlocking paving stones and patron’s skates, and setting up the skate change area located in the Pavilion. Weather permitting, staff will start to make ice toward the end of next week and hopefully have it ready in time for our first event on November 30th, 2012.

So bring your skates and enjoy the fun on November 30th during the Winter Lights & Music event being hosted jointly by the Downtown Guelph Business Association and the City of Guelph.

Have a great day.

Mario Petricevic, CET
General Manager, Corporate Building Maintenance
City of Guelph

Testimonials About Guelph Waste Centre:

From: Bill Shields
Sent: November 16, 2012 9:39 AM

I received a call from Ravi who advised me that he presented at the Waste Expo in Toronto this week. His presentation was about odour management and he referenced the Guelph composting facility in his presentation. After his presentation he was approached by people from the Ministry of Environment’s Policy Branch. They expressed to Ravi that they were very pleased with the Guelph composting facility and the way things worked out. They are using the Guelph project as a model to show the industry that composting does work in Ontario when engineered and operated using the best available technology.

Ravi further went on to say that he heard a great deal of good comments from attendees about our facility.

Bill Shields | Supervisor, Governance & Compliance
Planning, Building, Engineering and Environment | Solid Waste Resources
City of Guelph

Guelph Can Use Compostable Bags Now:

Good afternoon Mayor Farbridge and Councillors,

I am pleased to inform you the City’s requested amendment to the Organic Waste Processing Facility’s Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA) to allow certified compostable plastic bags within Guelph’s organic waste stream has been approved by the Ministry of the Environment. As a result, we are putting forward a report to PBEE Committee on Monday to request Council’s approval to amend the Waste Management By-law in order for residents to use certified compostable plastic bags to line their green carts.
Please feel free to reference and publish the issue note’s questions and answers section.
If you have any additional questions, please let me know.

Regards,

Dean F. Wyman
General Manager

Questions and answers:
Why did the City seek an amendment to allow the use of compostable plastics bags as a green cart liners?
The City applied to the MOE for permission to collect organic waste in certified compostable plastic bags for three reasons:
•   To offer residents the option to use certified compostable plastic bags as liners in their green carts.
•   To increase opportunities to process organic waste from other Ontario sources currently using certified compostable plastic bags.
•   To use waste collection practices consistent with other municipalities in Ontario.
How are paper liners different from certified compostable plastic bags?
Paper liners break down easily in the composting process whereas certified compostable plastic bags take longer and may leave behind trace amounts of plastic film.

Will the use of certified compostable plastic bags cause odours when processed at the OWPF?
The OWPF is processing plastic bags daily and will continue to do so until 2014, when all residents are using waste carts. The OWPF’s odour control systems are performing optimally and the facility has not experienced odour issues since re-commissioning in February.

Why didn’t the City request the use of compostable plastic bags sooner?
The City has been in negotiations with the Ministry of the Environment to amend the OWPF’s Environmental Compliance Approval since last November, when an Ottawa-based organic processing facility, Orgaworld Canada Ltd., successfully won an appeal for a similar ECA condition.

How will residents learn of this new option to use certified compostable plastic bags as liners in their green carts?
If Council approves the City staff recommended Waste Management Bylaw amendment, a number of communications tactics will be underway to inform residents of their options for lining their green cart, including print ads, information on the City’s website guelph.ca/waste, and through a variety of social media channels.

We're all getting Reports Earlier Soon!

Good Morning,

I am happy to advise you that beginning February 2013, you will receive your Committee/Council meeting packages (i.e. agendas, reports etc) a full week in advance of scheduled meeting dates.

Currently, you receive your packages on Thursday for meetings occurring in the immediate next week. This practice has given you only 1 weekend to review the materials and at best, 1-2 working days to speak directly with staff.

For 2013, while you will still receive packages on Thursday, the meeting package you receive will be 10 days in advance of the scheduled meeting. This will now provide you with 2 full weekends and 5 working days to review the materials and to contact us directly if you have any questions or concerns about the materials ahead of the meeting.

In the coming weeks our City Clerk, Blair Labelle will be providing you with further information about what to expect.

I wish to extend my great thanks to our Executive Team and City Clerk for streamlining our internal processes in order to deliver this change to you.

We hope this is of assistance in your work as Mayor and City Council.

Best regards,

Ann Pappert | Chief Administrative Officer
City of Guelph

My thoughts:

I completely agree with this and welcome it. Big time. The Mayor's comments regarding this are below and I want to share this with you as well as I echo her thoughts:

"The (is) two-fold. One it reflects the desire of members of Council to be as well prepared for meetings as possible. Given work and family commitments and staff schedules, there is often not enough time to follow up on questions in advance of a meeting. The second relates to the limitations that the short time frame places on the participation of members of the public in their local government.
This is a wonderful expression of open government and support for the role of Council."

Mayor

Antenna Being Built in Ward 4:

From Staff:

For your information,

I have approved a 30 metre tower installation for Bell Mobility at the rear of the property located at 367 Woodlawn Road West. This property is located across from Royal Road, north side of Woodlawn. This Telecommunication Tower complies with the City of Guelph Telecommunication Towers and/or Antennas Policy.

Paul Moore |Manager, Permit and Zoning Services
Building Services | Planning, Engineering and Environmental Services
City of Guelph

Guelph Internal Auditor Info:

City’s internal auditor proposes new audit rating system, risk management framework

GUELPH, ON, October 9, 2012 – The City’s first ever internal auditor will propose a new audit-review rating system and enterprise risk management framework during Council’s Governance Committee today.
As part of the City’s new internal audit function, approved in 2011 as part of the 2012 operating budget process, the rating system and methodology would allow for internal audits to be done using best practices and standards already established by the Institute of Internal Auditors, the governing body for the audit profession.
“A new audit-review approach would build on lessons learned in phase one of the service and operational reviews and would give us a strong foundation for future reviews,” says Loretta Alonzo, the City’s internal auditor, adding, “We are now in a position to deliver robust and effective reviews that will provide meaningful findings and recommendations to guide our business decisions.”
She further explains that by prioritizing which City services will form the audit annual work plan, residents can be assured that due diligence and oversight of the public purse is focused on areas of greatest risk and potential savings, efficiencies and service improvements.
“The new audit process would ensure accountability, transparency and engagement, as well as strengthen how the City works, enabling Guelph to prosper in the years ahead.”
The types of audits that may be performed by an internal auditor include: operational, financial, compliance, information systems, special investigations, follow-up audits, and consulting.
Alonzo also explains the process by which City services, programs, or activities are chosen for review is most effective when viewed through a risk-based audit methodology.
The new rating system would prioritize audits using a scoring system based on known risks, budget, date of last review and potential savings opportunities. Internal audit projects would be determined annually through collaboration with the Executive Team and Audit Committee.
A complete a list of ranked and rated services with recommendation for selected audits for 2013 will be considered by the Governance Committee later this fall.
As part of the internal audit function, an enterprise risk management strategy would also be implemented in two phases over a two-year period. Phase one would be corporate-level risk management and phase two would expand to include project risk management. In addition, an enterprise risk management program would assist in decision-making processes that will allocate resources to areas of highest risk.
“By identifying and proactively addressing risks and opportunities, the City improves how it protects the interests of the public. Identifying and managing risk is everyone’s responsibility and is one component of good corporate governance,” says Alonzo.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Loretta Alonzo
Internal Auditor
Office of the Chief Administrative Officer
T 519-822-1260 x 2243
E loretta.alonzo@guelph.ca

Guelph Innovation District Info:

I am pleased to announce the public release of the Draft GID Secondary Plan at the end of this Thursday October 11, 2012, as part of the next PBEE Committee agenda. The report will be formally presented at PBEE Committee on Monday October 15, 2012. The report builds on the vision, principles, objectives and preferred design supported by Council on January 30, 2012 for the District.

Given the interest and size of the draft Secondary Plan, I wanted to inform you that the report and attachments can currently be found on the City’s M drive at \\city.guelph.ca\common$\M_common\PBEECouncil\Reports\2012. The report and attachments will be posted on the City’s website under City Hall/Agendas and Minutes/PBEE tab and on the website for the GID (guelph.ca\innovationdistrict)at the end of this Thursday, October 11, 2012.

This important milestone would not have been reached without your direction and decisions along the way, and the assistance and collaboration of various City Departments, the Province, and numerous public stakeholders and groups.

Feel free to contact me should you have any questions,

Joan Jylanne | Senior Policy Planner
Policy Planning and Urban Design | Planning, Building, Engineering and Environment
City of Guelph

Council Note on 2013 Enterprise Budget:

Oct 9th, 2012:

Mayor & Council:

As most know, the fully self-supported City of Guelph’s Enterprise funded budget consists of the Ontario Building Code (OBC), Water Services, Wastewater Services and Court Services. The 2013 Enterprise Budget includes capital and operating expenditure and revenue estimates for the upcoming year 2013 and capital expenditure estimates for the next nine years 2014-2022 for each of the four departments. The 2013 Enterprise Budget marks the second year in a corporate transition to Service based budgeting in an effort to assist Council and Management in decision-making. It also marks the first year in which multi-year budgets are being provided for all four departments.

The current corporate calendar targets both presentation and approval of the 2013 Enterprise Budget at the City of Guelph Council meeting dated October 24, 2012. However, some interest has been expressed by selected members of Council during previous budget workshops whether these directions could be split – i.e. presentation one night followed by approval another night. There are implications for this which is why Council approval had been recommended on the same night as the presentation and prior to approval of the final tax supported budgets, particularly the latter. The main obstacle being that approval had to occur prior to November 9, 2012 to insure sufficient notification to users respecting Water and Wastewater rate changes effective January 1, 2013. However, subsequent to the Council approved 2012 Corporate Schedule being set there now has been an additional budget workshop date added for November 6, 2012. As such, if Council so desired it could receive the 2013 Enterprise Budget at its meeting of October 24, 2012 and defer approval to November 6, 2012 to consider major issues. This could be effected without adversely impacting the January 1, 2013 rate implementation date or capital early works. Beyond that date would be problematic as staff could speak to if it’s requested.

For the meeting itself, myself, Janet Laird and Mark Amorosi will be providing brief overview presentations on respective components of the recommended 2013 Enterprise Budget and staff will be available to respond to questions or gain further clarification. The presentation slides will be provided by October 17 so will not be part of the comprehensive packages being distributed today.

We look forward to the discussion next October 24, 2012.
Regards,

Albert Horsman, Executive Director and CFO
Finance and Enterprise
City of Guelph

My Question Regarding Market Square Costs:

Hi Cam,

I understand you had a question about the Market Square programming budget. I’ll get this posted to the budget message board so that all of Council has the answer as well, but thought that I’d also forward you the answer directly. This is what we’ll post to the message board:
Question:
What are the costs associated with providing civic hosted events on Market Square?
Answer:
In 2012, the approved budgeted expenses for providing civic hosted events on Market Square are $80,800, with offsetting sponsorship revenues of $11,000 and so the net cost for 2012 is $69,800.

STAFF

Council to Vote on 2013 Enterprise Budget:

NEWS RELEASE

Council to vote on enterprise-funded budgets October 24
Infrastructure renewal and technology upgrades to strengthen City services

GUELPH, ON, October 11, 2012 – On Wednesday, October 24 City Council will discuss proposed investments in infrastructure renewal and technology upgrades to strengthen Guelph’s Water and Wastewater Services, Provincial Court Services and Ontario Building Code Administration.

The proposed 2013 Enterprise-Funded Budget continues to align investments with City’s strategic plan “Our City, Our Future” allowing the City to deliver public services better and build a vibrant future for Guelph.

“Key investments in infrastructure are essential to ensuring a safe and sustainable supply that meets Guelph’s current and future water and wastewater needs,” says Janet Laird, Executive Director of Planning, Building Engineering and Environment.

Guelph Water and Wastewater Services
Guelph’s successful water conservation efforts continue to help the City manage its investments in infrastructure. Smart water use reduces operating costs and helps defer million of dollars in future capital investments to accommodate growth.

Water Services’ proposed $24.6 million operating budget reflects increasing energy costs and contributions to reserve funds to prepare for future infrastructure upgrades as the city continues to grow. The proposed $12.3 million capital budget covers the cost of immediate infrastructure maintenance and new systems to service growth. To meet Provincial wastewater treatment regulations, Guelph is proposing a Wastewater Services operating budget of $26.9 million and a capital budget of $12.4 million next year.

If approved, the following water and wastewater rate changes would take effect on January 1, 2013 to align Guelph’s water billing cycle with Guelph Hydro’s billing program.
Proposed water/wastewater charges
    2012   2013   Change
water volume - $/cubic metre (m3)
    $1.30   $1.38   $0.08
water basic - $/day
    $0.22   $0.24   $0.02
wastewater volume - $/cubic metre (m3)
    $1.41   $1.52   $0.11
wastewater basic - $/day
    $0.30   $0.31   $0.01
average residential annual bill
(200 m3* consumption)   $723   $781   $58 or 8.0%
*estimated average annual volume consumed by a family of three

Guelph’s Provincial Court Services
Improved fine collection systems preserve the integrity of court decisions, and these sentences have positive impacts in our community. Increased fine revenues are reflected in the $3.6 million operating budget. Ongoing building maintenance and upgrades to information technology systems are included in next year’s $77,900 capital budget.

Ontario Building Code Administration
To increase service to residents and businesses, the proposed $2.8 million Ontario Building Code Administration operating budget includes resources to improve how quickly the City processes building permits and inspections. If approved, a proposed capital investment of $71,400 would further enhance service to taxpayers by upgrading Guelph’s integrated electronic building permit, inspection and licensing system over the next three years.

Community members are invited to attend the meeting on October 24, and registered delegations are welcome to address members of City Council. To register as a delegation or to learn more about enterprise-funded operating and capital budgets visit guelph.ca/budget.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Al Horsman
Executive Director/Chief Financial Officer
Finance and Enterprise Services
T 519-822-1260 x 5606
E al.horsman@guelph.ca

Info about Guelph Library:

How does GPL compare re: sq footage to other libraries in the area?

Ontario Public Library sq ft standards can be found from:

►The Southern Ontario Library Services (SOLS) in their publication Making the case for your Library Building Project – c2010 recommends for a building serving 75,001 or more people should have from .8 square feet to 1.25 square feet per capita.

►Guidelines for Rural/Urban Public Library Systems published by Administrators of Rural and Urban Public Libraries of Ontario (ARUPLO), published January 2012 recommends 1 sq. ft. per capita.

With a projected 119,400 sq ft of public library space in 2031, GPL will still be under the recommended sq footage for a community of 175,000 residents. FOR 2031:

GPL total sq ft SOLS standard ARUPLO standard
119,400 Sq ft 140,000sq ft 175,000sq ft

Compostable Bags for Us to Use?

INFORMATION BULLETIN

Residents invited to comment on compostable bags in green carts

GUELPH, ON, October 12 – The City of Guelph is applying to the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) to allow the Organic Waste Processing Facility (OWPF) to accept organic waste collected in certified compostable plastic bags.

The City is phasing out the use of regular plastic bags for organic waste collection, in accordance with the OWPF Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA) issued by the MOE. The ECA does not permit the City to process organic waste in plastic or certified compostable plastic bags due to concerns these bags may create anaerobic pockets in the composting process and create odours.

“To comply with the ECA, Guelph is introducing automated waste collection carts for curbside collection over the next three years,” says Dean Wyman, the General Manager of Solid Waste Resources. “Even as we phase out plastic bags, the facility’s odour control systems are performing well and we have not experienced odour issues since re-commissioning in February.”

In Ontario, 62 per cent of municipalities offering cart-based organic waste collection use compostable bags as liners. The City hopes to offer Guelph residents this same option as it transitions to waste collection carts.

If the MOE agrees to amend the ECA, the City will have more opportunities to generate additional revenue by processing organic waste from other Ontario sources currently using certified compostable plastic bags to line their green carts.

Residents can provide written comment, by October 19, 2012, on the proposed amendment by mail to:

Tesfaye Gebrezghi, P. Engineer
Supervisor, Waste Unit
Environmental Assessment and Approvals Branch
Ministry of Environment
2 St. Clair Avenue West, Floor 12A
Toronto, ON M4V 1L5
Subject: City of Guelph Environmental Compliance Approval (“ECA”) No. A170128

If residents have any questions about the OWPF, please visit guelph.ca/organics or contact Solid Waste Resources at 519-767-0598 or waste@guelph.ca.

--

Better Transit to Upper Wyndham?

INFORMATION REPORT
TO: Operations, Transit & Emergency Services Committee
SERVICE AREA Operations, Transit & Emergency Services
DATE October 15, 2012
SUBJECT Downtown Guelph - Transit
REPORT NUMBER OT101245
BACKGROUND
With the introduction of the Guelph Transit Growth Strategy’s new routes and the Guelph Central Station (GCS), the transit service provided to the downtown community has significantly changed. The new routes were developed after significant public consultation and implemented in January 2012. GCS opened in May 2012 and at that time, Guelph Transit relocated from St. George’s Square after
decades of use.

Shortly after the relocation of Transit from St. George’s Square, staff began to hear from merchants, particularly in the Upper Wyndham Street area, that they were seeing significantly less customer traffic. Their customers allegedly cited the walking distance from GCS as the reason. As part of the new transit route structure, Guelph Transit does not have any routes using Wyndham Street from St.
George’s Square to Trafalgar Square.

REPORT
Staff, in conjunction with Councillors Findlay, Furfaro and Bell have been collaborating with a number of merchants and the Downtown Guelph Board of management to clearly understand the challenges the merchants are facing and to explore possible changes to the transit system that may provide some relief. Background information is contained in Appendix A.

SUMMARY
Purpose of Report:
To advise Committee of recent dialogue between Guelph Transit and the Downtown Guelph Business Association.
Committee Action:
No action required.
While we have been able to take some steps, the impact will from our assessment additional resources will be necessary if Council agrees the transit routes should be changed to place a number of them on upper Wyndham Street.
It is important to acknowledge there is no funding available operating or capital budget to undertake any of these initiatives. In staff’s opinion, even if the funding was made available, the suggested route realignments will not significantly increase customer service nor result in incremental ridership. If any action is to be considered, staff believe establishing a stop for Routes 12 & 13 on Woolwich Street, just south of Trafalgar Square would have the greatest impact from a cost/benefit will cost approximately $25,000 and the loss of approximately 3 parking spaces. Establishing this stop would bring riders to the top of Wyndham Street, eliminating
the need for riders to walk across the Eramosa Road bridge and up the grade to Wyndham Street. This, in conjunction with the stop relocation for routes 2a and 2b would at least position all customers at the top of Wyndham Street significantly reducing walking distances. Staff will submit an expansion package for Council’s consideration during the 2013 Budget deliberations.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

DEPARTMENTAL CONSULTATION
Downtown Renewal Officer was involved in discussions with the Business Association.
COMMUNICATIONS
N/A
ATTACHMENTS
Appendix A – Key Transit Principles and Operational Requirements at Guelph Central Station (GCS)
Prepared By:
Michael Anders, General Manager, Community Connectivity and Transit. Derek McCaughan, Executive Director, Operations, Transit & Emergency Services, Recommended By: Derek McCaughan, Executive Director

Key Transit Principles and Operational Requirements at Guelph Central Station (GCS)
The following information provides some context to the assessment of additional bus service through St.George’s Square:
· GCS opened in May 2012 with the associated movement of Guelph transit hub operations from
St. Georges Square to the new facility. GCS is physically located approximately 250 metres from
Quebec Street.
· GCS bus operations are comprised of a central island platform with a one-way circulation road
on the north and south side leading into and out of the facility. Depending on whether a vehicle
(route) uses the north or south side of the island, the efficient and safe flow of vehicles into/out
of the facility is dictated to either the east or west.
· Guelph Transit utilizes a strategy of interlining which affords passengers travelling through GCS
to other destinations within the community the opportunity not to have to transfer between
routes at the hub. The interlining strategy adds a layer of complexity to the entrance/exit of
vehicles at GCS as buses need to be stationed in the correct position to promote efficient flow.
This is critical in terms of maintaining schedule adherence and minimizing run cycle dwell.
· The location of specific routes at specific platforms at GCS are designed to minimize walking
distances for passengers transferring from one vehicle to continue their journey Safety issues
such as sight lines and pedestrian protection are critical in terms of the routing used by buses to
enter/exit GCS.
· Moving to a 30 minute service frequency as we implemented the Transit Growth Strategy
required Guelph Transit operate on traffic corridors that support the minimization of road and
traffic dwell time. There are 6 traffic signals (2 pedestrian crossings) using Wyndam St. N to
access GCS while there are only 4 traffic signals (2 pedestrian crossings) using Woolwich St. to
access GCS. There is the potential to add 2 minutes to vehicle travel time during peak traffic and
pedestrian periods by using Wyndam St. N. rather than Woolwich St. for routing.
· All curb space not required for the current Guelph Transit operations in St. George’s Square has
been converted into parking spaces to support commercial enterprises in the vicinity of the
Square. Any additional transit traffic and bus stops in St. George’s Square would have an impact
on these new spaces.
Current Guelph Transit Service to St. George’s Square (September 2012)
As of September 2012, the following routes stop in St George’s Square. The selection of routes using St.
George’s Square reflect the transit principles and operating requirements listed above:
· Route 10 – outbound (Quebec Street)
· Community Bus North – outbound (Quebec Street)
· Route 10 – inbound (Wyndham Street)
· Route 11 – inbound (Wyndham Street)
· Route 20 – inbound Wyndham Street)
In addition to the routes going through St. George’s Square, there are a number of bus stops close to the
Square that provide further travel options on additional routes:
· Sleeman Centre stop (inbound) – served by Routes 2A, 3B 12 and 13 (230m to Wyndam N)
· River Run stop (outbound) – served by Routes 2B, 3A, 12, 13 and 20 (300m to Wyndam N)
· Cenotaph stop (outbound) – served by Routes 2B and 3A (105m to Wyndam N)
It should also be noted that the old Perimeter Route was split into bi-directional East and West Loops
with the implementation of the Transit Growth Strategy providing 4 routes that service downtown that
did not previously exist prior to January 2012.
Alternatives to Increase Service Levels for St. George’s Square
Guelph Transit staff have assessed a number of options and alternatives to provide additional service
and/or increase service levels to St. George’s Square and Wyndam St. N. The assessment is summarized
below.
i) Bus Stop Relocation
Staff assessed the feasibility of relocating existing bus stops in the vicinity of the Woolwich/Wyndam/Eramosa intersection to reduce walking distances to the north end of Wyndam St. - the feasibility of two specific locations was undertaken. There was a stop in service at 228 Woolwich St. (Speedy Muffler) which only serviced Route 2A. Staff determined that it was possible to move the stop closer to downtown and relocated it to 160 Woolwich St. during the first week of October 2012. The new location also has the advantage of being able to service Route 3B on the inbound leg and allows a redundant stop to be closed at the corner of Suffolk and Norfolk. This change has significantly reduced walking distances to the north end of Wyndam St. for both these routes and Guelph Transit has already received positive feedback on this change from riders. Staff also assessed the feasibility of locating a bus stop on Woolwich St. just south of the intersection of Woolwich/Wyndam/Eramosa to service Routes 2A, 3B, 12 and 13. Presently, the closest stop for inbound routes 12 and 13 is north of the bridge crossing Eramosa River. There is a significant change ingrade between the roadway and sidewalk along this section of Woolwich. In order to make this stop location accessible, there would have to be major infrastructure installed to allow those using mobility aids to get from the street to the sidewalk. The cost of the required infrastructure is estimated at $25,000. A stop in this location would also require the removal of at least 3 parking spots because the turning radius required for a bus to turn left from Eramosa and get to the curb on Woolwich.
ii) Route Realignment
Staff reviewed the feasibility of rerouting routes 2A, 3B, 12 and 13 so they would use Wyndham St. instead of Woolwich St. This would allow these routes to stop in St. George’s Square on the inbound leg to GCS. The assessment identified 3 main obstacles with this alternative:
a) Unless Transit was provided travel priority through all signals and crossings on Wyndam, run
time would be negatively affected as detailed above and the ability of these routes to get to GCS
on time for transfers would be jeopardized.
b) An additional stop would have to be established at the Post Office which will result in a
significant loss of the new parking spots that were established when Guelph Transit moved to
GCS. An additional stop is required as it is not operationally feasible to have seven routes use
one stop in front of the IF Shoe store.
c) Rerouting Wyndham St. will require the vehicles on these routes to enter GCS by making a
“button hook” turn off MacDonnell to get the vehicles on the required platforms for the
outbound trip. There is an increased risk of an incident between pedestrians and a Guelph
Transit vehicle as this would be a blind turn for the operator. The pedestrian crossing is
currently not signalized at the east end of the terminal.
The cost of the infrastructure to eliminate the issues identified above is in the range of $150,000 to
$200,000. In addition, collateral communication material (routes brochures, info post inserts,
system map etc.) would have to be updates at an estimated cost of $20,000.
Another alternative to providing additional run time to use Wyndam St inbound is to reduce the length
of these routes and eliminate service to the outlying portions of the route. This is not likely an
acceptable solution to any areas of the community that lose direct service, and there would be
significant pushback to establish feeder routes to provide at least some level of service. Each feeder
route would require an additional 3 operators, 1 vehicle and associated operating and maintenance
costs.
iii) Communications
Guelph Transit staff have heard feedback that seniors are saying they cannot get downtown as a result of the implementation the new routes in January. Staff understand that the extensive route revisions have likely been hard for seniors to assimilate and part of the current concern may be a communications issue. Guelph Transit is willing to work with the DGBA, downtown merchants and senior residences to
prepare a program to ensure that these individual have the appropriate information to be able feel comfortable to travel on the new routes. Staff are willing to visit various sites around the City to deliver the program. Staff have begun the initial tasks associated with the preparation of the plan. In addition, staff are examining what improvements to signage at both GCS and St. George’s Square can
be made to assist the travelling public in understanding and accessing travel options between the two locations. Preliminary work indicates that the physical signage can be revised at minimal cost.
iv) Other Options
As an alternative to rerouting service, staff examined the concept of implementing “spider routes” that would interconnect between base routes and have St. George’s Square as the destination. Due to structure of the base system, a “spider route” would be required on both the east and west sides of the Woolwich/Norfolk spine. The implementation of “spider routes” cannot be accommodated within the
existing Guelph Transit resource base and would require an additional vehicle and 3 operators for each route along with the associated operating and maintenance costs. The effectiveness of this option is limited as the additional vehicle could not intersect with many inbound routes. Staff have also assessed the possibility of operating a shuttle using a mobility/conventional bus that would transfer riders between GCS and various points around St. George’s Square and Wyndam St. N. The shuttle could be made available to anyone wanting a ride within a specified area in the downtown core. The shuttle would provide continuous service on a fixed route and hours of service would be
aligned with the operating hours for businesses in the area. Although details on the specific routing need to be defined, it is envisioned that the shuttle would stop at a specific number of locations in throughout the downtown. Additional resources required to implement this type of service are estimated at 2 operators and associated operating, maintenance and possible capital costs for the vehicle.

STAFF

Construction Notice - Laneway

LANEWAY WATERMAIN: (between Clarke Street East to Powell Street East)

This fall, the City of Guelph is proposing to replace the existing watermain in the laneway between Clarke Street East to Powell Street East.

About the project
The City has contracted LVM (a geotechnical firm) to complete a geotechnical study that will assist the City with the watermain design. LVM will be using a drill rig to create boreholes located in the middle of the City owned laneway (not on private property) during the week of October 15, 2012. The City requests your permission to access your property during the drilling process as the drill rig may need to be parked on a portion of your property for an expected period of 2.5 hours.

To allow the City to proceed forward with this work, confirmation of your permission to access your property to undertake the required work is requested by Tuesday, October 16, 2012.

We appreciate your cooperation in assisting the City with the replacement of the existing watermain.

If you have any questions regarding this permission, please contact Majde Qaqish, P.Eng., at 519-837-5604, Ext. 2225.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Majde Qaqish, P.Eng., Project Engineer
Engineering Services, Planning, Building, Engineering and Environment
T 519-822-1260 x 2225
F 519-822-6194
E majde.qaqish@guelph.ca

Some Points About 2013 Guelph Enterprise Budgets:

Email from STAFF:

Regarding the proposed 2013 Enterprise budgets:

1. Why was there a surplus at year end in 2012 in both the Water and Wastewater budgets?
Both budgets experienced a surplus mainly driven by receiving more rate revenue (higher water consumption) than forecast. This surplus was directed to dedicated reserves that can be used in future years to offset expenditure increase and help lower rates.

2. Your past forecasts for rate increases mentioned an approximate 10% increase in future years. Why in 2013 and future years are you now forecasting increases of less than 10%?
In 2013 we have found expenditure reductions and project delays in both the operating and capital budgets, as well as managed reserve contributions, to support the request for an approximate 8% increase. The previous year’s forecast for 2013 was 8.5%. In near future years we have forecast rates based on conservative drivers that take into account stable economic costs and revenue, inflation, and similar levels of legislation. We will be conducting additional studies prior to the 2014 budget to confirm adequate levels of growth and infrastructure replacement funding. These studies may lead to revised future rate forecasts.

Thank you,

STAFF

Public Engagement for "Well Being":

Learn how residents rank Guelph’s quality of life
Survey results to be revealed and discussed at wellbeing forum October 11

GUELPH, ON, Tuesday, October 9 – The City is hosting a wellbeing forum where residents are invited to discuss feedback from Guelph’s wellbeing survey, online and printed comment cards, neighbourhood meetings, local events, Guelph’s first telephone town hall meeting, emails, Facebook comments and Twitter posts.

Attendees are also invited to help the City, and its partners, set priorities and develop action plans to improve programs and policies, as well as increase the wellbeing of people, neighbourhoods and the community as a whole.

“The response has been amazing. We heard from thousands of people across our community, and now we’ll use this input to develop a shared vision for Guelph’s future,” says Barb Powell, General Manger of Community Engagement.

WHAT
Guelph Wellbeing Forum - interactive displays showing how residents rank the quality of life in Guelph in terms of community vitality, democratic engagement, environment, education, time use, health, leisure and culture and living standards.

WHO
Mayor Karen Farbridge
Members of City Council
Bryan Larkin, Guelph Police Chief
Rita Sethi, Director, Community Health, Wellington, Dufferin and Guelph, Public Health Ross Kirkconnell, Executive Director of Guelph Family Health Team

WHERE
River Run Centre
35 Woolwich Street

WHEN
Thursday, October 11

3-5 p.m. The City and its community partners will review community input and develop vision and goals for Guelph’s 10-year Wellbeing Plan.

6-7 p.m. Residents are invited to view interactive displays showing community feedback about the quality of life in Guelph.

7-9 p.m. Residents are welcome to view the presentation and participate in community discussion to set out action plans.

Space is limited, and residents are asked to register for forum sessions by calling 519-822-1260 x 6521 or visiting guelphwellbeing.ca.

About the Guelph Community Wellbeing Initiative
Using the Canadian Index of Wellbeing, the City and its partners are measuring Guelph’s quality of life and developing a shared understanding and vision for Guelph’s future. Learn more about the Canadian Index of Wellbeing here. Through this initiative, the City and its partners also aim to inspire more people to take action and contribute to Guelph’s community wellbeing – creating a healthy and safe community where people can live life to the fullest.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Louise Daw
Project Manager, Guelph Community Wellbeing Initiative
Community Engagement
T 519-822-1260 x 6521
E louise.daw@guelph.ca

Wednesday Farmer's Market Worked!

Guelph Mercury Article:

http://www.guelphmercury.com/news/local/article/813951--wednesday-farmers-market-deemed-a-success

Info on Healthy Landscapes:

Regarding the healthy landscape program:

• The landscape visits program ends on August 30th. Residents can still sign up to receive a visit and receive tips on how to bring back their lawns after this summer’s drought. Also how to overwinter your lawn and garden and what to do now to help your yard survive drought conditions next year.

• Public compliance with Outside Water Use Bylaw has been very good and residents seem to be complying with the bylaw as many lawns were brown this season. But trees and gardens seem to suffer. We offer great tips on how to help your trees and gardens survive a drought and what you should be doing now to save your trees. In level 2 red you can still water trees and gardens every other day.

STAFF

Info on Welcome To Guelph/Service Clubs Signs:

Regarding Service Club Signing at entrance ways to the City:

The on-going maintenance of these signs is a low priority in comparison to other signing activities within the city e.g. replacement/maintenance of regulatory signing; therefore the maintenance may not take place for 2 or more years depending on observed need.

Service clubs pay an annual fee to be on the entrance sign.

Are there new ways that could be considered to provide the same information? Yes, Guelph .ca is a tool that could be considered but we would discuss any change with all of the invested Service Clubs and other users to determine what they believe to be the pros and cons of moving this information to the internet; in addition not all of the public are internet savvy.

Is the “gateway” important as a first impression? Certainly as is all components of what the public sees the first time they enter Guelph, but it is one of many components e.g. the road, signage, landscaping, what the City has to offer in parks, recreation special events etc.

Will we be looking at the Brock Road signage? Yes we will have our staff look at it and determine what is still applicable from a Service Cub signage perspective and if the overall sign is in need of repair etc.

Regards,

STAFF

Transit to Downtown Core?

Provided below is a summary of the issue and the assessment that my staff has recently completed related to the provision of additional transit service in St. George’s Square (the Square).

Guelph Central Station (GCS) opened in May 2012 with the associated movement of Guelph Transit hub operations from the Square to the new facility. The new facility is located approximately 250m from Quebec Street. The direction the vehicles enter the facility and the respective bay allocations reflect the routing and service model developed as part of the Transit Growth Strategy which was implemented in January 2012. At the present time there are 2 outbound and 3 inbound routes that serve the Square.

Businesses on Wyndam N have provided feedback that sales and customer visits have declined since the move of Guelph Transit to GCS and have inquired as to the possibility/feasibility of having additional routes serve the Square in order to assist passengers, primarily seniors, by providing additional travel options and reducing walking distances.

As a starting point in assessing the feasibility of this request, a number of general transit principles and operational requirements of GCS must be outlined to provide some context for the assessment:

•   GCS bus operations are comprised of a central island platform with a one-way circulation road on the north and south side leading into and out of the facility. Depending on whether a vehicle (route) uses the north or south side of the island, the efficient and safe flow of vehicles into/out of the facility is dictated to either the east or west.
•   Guelph Transit utilizes a strategy of interlining which affords passengers the opportunity not to have to transfer between routes at the hub. The interlining strategy complicates the entrance/exit of vehicles at GCS as buses need to be stationed in the correct position to promote efficient flow. This is critical in terms of maintaining schedule adherence and minimizing run cycle dwell.
•   All curb space not required for the current Guelph Transit operations in the Square has been converted into parking spaces to support commercial enterprises in the vicinity of the Square. Any additional transit traffic through the Square could have a negative impact on these new spaces.
•   The location of specific routes at specific platforms at GCS are designed to minimize walking distances and promote efficient transfers at GCS where required.
•   Safety issues such as sight lines and pedestrian protection are critical in terms of the routing used by buses to enter/exit GCS.
•   Moving to a 30 minute service model requires that Guelph Transit operate on traffic corridors that support the minimization of road and traffic dwell time. There are 6 traffic signals (2 pedestrian crossings) using Wyndam N to access GCS while there are only 4 traffic signals (2 pedestrian crossings) using Woolwich to access GCS. There is the potential to add 1 minute or more to travel time during peak traffic and pedestrian periods by using the Wyndam N routing.

Guelph Transit Planning staff undertook a detailed analysis of the existing route structure to determine which routes had any potential for rerouting through the Square. Routes that did not use GCS (i.e. those that served the University Centre only) or exited GCS to the east, west or south were eliminated from further analysis. Routes that could be considered for rerouting through the Square are summarized below:

•   Route 2B - outbound
•   Route 2A - inbound
•   Route 10 - inbound and outbound
•   Route 11 - inbound and outbound
•   Route 13 - inbound
•   Route 3B - inbound
•   Route 20 - inbound and outbound
•   Community Bus North - outbound

The suitability of each of the 11 routes listed above for travelling through the Square were assessed using the transit principles and operating requirements listed previously. Based on the analysis, the following routes can provide service to the Square efficiently and are recommended by staff to form the stop network in the Square:

•   Route 10 - outbound
•   Community Bus North - outbound
•   Route 10 - inbound
•   Route 11 - inbound
•   Route 20 - inbound

In addition, to the routes going through the Square, there are a number of bus stops close to the Square that provide further travel options on additional routes:

•   Sleeman Centre stop - services Routes 2A, 3B 12 and 13 (230m to Wyndam N)
•   River Run stop - serves Routes 2B, 3A, 12, 13 and 20 (300m to Wyndam N)
•   Cenotaph stop - serves Routes 2B and 3A (105m to Wyndam N)

There are other options to reduce walking distance other than routing additional 40 foot conventional transit passes through the Square. One alternative would be to operate a shuttle bus that runs a continuous loop between GCS, the Square and Wyndam N. However, any of these alternatives would require incremental financial resources and would require further discussion with the DGBA and/or be subject to City budget deliberations.

Guelph Transit staff have heard feedback that seniors are saying they cannot get downtown as a result of the implementation the new routes in January. Staff understand that the extensive route revisions have likely been hard for seniors to assimilate and part of the current concern may be a communications issue. Guelph Transit would be pleased to work with the DGBA, downtown merchants and senior residences to prepare a program to ensure that these individual have the appropriate information to be able feel comfortable to travel on the new routes. Staff are willing to visit various sites around the City to deliver the program.

There has also been feedback that the new routing favours shopping at SmartCentre (Wal-Mart) over downtown. The new route system was designed so that SmartCentre is a transit transfer point for Routes 2 and 3, and not an origin/destination stop for the shopping complex. By having split the old Perimeter Route into bi-directional East and West Loops, there are now 4 additional routes that provide service to downtown that did not exist under the old route model.

Best wishes.
STAFF

October GUFF Newsletter:

Students Picture Nature
A photo contest presented by Guelph Urban Forest Friends
and Nature in the Neighbourhood
This exciting joint project between the Guelph Urban Forest Friends (GUFF) and Nature in the Neighbourhood (NitN) aims to encourage young people to get outside, and look at the natural world with a fresh perspective.
See the details at www.guffguelph.ca and let your young people in high school know about this wonderful opportunity.
________________________________________

Save Your Ash Tree
"The cost of not saving Ontario's ash trees"

By Mark Cullen, Ottawa Citizen September 6, 2012

If you could have saved the mature elm trees of Ottawa from the ravages of the Dutch elm disease, would you have done it?
If I offered you the chance to in-vest, say, $1,000 spread over six to eight years (approximately $150/year) in return for $2,000 to $3,000, would you be interested?
If I told you that the oxygen that we breathe every day and the shade that we seek on a hot summer day is at risk of being depleted by up to 10 per cent within the next three to five years and that much of this depletion is completely avoidable, would you be concerned? Would you want to know more?
Only one of these questions is hypothetical and that is the first one.
We lost virtually all of our American elm trees in Eastern Canada in the 1960s and 1970s. There was no risk-free preventive measure that could have been taken at the time that Dutch elm disease moved through our country.
This is not the case for the white, green and black ash trees that pep-per the urban forest, line many of our streets and grace much of the private property. The tree canopy in the National Capital Region is made up of more than 20 per cent ash. There may a nice ash specimen in your yard.
The emerald ash borer is devastating the entire population of ash trees in Ontario. Within three to five years, it is predicted by people who know about these things, that all of our ash trees will be gone. Dead. Ready to be cut down and disposed of.
Ash trees have served us well as a hardwood tree that provides shelter for birds and other wildlife. They convert CO2 into oxygen in the growing season, and due to the fact that they leaf out later than most deciduous trees and drop earlier come autumn, they provide cooling shade in the heat of summer and gently filter warming sunshine into our lives in winter. They are clean, well-shaped landscape plants that are native to our area. No one could dislike an ash.
Unlike the American elm, the ash can be saved.
The popular garden/environ-mental writer and broadcaster Lorraine Johnson has a large 12-inch-caliper ash standing on the street at the front of her home. This past year she paid from her own pocket to have the tree treated with a biologic-al (read: safe) insect control called TreeAzin. It must be administered by a certified professional, not be-cause it is toxic to humans or pets, but it does require some training to administer the liquid by drilling in-to the tree trunk and injecting it with a rather sophisticated syringe.
The good news is that, if you choose to be proactive, you can likely save your ash tree from the emerald ash borer.
Based on Lorraine's experience, you can expect to pay about $225 to $275 for one treatment for a mature ash with a caliper of 35 centimetres measured at 120 centimetres high (approximately chest height). The tree will need to be treated three to four times with TreeAzin: once every couple of years until the bug has moved on. It is predicted that it will move on after it devastates our ash tree population and runs out of food.
The upside of treatment is that you get to keep your ash tree. In return for your investment and trouble, you will not have to pay to remove the existing tree when it is dead (a savings of up to $3,000) and you will not have to replace it (saving up to $500). Not to mention that you will not have to wait 30 to 40 years for the new tree to mature.'
TreeAzin was developed in partnership with the Canadian Forest Service and the private company BioForest Technologies Inc. In the words of Paul Bolan, of Bio Forest: "TreeAzin has no adverse impact to the environment. The active ingredient is azadirachtin, a derivative of the neem tree in Asia."
Bolan adds that the cost of Tree-Azin has been reduced by 30 per cent since it was introduced in 2008, and that with growing demand for the product, lower costs are anticipated in future.
It is refreshing to hear of a new product that goes down in price while demand increases, rather than the other way around.
The City of Ottawa has developed and implemented an aggressive ash-borer management strategy that promotes ash canopy preservation. While city council has no plans to preserve all ash trees on public land, it has recognized the financial and environmental benefits of preserving high-value, healthy ash trees.
We are fortunate in Ontario to have a choice: we can act to minimize the problem of the borer or we can ignore it and let it take its course.
While I admire Ottawa's council for taking bold action to preserve mature ash trees on public land, I urge you to ask your councillor what, exactly, is being done to pre-serve our tree canopy. How many trees are being planted to replace the trees that will inevitably die? What with? What is the role of native trees in replacement?
As private landowners, we need to be looking in our backyards (and front yards) where ash trees may be established and worth saving. Per-haps you own an ash tree that would be cheaper to save than cut down. According to Dr. Sandy Smith, dean of forestry for the University of Toronto, this often is the case.
Consider the costs of replacing the tree and the time that it will take to make a measurably positive impact on your quality of life and your community.
It is my opinion that, when we no longer care about the health and wellness of our mature trees, our cities are on the slippery slope of decline. Our inaction has the making of urban decay, in earnest.
The cities of Cleveland and Detroit no longer have this choice - their ash trees are beyond saving. Take a drive and have a look.
Lorraine Johnson reminds you "buyer beware" when shopping for a professional applicator. There are some contractors who may take ad-vantage of this situation.
When asked what he would recommend, Bolan says: "In short, develop, implement and maintain an EAB management plan based on the most current science available. The study entitled Coalition for Urban Ash Tree Conservation is a good place to start."
Here's a few websites with more information on this issue:
        For more details on TreeAzin and a list of certified applicators, visit www.bioforest.ca.
        Ottawa's injection program: http: // ottawa.ca/en/env_water/tlg/trees/ preservation/eab/injection/index. htm
        A look at where Ash trees are and the city's management plan: http: // ottawa.ca/cs/groups/content/@ webottawa/documents/pdf/mdaw/ mta1/~edisp/cap106603.pdf
        How to identify an Ash tree and the borer: http: //ottawa.ca/en/ env_water/tlg/trees/preservation/ eab/ash/index.html
Mark Cullen appears on Canada AM every Wednesday morning at 8: 40. He is spokesman for Home Hardware Lawn and Garden. Sign up for his free monthly newsletter at www.markcul-len.com.
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

www.guffguelph.ca

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is NOW." Better still, let's care for and preserve the ones we have.

Waste Plant Did Pass Testing:

Staff issued this email to councillors after people alledged that it failed:

Your Worship & Members of Council –
The final source testing report conducted by Dillon Consulting (overseen by MOE staff) was submitted to the MOE by end of day Friday August 31. This was an ECA (Environmental Compliance Approval) requirement. The results of this source testing clearly showed that the OWPF, operating at full design capacity, was not emitting odours greater than the 1.0 odour unit maximum as set out in the ECA.

STAFF

Guelph MPAC Info:

Aren't Increases wonderful?

Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) – Information kit regarding the 2012 assessment update available at www.aboutymyproperty.ca.

By-Law Info:

Monthly meetings between Guelph Police and Bylaw staff to discuss zero tolerance residences:

Staff from Police, Bylaw, Building, EMS, Fire, University of Guelph Off-campus Living and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission meet monthly to review concerns and to address issues that may span across the different agencies.
These meetings have expanded beyond a Police, Bylaw and University meeting to include other agencies and most recently the AGCO. The purpose of these meetings are to address issues in a collaborative approach and that this working relationship have been quite successful.
In regards to the "zero tolerance list", staff review a variety of incidents and set up proactive patrols and while there may be specific addresses that staff are monitoring, staff also monitor non-residential locations where issues have or are anticipated to arise including businesses, park land or other areas. These matters are reviewed by the interagency group and are City wide and not all related to students.
The areas Bylaw staff are proactively monitoring fluctuates from month to month.
In regards to concerns from residences, from a bylaw perspective, noise and parking calls are common, however the type of call may change depending on the time year, for example around Canada Day were see an increase in fireworks calls.
Generally we have 3 to 5 staff members working.

Yours truly,

STAFF

Guelph Long term Care Q&A:

Long-term Care Project:

Background
Q1.   What is a long-term care home?
A1.   A long-term care home (LTCH) is also known as a nursing home or home for the aged. An LTCH is a home for people who require 24-hour nursing services. Eligibility for placement in a LTCH is based on care needs, as determined and arranged by Community Care Access Centres (CCACs). Placements are determined on the level of need for care in a home (being in a hospital bed and not needing acute care is deemed to be the highest priority level). The actual placement (e.g., timing and location) is also dependent on the availability of a bed. Additionally, the immediacy of care needs will influence placement.

Q2.   Who pays for a person to live in a LTCH?
A2.   Residents pay only for accommodation, including preferred accommodation. The costs related to nursing and personal care, recreation and rehabilitation programs as well as the cost of food and the other activities that are required to operate a facility are paid for by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC). LTCHs are licensed, approved and regularly inspected by MOHLTC.

Q3.   What role does the Community Care Access Centre perform in long-term care placements?
A3.   CCACs provide a coordinated and managed process for a full range of in-home services, including nursing, occupational therapy (OT), physiotherapy (all of which are insured through MOHLTC) and the necessary support services, such as homemaking, to those who qualify. CCACs assess the needs of individuals and when these needs cannot be met in the community, placement in a LTCH is confirmed. CCACs have an inventory of all available beds in LTCHs located within their catchment area and make placement referrals.

The Long-term Care Project
Q4.   What is the long-term care project?
A4.   The goal of this project is to develop a business case which details the City’s best option(s) for the designation of a municipal long-term care home

Q5.   Why is the City doing this project?
A5.   According to the Long-term Care Homes Act, every southern municipality must “establish and maintain a municipal home”. Currently, the City’s municipal LTCH is Wellington Terrace which is located between Elora and Fergus. The City is exploring all options to meet our legislative requirements. Our options will take into consideration:
   Sustainability
   Financial responsibility and prudence
   Governance provisions and requirements
   Legislation, MOHLTC and Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) requirements
   Other legal and operational considerations
   Community need

Q6.   How will this project be completed?
A6.   The project will occur in two (2) phases. Phase 1 of the project involves identifying the criteria which must be met in order for a LTCH to be eligible for consideration as a designated municipal home.   An inventory of all eligible homes within a defined radius and other business options will be compiled.   In Phase 2, eligible options will be evaluated and an implementation strategy for the best option(s) will be developed for Council’s consideration. These Phase 2 recommendations will be aligned with other City initiatives, including the Older Adult Strategy and Community Wellbeing Initiative. Implementation of the recommended option will occur in a third phase of the project which is currently out of scope and subject to Council approval and direction.

Q7.   Why is the project looking at options within the Waterloo Wellington LHIN area and not just within the city limits?
A7.   Using an expanded research area will provide additional information and options which will inform Council decision making. Considerations listed in Answer #5 above necessitate a broader base for comparative purposes.

Q8.   Will a home outside the city be recommended?
A8.   All eligible options, both within the city and the expanded research area, will be evaluated against a number of criteria (to be established), including local needs.
A designated municipal home located in Guelph does not guarantee priority access by city residents. When selecting a LTCH, people are able to request a home and/or location which best suits their personal needs. For example, an Ottawa resident may request placement in a LTCH in Guelph in order to be close to family. Similarly, Guelph residents may request placement in a LTCH outside of the city. Access to a LTCH bed is affected by choices indicated by an applicant for placement and availability of a bed.

Q9.   How does community perception fit into the project?
A9.   The project team is working with Corporate Communications to develop a communications plan. Various tools and media will be used to communicate information about the status and findings of the project. Also, the community will be consulted on the evaluation of options and recommendation.
A public forum will be held to seek the community’s input into the priority setting phase of this project. This input will help inform those interested about the key elements of Phase 1 and help to frame the direction of Phase 2.

Q10.   When will the project be done?
A10.   Phase 1 is scheduled to occur from July to October 2012. Phase 2 is scheduled for November 2012 to February 2013.

Project Approval
Q11.   Who approves the final recommendation?
A11.   Once the business case is completed, staff will present the information to Council for approval. If Council supports the recommended option, and directs staff to proceed, a third phase to the project will be scoped. Included in the third phase of the project would be for staff to seek approval of Council’s recommended option by MOHLTC. Only the Minister of Health and Long Term Care has the authority to designate a municipal home.

The Project Team
Q12.   Who is working on this project?
A12.   Project oversight is being provided by a cross-departmental team of staff from Community and Social Services, Legal Services and Finance. The City has also retained, through a Request for Proposal, consultants to provide subject matter expertise.

Q13.   Who are the consultants?
A13.   The City has retained the services of Klejman & Associates Consulting Inc. The team members of Klejman & Associates collectively represent over 100 years of experience, mostly in senior level positions within the long-term care sector. The consultants bring comprehensive operational and strategic knowledge of long-term care and extensive experience with government protocols and decision-making processes, especially at the provincial level. A profile of the consulting firm can be found at: klejman.ca

Project Cost
Q14.   How much is this project costing?
A14.   The total budget for Phases 1 and 2 of this project is $79,687. This cost will be covered through Community and Social Services’ general consulting budget and Corporate and Human Resources’ legal consulting budget

Other Considerations
Q15.   How will this project affect the City’s new agreement with Wellington Terrace?
A15.   This project will not impact our current agreement with Wellington Terrace. Any recommended option(s) will only be implemented at the direction of Council and if required, the agreement contains provisions for unconditional support from the County of Wellington.
The agreement requires the City to pay 20% of the net operating costs of Wellington Terrace. In 2012, this amount is approximately $1 million.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Barbara Powell
General Manager
Community Engagement and Social Services
Community Services
T 519-822-1260 x 2675
E barbara.powell@guelph.ca

Round 2 - Community Well being Q&A:

Community Investment Strategy

End of Phase 2 Update September 2012

Q1.   What is the Community Investment Strategy and why does the City need one?
A1.   The City works with and supports many local organizations in the community to improve the wellbeing of Guelph residents.

This means that the City provides funding, in-kind support and enters into partnerships with a number of local non-profit organizations to achieve a variety of community and social goals.

The Community Investment Strategy provides the City with a clear strategy for investing in local organizations and the work that they do. The strategy will also:
   align investment to clearly defined City priorities which are built upon community need and aspiration.
   enable the city to be more responsive to changing community needs.
   provide community organizations with clearer and more consistent investment opportunities.
   enable the City to work with the community benefit sector in a different way – one that reflects the complexity of service and program delivery in fiscally challenging times.
   help decision makers and the local community understand the impact of city investment on the community.
   ensure that decisions about city investment are being made in a transparent and accountable way.

Q2.   How will the allocation of funding across the new mechanisms happen?

A2.   In the early years it is anticipated that current funding levels will remain fairly consistent across the five mechanisms (Wellbeing Grant Program, Rental Discount Rates, Innovation Fund, Small Dollar Waiver and Community Benefit Agreements). Over time the CIS will allow funding levels to be brought into alignment with strategic priorities and community needs according to a defensible process, not just historical practice.

Council, through the Community and Social Services Committee, would be responsible for approving the overall CIS strategy and budget allocation, including the amount of money available to be disbursed in the coming budget year.

At an operational level, the Director of Community and Social Services (in consultation with others) would be responsible for the management of the mechanisms, including the level of funding attributed to each over the coming year.

Q3.   What is council’s new role in the CIS?
A3.   Council would be responsible for approving the overall CIS strategy and budget allocation, including the amount of money available to be disbursed in the coming budget year. Subsequently, Council would receive an annual report outlining the value and impact of the City’s direct contributions to the community benefit sector. In keeping with the consultation feedback from Phase 1, it is suggested that Council no longer be involved in individual granting decisions. Instead, allocations should rest with a new Grants Allocation Committee of Council.

Q4.   What are the benefits of having a Grants Allocation Committee to make funding decisions for the new Wellbeing Grants Program?
A4.   This aims to engage local community members in the process of allocating investment which will support the City’s goal of engaging local people in municipal decision making. It also brings local expertise and community knowledge to the process making it more effective and focused on meeting community need. The new Committee will also be multisectoral, resulting in community wide integrated allocation – so a more holistic approach.

Q5.   Who will be appointed to the Grants Allocation Committee?
A5.   Community members who have the required skills, knowledge and experience. A recruitment and selection process will be implemented that reflects current City policy.

Q6.   What changes are envisioned for grants this year?
A6.   Only categories one and two will be granted in 2013 as part of the transition program. No multi-year funding will be allocated.

Two new interim review panels will be created to review eligible grant applications – reducing the number of panels from three. Membership of these interim panels will in part be drawn from existing panel membership from both staff and community.
The two interim panels will cover:
o   Social and Health
o   Arts, Culture and Special Events

Community and Social Services will oversee the process. The Executive Director for Community and Social Services would have delegated authority from Council to make the final decision for the 2013 grants and then will be required to report to Council.

Q7.   Why should discount rental rates be harmonized across sectors, demographics and facilities?.
A7.   This is based on the outcomes of the CIS consultations and the review of current City plans – there was no clear direction to supporting only one particular group. It also reflects that the Strategy aims to support “a complete community.” In the absence of clear directives to give priority to one type of activity over another, fairness/equity would require this harmonization.

Q8.   What happens to existing agreements under the new CIS?
A8.   There is still some work to complete around the assessment of potential Community Benefit Agreements however these reviews will be undertaken as quickly as possible.   A timetable for reviewing all agreements will be developed in the coming months. The immediate focus will be to review those agreements due to expire before the end of 2013. Existing agreements and their term will be respected.

These reviews will enable City staff and organizations to identify which investment mechanism is most applicable moving forward, either through applying for a Community Wellbeing Grant or via the development of a Community Benefit Agreement.

Q9.   Will the CIS be rolled out across the corporation to shape how other departments invest in local organizations too?
A9.   The Phase 2 report reflects the scope of the project as originally defined, which in turn largely reflects the current scope of responsibility within CSS. It has been anticipated from the outset that principles, lessons and practices from the CIS might inform other parts of the Corporation, and it is recommended that an expansion of the CIS scope be considered as implementation progresses so as to eliminate various parts of the Corporation potentially working at cross purposes with one other.

Q10.   How will the impact of the CIS be communicated?
A10.   A comprehensive communications plan is currently in development. To ensure that the City and residents can understand the impact of the CIS, each new mechanism will have an evaluation component. For example, the successful Wellbeing Grant recipients will be required to produce and submit a report to the City outlining how City funding had supported the wellbeing of the community based on the original objectives of the funding proposal. This type of information will be used to produce an annual report to Council and for various communication materials to the community.   This is just one example, there are lots of opportunities to communicate, learn from and celebrate the work the CIS supports.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Barbara Powell
General Manager
Community Engagement and Social Services Liaison, Community Services
T 519-822-1260 x 2675
E barbara.powell@guelph.ca

Financial Info: Future Liabilities/Benefits:

Liabilities for Future Benefits

Sick Leave, Vacation and Other Benefits Payable upon Termination of Employment

(Retirements, Voluntary and Involuntary Terminations)

Sick Benefits

Question 1: How many employees received this benefit last year?

Three separate union groups, the Fire Association, CUPE 241 (outside workers) and CUPE 1946 (Library) had negotiated accumulated sick leave benefits as part of their collective agreements. Under this type of Sick Leave plan, employees accumulate 1.5 sick days/month (i.e. 18 days/year), and any unused sick time is accumulated.

When these employees leave the City of Guelph (Retirement, Voluntary and Involuntary Terminations), they are entitled to accumulated sick leave pay of up to six months (i.e. payment of half of their accumulated sick bank to a maximum of six months pay).

In early 2012, sick leave benefits of this form were eliminated as part of the collective bargaining process for CUPE 241 and CUPE 1946. They now receive Short Term Disability payments when off sick, as do other employee groups in the City. When employees in these two groups leave the City, there are no longer payments made for sick leave pay.

The Fire Association has 165 employees entitled to this benefit and 3 received a payout in 2011.

CUPE 241 had 297 employees entitled to this benefit and 9 received a payout in 2011.

Library CUPE 1946 had 83 employees entitled to this benefit and 2 received a payout in 2011.

OPSEU has 74 full time employees. Employees accumulate 9 sick days or 72 hours each year any unused sick credits are paid out in December of each year. OPSEU has Six (6) employees received a payout in 2011

Question 2: What was the total value of payouts for this benefit to terminating employees last year?

The 3 payouts for Fire Association members totalled $114,918.22.
The 9 payouts for CUPE 241 members totalled $132,685.51.
The 2 payouts for CUPE 1946 Library members totalled $30,112.54.
The 6 payouts for OPSEU members totalled $44,727.01

Questions 3: What were the five top payouts by amount for this benefit?

A response to this question could identify individual employees and therefore deemed confidential information as per Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy legislation.

Question 4: What was the average payout per employee or retiree of this benefit?

The average payout for the Fire Association was $38,306.07.
The average payout for CUPE 241 was $14,742.83.
The average payout for CUPE 1946 Library was $15,056.27.
The average payout for OPSEU was $7,454.50.

Vacation Benefits

Question 1: How many employees received this benefit last year?

Vacation pay is legislated under the Employment Standards Act.

In 2011, there were 1191 full-time employees in the City. There are 820 part-time employees all of who are entitled to earn a minimum of 4% vacation pay, and they receive this pay as part of their regular paycheque as is common in private and public sectors.

Full-time staff are encouraged to take the earned time off. Any earned vacation pay not taken at termination is paid out after their last pay with the City.

Question 2: What was the total value of payouts for this benefit to terminating employees last year?

A total of 36 full-time employees were paid out unused vacation upon termination in 2011. The total value of these payouts was $239,913.85.

Question 3: What were the top five payout amounts for this benefit?

A response to this question could identify individual employees and therefore deemed confidential information as per Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy legislation.

Question 4: What was the average payout per employee or retiree for this benefit?

The average payout of vacation pay upon termination was $6,664.27 for 2011.

Retirement Health, Dental and Life Insurance Benefits

Question 1: What was the total cost of retirement benefits paid last year?

The total cost of providing Extended Health, Dental and Life Insurance Benefits in 2011 for retirees was $458,292.83. Many of the collective agreements require continued retiree benefits after retirement provided the employee has 10 years of service with the City of Guelph. These benefits continue until age 65.

Question 2: How many retirees are currently enrolled in this benefit?

As of September 2012, there are a total of 96 retirees receiving benefits as described above.

Question 3: What is the premium paid by retirees in this plan?

Retirees are not required to contribute to the retiree benefits plan as per the employment contract or the respective collective agreement.

Question 4: What was the average annual cost per employee or retiree for this benefit?

The average annual cost per retiree is $4773.88.

Guelph Battery Drop-Off Info:

City’s Battery Recycling Program:

Batteries contain materials that are harmful to our environment if disposed of incorrectly. Recycling batteries prevent toxic substances from entering the environment.

Residents can drop off single use and rechargeable batteries (i.e. sizes AAA to D, 9V, lithium and button cell) for recycling at City Hall, all City libraries, all City Fire Halls and at the Waste Resource Innovation Centre.

Last year Guelph residents recycled 8130 kg of single use and rechargeable batteries.

Residents can also visit the City’s Take-It-Back Directory for information on businesses in the community that accept batteries amongst other unwanted materials at guelph.ca/takeitback.

Condo's Fair Tax Meeting:

Dear Council Member:
I am the Chairperson of the Fair taxes Campaign – Guelph. This organization is Guelph’s chapter of a larger organization, “Condominium Fair Taxes Campaign”, which has chapters in large and small cities right across the province. Last Friday I left a package of materials for you at Guelph City Hall with information about a Meeting on Thursday October 25. In that package there was a letter in which I promised to send you the information poster electronically and an e-mail address you can reply to.

We hope to see you at Westminster St. Paul’s Church at 7:00 pm on Thursday October 25th.

Ted Pritchard

Make Taxation Fair for Guelph Condos
Information Meeting
October 25, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.
Westminster St. Paul’s Church
206 Victoria Road North
(Victoria at Eramosa)
Are you paying twice (property taxes and condo fees) for the same services?
How does the City benefit from condos vs. traditional single family homes?
Why are 1 in 3 new housing starts condominium developments?
The Mayor and council members have been invited to this meeting. We hope to see you there as well!
guelphfairtaxes@gmail.com

Fire Prevention: Two Ways Out!

Guelph Fire Department urges residents to “have 2 ways out”
Fire Prevention Week is October 7 to 13

GUELPH, ON, October 2, 2012 – If a fire breaks out in your home, you may only have minutes to get out quickly when the smoke alarm sounds.
That’s why Guelph’s fire department is teaming up with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) during Fire Prevention Week, October 7 to 13, to urge residents to plan ahead by creating a home fire escape plan. This year’s theme is “Have 2 Ways Out” and focuses on the importance of fire escape planning and practice.
“Fire is unpredictable and moves faster than most people realize. Having a tried and true escape plan, with two ways out of every room, is essential to ensuring your family’s safety should a fire break out in your home,” says Matt Valeriote, fire prevention officer with the Guelph Fire Department.
The Guelph Fire Department recommends the following tips for planning your family’s escape:
•   Draw a map of your home. Mark a door and a window that can be used to get out of every room.
•   Choose a designated meeting place that is a safe distance from your home. This is where everyone can meet once they have escaped. Draw a picture of your outside meeting place on your escape plan.
•   Write the emergency telephone number for the fire department on your escape plan.
•   Have an adult sound the smoke alarm and practice your escape plan with everyone living in your home.
•   Keep your escape plan on the refrigerator and have your family practice the plan twice a year or whenever anyone in your home celebrates a birthday.
To mark Fire Prevention Week, the Guelph Fire Department will be hosting a Fire Prevention Day on Saturday, Oct. 13 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Guelph Home Depot parking lot, located at 63 Woodlawn Rd., West.
Through educational, family-oriented activities, residents can learn more about the importance of fire escape planning and practice, as well as prevention. Fire Safety seminars will take place inside the Home Depot at 11 a.m., 11:45 a.m. 1 p.m. and 1:45 p.m. Outside, have your picture taken on an antique fire truck, meet and speak to firefighters, as well as Sparky the fire dog, tour the fire safety trailer to learn how to safely escape from a smoke-filled home, and learn how to safely put out a fire using a fire extinguisher.
Visit guelph.ca/fire for more fire safety information or to learn more about “Have 2 Ways Out” visit the National Fire Protection Association’s website at firepreventionweek.org.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Matt Valeriote
Fire Prevention Officer
Guelph Fire Department
T 519—822-1260 x 2136
E matt.valeriote@guelph.ca

Emerald Ash Borer & Wed Farmers Market Update:

Check this out:

http://guelph.ca/uploads/Council_and_Committees/Information/info_items_100412.pdf#page=2

Thanks,

Cam

OMB Hearing for 716 Gordon Info:

716 Gordon OMB hearing:

Hearing ended Wednesday just after 8 pm and that the Board Member did not give any definitive time frame for his decision but said he would work hard to have it for us soon.

Thank you,

Cam

Service Reviews Reports Coming Forward:

Email from STAFF to Councillors:

Good Afternoon,

A quick note to highlight reports coming forward to you over the next two weeks on the topic of service reviews and our proposed methodology for selecting reviews, going forward.

At Governance Committee (Tuesday October 9 @ 3pm):

Gov – 19 “Status Report – Service and Operational Reviews” provides Council with the results of our evaluation of work undertaken in 2012. There will be a formal presentation on the results of this review by our Internal Auditor Loretta Alonzo.

Gov – 20 “Audit – Review – New Rating System and Methodology” provides Council with proposed changes to the selection process for future audits and reviews. The approach we are presenting is the best practice audit methodology and standards established by the Institute of Internal Auditors (I.I.A) the governing body for the audit profession. Loretta Alonzo will be speaking to this report. This report will be the subject of the special workshop October 16th @ 6:30pm.

At Audit Committee (Tuesday October 16th @ 5:00pm):
Council will receive our first completed review on the topic of Legal Services.

Heads Up! Dam Repairs:

Good afternoon Madam Mayor and City Councillors,

The Public Works Department is currently engaged with the Engineering Department on a joint project to rehabilitate the existing Allan’s Dam gate structure near the intersection of Macdonnell and Wellington Streets.

The aim of this e-mail is to inform you that the water levels up-stream of Allan’s Dam will be affected for a short period of time to affect the safety work required to start this project.

As a first step to initiating the site work, there is an important safety related task of isolating the channel that carries water through the gate from the remainder of the dam/gate structure. In order to do this, the contractor will need to temporarily lower the water level of the area of the Speed River known as “Allan’s Pond” (behind the River Run Centre).

Beginning Tuesday morning October 9th, 2012, Public Works Staff will work with our contractor, Drexler Construction to begin to lower the water level. The entire lowering and re-raising task will take approximately one week to complete. Staff are working in close coordination with the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) and other departments, in order to mitigate any effects to wildlife and river flows downstream. The October-November timeframe is the best period to conduct this work from a fish and wildlife perspective. The neighbourhood closest to Allan’s Dam has been notified by letters delivered to households and there will be further community notice in the Guelph Tribune on Tuesday.

If you have any questions please contact the Project Manager, Mr. Majde Quaquish, loc 2225

Sincerely,

Rod Keller | General Manager
Public Works Department
Operations, Transit & Emergency Services

City of Guelph
T 519-822-1260 x 2949 | F 519-821-0839
E rodney.keller@guelph.ca

ALSO:

Good Afternoon,
Please find the attached Construction Notice for the Allan’s Dam Rehabilitation Project:
• Scheduled to begin mid-October and continue through until the end of November (weather permitting), replacing the gate in the dam by-pass, repairing tunnel walls under the railway trestle and part of the Macdonell Street bridge
• Project Manager – Mr. Majde Qaqish, ext. 2225 or cell 519-362-5147
This notice has been hand-delivered to residents and businesses who are directly affected. It has or will be advertised on the City Page in the Guelph Tribune and posted on guelph.ca/construction. Emergency Services and other City staff whose operations may be affected by this construction have also been notified.

Follow-Up From Staff on Nuisance Bylaw:

Dear Mayor and Council:

Following up on my email from the last week, the purpose of this correspondence is to provide you with an update of the proposed community engagement process being considered for the creation of a Nuisance Bylaw.

•   An internal staff team consisting of staff from Bylaw, Communications and Community Engagement has been organized to implement a community engagement process. This process will ensure that the City of Guelph will “consult and gather information” from the public. Our commitment is to listen and acknowledge concerns and comments and provide feedback through our report to Committee and Council. These comments will also help design the draft Nuisance Bylaw for Council’s consideration. This commitment is consistent with the broader Draft Community Engagement Framework currently being developed for Council’s consideration at a later date.

•   The types of engagement activities will include: continuing to receive comments via voice, fax, electronic mail and mail, along with a telephone town hall meeting and a public meeting. We are also reviewing the option of on-line poll. Each of these engagement mechanisms require planning and careful preparation to ensure the best possible engagement opportunities for the public and staff.

•   Parallel to planning for the engagement mechanisms is a communications strategy.   This strategy will be developed over the next two to three weeks. Details of the engagement opportunities will be contained within this plan.

•   Until the communications plan can be released, we respectfully request that the contents of this correspondence are not placed on blogs or other social media. For constituents wishing to make comments, you may continue to provide the attached Committee Report and Draft Public Nuisance Bylaw and direct them to provide their comments by the contact methods listed.

Email: Public-input@guelph.ca
Telephone: 519-822-1260 x 2422
Fax: 519-822-1751
Mail: Nuisance By-Law comments, 1 Carden Street, City Hall, Guelph, ON N1H 3A1

What About That Sign By-law?

Staff email Sept 26th, 2012:

The City of Guelph Sign By-law was approved in 1996 after an extensive review of the previous Sign By-law. The general intent of the new by-law was to reduce the height and permitted location of most building and freestanding signage.

The Sign By-law does not require permits for a real estate sign, a poster, a sign for an occasional use as set out in the zoning by-law, a construction or subdivision site sign, a portable sign for a home maintenance contractor, or a portable open house or model home directional sign. The reasoning for this is that these are temporary signs and it would be an undue fee for subdivision, home builder and real estate signage. It was viewed as one method to be responsive to a more amicable development industry relationship. The one temporary sign that does require a permit is for mobile signage. This is because they are allowed 4 per business for the calendar year and the permit system provides staff a way to monitor these.

The enforcement of the Sign By-law has been complaint driven with respect to real estate, construction and these other types of signage. Staff typically receive a complaint and respond in a timely manner. If staff perceives a trend taking place, then staff will react to the larger issue. Recently, staff responded to a number of subdivision and builder signage that were not on the property that was subject to the development. Staff will proactively enforce the Sign By-law when a safety issue is noticed or there is a contentious sign in terms of being a nuisance.

Thanks,

STAFF

Not Much Feedback on Possible By-Law:

Tuesday, September, 25, 2012 - 10:10:26 AM

Little feedback about nuisance bylaw

By Doug Hallett
Guelph Tribune

It appears city councillors aren’t being overwhelmed with protests against a proposed public nuisance bylaw that would tighten city hall’s control over protests in Guelph.
Five of the 12 ward councillors responded to a Tribune query Thursday asking them what they think of the draft bylaw and whether they’re hearing much about it from their constituents yet.
“The question for me is what does the public think of it? I feel a bit conflicted,” Ward 3 councillor June Hofland said in an email. She indicated she’s conflicted partly because the bylaw combines prohibitions on “very serious matters,” such as being in possession of a weapon, with prohibitions on things like obstructing a sidewalk or knocking over a waste collection container, which could be seen as “just mischievous behaviour.”
“I have only had one email regarding the bylaw, and the resident suggests that the right to gather in public places is in the Charter of Rights (and Freedoms). Other than this one comment I have not heard anything,” Hofland added.
“Feedback has been sporadic and mostly in support” of the bylaw, Coun. Karl Wettstein said by email. People who are “concerned about some of the more difficult student houses have been very supportive,” he said, referring to some houses rented out to University of Guelph students.
The other Ward 6 councillor, Todd Dennis, said he’s heard “very little” about the public nuisance bylaw from his constituents so far. By contrast, he has been hearing a lot from “motorcycle enthusiasts” who don’t want the city to clamp down on noisy motorcycles, he said. “From a Ward 6 perspective, there are several items in the draft that will allow (the city’s bylaw enforcement operation) to be more effective in dealing with certain situations we have in the south end – excessive and loud parties especially,” he said in an email. “The more tools we have to deal with situations, the better we will be able to respond to issues.”
Ward 2 councillor Ian Findlay said he’s been hearing a lot of response to the draft bylaw, both in person and through email. Responses have generally been supportive, he said by phone. People especially seem to support the provisions dealing with nuisance parties, he said.
Some people have expressed concerns to him that the city is trying to limit protests, he said.
“We are not trying to discourage protests,” Findlay said, but he thinks it’s reasonable to require protesters to get a city permit if their protest lasts over 24 consecutive hours. “If it is going to be longer than 24 hours, the city needs to get involved,” he said, recalling the “mess” created by Occupy Guelph protesters last fall.
Ward 1 councillor Coun. Bob Bell said he’d received “a couple of emails, both pro and con.”
In the past, Bell said, people have complained to him about protesters camping in parks and on city property. “We have Freedom of Movement (protest marches), Freedom of Assembly (listening) and Freedom of Speech,” Bell said.
“What is at issue here is the Freedom to Occupy, a group can own through possession, public property,” he said in an email.

Councillors Want Costs of Downtown:

Guelph councillors want to know costs of downtown bar scene

GUELPH MERCURY ARTICLE SEPT 25th, 2012: — Coun. Bob Bell’s goal to have downtown bar owners pick up the tab for policing and cleanup costs took a tentative step forward Monday night.

A majority of councillors supported his desire to have city staff analyze these costs, though it will not be done until after a current five-week pilot project organized by Guelph Police and the Nightlife Task Force.

Bell noted in 2008 the costs of policing and cleanup related to the downtown bar scene was estimated at $174,000, or approximately $1,100 per night.

“We are doing considerably more now than we were four years ago,” Bell said, noting the “Safe Semester” pilot project now underway which is seeing an increased police presence, weekend late-night road closures and provision of portable washrooms.

Bell said while his ultimate goal is to recoup these costs from downtown bar owners, the goal of his motion this week was simply to refer the matter back to staff for a report on the costs.

Once those costs are identified, Bell said, “we could seek zero recovery or 100 per cent recovery of somewhere in between.”

He noted in 2008 a motion to seek cost-recovery failed on a tie vote “which might have been because the costs were perceived to be relatively small.”

Coun. Gloria Kovach said Bell’s motion was “very timely given the challenges we have been made aware of in the upcoming budget,” adding knowing the costs of the downtown bar scene will allow her to weigh whether the city should take steps to recover those costs during wider budget considerations.

Coun. Leanne Piper similarly supported the motion to seek an analysis of costs.

“It’s important to have the information to make that decision,” Piper said. “I will not presuppose whether I support cost recovery.”

Coun. Ian Findlay, who has sat on the Nightlife Task Force for five years, said the task force will present a final report on the success of the pilot project once it is complete, but said it is unlikely the task force will recommend making the enhanced safety measures permanent because of budget pressures.

Findlay urged his colleagues to be careful if considering “a differential tax rate that is geographically-based,” as it could force bar owners to vacate the downtown core for other parts of the city, which would create more problems.

Coun. Maggie Laidlaw noted the problem downtown became “critical” several years ago after the University of Guelph closed its on-campus bars, and asked Bell if he has considered approaching the university.

“Surely the onus is on them to provide some economic recompense for taking that out of their hands,” Laidlaw said.

Bell conceded he had not considered asking the university to pay the city “for providing alcohol to their students.”

Councillors voted 8-5 in favour of an amended motion seeking an analysis of the costs.

stracey@guelphmercury.com

Council Rejects Surpluses to Taxpayers:

Council rejects giving surpluses back to Guelph taxpayers

GUELPH MERCURY ARTICLE SEPT 25th, 2012 — City councillors don’t necessarily think it’s a bad idea to return budget surpluses to taxpayers, but rejected Monday a resolution which would have had staff consider that option before others.

Councillors voted 9-4 against a special resolution brought by Coun. Cam Guthrie that would have directed staff, when facing year-end tax-supported surpluses, to first consider returning those surpluses to taxpayers, as long as the tax rate stabilization reserve account is at a stable level.

Guthrie was prompted to craft the resolution after a council discussion in June about what should become of a $400,000 tax-supported surplus from the 2011 budget.

Councillors at the time shot down a motion by Coun. Gloria Kovach to return that money to taxpayers instead of putting it into the stabilization reserve, which is designed to help keep tax increases low.

“I think it’s incumbent upon us to explore that,” Kovach said of Guthrie’s resolution.

Mayor Karen Farbridge spoke against the resolution. She noted the previous term of council inherited a budget in which more money had been taken out of the stabilization reserve than was put in, because the council before it “was banking on a surplus” that was never realized because of the recession.

Farbridge said that was “a short-term, high-risk” political manoeuvre that backfired in an election year. The mayor argued this is not a good time, considering the city’s credit rating was recently upgraded, to abandon conservative financial policies in favour of risky tactics.

“The message we send right now is really important not only to our finance department but to the credit rating agencies,” Farbridge said.

Coun. Karl Wettstein said he was concerned if council approved Guthrie’s resolution, there would be an expectation among taxpayers that any surplus would automatically be returned to them.

Wettstein said placing surpluses in the stabilization reserve accomplishes the same thing as Guthrie’s motion, because it can always be taken back out to lessen the tax hit on residents.

In December, when councillors are considering next year’s budget, “we’re going to struggle with a (tax increase) between three (per cent) and whatever,” Wettstein said, adding at that time he would have no trouble withdrawing the $400,000 “or more” to reduce the tax increase.

Guthrie stressed his resolution would only come into effect when the tax rate stabilization reserve is at a healthy level, which is not currently the case, “so it’s not going to be a factor six months from now.”

Only Guthrie, Kovach and councillors Bob Bell and Jim Furfaro supported Guthrie’s resolution.

stracey@guelphmercury.com

Product to Battle Graffiti:

Sender has given me permission to post his info:

Cam,

I am a Ward 4 resident.

I read with interest the recent Mercury article on Graffiti on private property. The trend and spread of graffiti is something I would like to help put a stop to. The company that I work for in Kitchener has recently started to sell the products outlined below. These are available for the general public to purchase at reasonable prices and I am willing to deliver to homes in Guelph if there is some interest.

Click here to download a product brochure

Website: www.offthewalls.ca

Regards,
John Thompson ◦ Sales Representative
Knell’s Industrial Supply
Cell      226-218-5678
Fax       519-578-3262
Email   jthompson@knells.ca
Web    www.knells.ca

Why is Guelph Promoting an Activist Movie?

Letter to Mayor Farbridge from Nestle Waters:

JCFARBRIDGELETTER070912.pdf

Response to Nestle from Mayor Farbridge:

Nestle_Waters_Canada_09.13.12.pdf

Video Link: Battle Ash Borer?

http://www.ottawasun.com/videos/featured/featured-ott/1213592866001/city-tests-new-weapon-against-tree-killer/1859185034001

Annual Fire Hydrant Testing:

Hello all, please be advised that, beginning on Monday, October 1 and ending on approximately Friday, November 16, Water Services will be conducting the Annual Fire Hydrant Testing Program.

In compliance with the Ontario Fire Code, over 2,500 fire hydrants will be tested to ensure residents receive optimum fire protection. Testing will be performed on weekdays by Water Services operators between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Hydrant testing will begin in Guelph’s south end and will progress in a northerly direction.

Program progress will be posted on the City website at Guelph.ca/water.

Customer notification and service activities will include:
•   Local newspaper advertising (Tribune and Mercury) starting Thursday,
September 27th and continuing to program end;
•   Local radio advertising starting September 25th and continuing to end of program;
•   Posting of relevant information on the City’s web site, including program updates; and
•   24/7 customer telephone support (regular hours: 519-837-5627, after hours: 519-658-8003).

We anticipate a number of customer inquiries related to the program. The operations and testing of the hydrants may cause short-term, localized discoloured water. We are committed to limiting customer inconvenience while ensuring program success, and will provide support to customers who experience discoloured water.

Please contact Water Services if you require additional program information and please direct customer inquires our way.

Thanks for your support.

Peter L. Busatto | General Manager, Guelph Water Services
Planning, Building, Engineering and Environment | Water Services
City of Guelph

T 519-837 -5627 x 2165 | F 519-822 -8837
E peter.busatto@guelph.ca

More Info On Bins For you:

September 24th, 2012:

The carts, through residents' participation, support the City's efforts to divert 65 per cent of Guelph's waste from landfill by 2016.
The carts will be delivered starting today over a six-week period, ending November 2. Households may not receive all of their carts on the same day or the same day as their neighbour. If a household does not receive all three carts by November 2, they are asked to contact Solid Waste Resources.
An information package including a user guide and a collection schedule will be delivered inside the green cart.
Cart collection starts as early as Monday, November 5 depending on the collection schedule a household currently follows, either Week A or B:
• Households on Week A collection will set out their green and grey carts starting the week of November 5, on their regular collection day. The following week, their green and blue carts will be set out at the curb.
• Households on Week B collection will set out their green and grey carts starting the week of November 12, on their regular collection day. The following week, their green and blue carts will be set out at the curb.
Until then, households will continue to set out their waste in transparent bags.
The automated system is regarded as a municipal best practice and is faster, more efficient and requires four fewer trucks on Guelph's roads. This helps decrease Guelph's carbon footprint and generates financial savings of approximately $460,000 per year.
Solid Waste Resources has extended its customer service hours to accommodate residents' phone calls and e-mails throughout the transition to carts. The new hours of operation are Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

Best Regards,

STAFF

Traffic Concerns Article on Costco:

Residents brace for traffic problems as Costco advances through city’s application process

GUELPH — Residents who live near the site of a proposed Costco in Guelph’s west end, are worried that shoppers will take the back streets to get there, increasing traffic and danger to pedestrians on residential streets, and rendering useless the traffic studies that have been done as the application moves forward.

“In the first (traffic) study, Whitelaw Road wasn’t mentioned. In the second study, Whitelaw Road wasn’t mentioned. But for people coming from the south end, the most direct route will be Whitelaw Road. And we already have a problem with cars and transport trucks zipping along Whitelaw Road,” Dianne Mackie, who lives on Whitelaw Road, said at a public meeting Thursday evening.

Ward 4 councillors Gloria Kovach and Cam Guthrie hosted the public meeting for Ward 4 residents to talk about the city’s well-being initiative, the Costco development, and to raise any other concerns that the two could take to council.

Kovach said most of the concerns she’s heard about Costco are related to traffic, although she’s heard from a few people who are opposed to big box stores fundamentally.

“The majority of emails I’ve received are basically saying ‘just build it,’” she told about 40 people who came to the meeting.

Rajan Phillips, the city’s manager of transportation and development engineering, said Whitelaw Road will not be widened or rerouted for this commercial development, but Paisley Road will be flattened out near Elmira Road to eliminate a hill that reduces visibility at that intersection and at Whitelaw Road.

Phillips said traffic lights will be installed along Elmira Road as a traffic calming measure to allow pedestrians headed for the West End Recreation Centre to cross safely.

Phillips said Whitelaw Road was built to accommodate a maximum 5,000 vehicles a day and with the new store, he expects traffic on Whitelaw might grow to 3,000 vehicles a day, which is still well within the limits, he said.

But he was interested in residents’ concerns and said he’d take their request for more stop signs on Whitelaw to the traffic services department.

Chris Corosky, director of land development for the Armel Corporation, which is developing the site, said Costco is the first tenant on the lot that’s north of Paisley Road and east of Elmira Road, but eventually the plan is for several more stores to join Costco along with more parking.

“The thing is to get the tenants,” Corosky said, adding the plans also call for more retail space around the Zehrs store as well.

He was pleased to announce that a Dairy Queen restaurant and an LCBO store will be opening in the strip mall between Zehrs and the banks at the corner of Imperial Road and Paisley, filling that strip of stores.

He said Armel will open road access to the West End Rec Centre from Elmira Road as well.

Guthrie said the matter will be coming back to council and interested parties can speak as delegates, email their comments on the development, which become part of the public record, or can just attend and listen.

jshuttleworth@guelphmercury.com

WARD 4 TOWNHALL MEETING!

September 20th, 2012 Ward 4 Townhall meeting!

The City, through it's Community Wellbeing Initative, needs your feedback! So come on out and join Gloria and myself for a meeting on this topic. We've also secured Armel Corporation to discuss the upcoming developments at the commercial node at the corner of Paisley & Elmira Roads. More specifically, the Costco development. We'll also have an open Q&A session on any issue you want to bring forward to us.

Here's the details:

As part of the Guelph Community Wellbeing Initiative, each ward conversation will be an opportunity to discuss what matters in life, and how to work together to improve the wellbeing of individuals, neighbourhoods and the Guelph community.

“People have an important role to play in improving the quality of life in Guelph,” says Barbara Powell, General Manager of Community Engagement. “We’ve already heard from thousands of residents who completed our community survey in July. “Now, we’re still seeking additional input to make sure everyone has a chance to shape Guelph’s future.”

Thursday, September 20
6:30-8:30 p.m. Lion’s Lair
West End Recreation Centre
21 Imperial Road South Ward 4

Information about this and other upcoming events will be posted at guelphwellbeing.ca.

During September, the City and its community partners will continue to encourage residents to participate in the Guelph Community Wellbeing Initiative by:
• Completing a comment card at their neighbourhood recreation centre, library branch or City facility
• Attending a ward conversation view dates here
• Talking to wellbeing volunteers at community events and gathering places view dates here
• Hosting a conversation with family, friends, neighbours or coworkers – a do it yourself guidebook is available on guelphwellbeing.ca
• Submitting comments at guelphwellbeing.ca
• Following and sharing comments using #guelphwellbeing on Twitter
• Posting comments on the City of Guelph Facebook page

About the Guelph Community Wellbeing Initiative:

Using the Canadian Index of Wellbeing, the City and its partners are measuring Guelph’s quality of life in terms of community vitality, democratic engagement, environment, education, time use, health, leisure and culture and living standards.

Its purpose is to develop a shared understanding and vision for Guelph’s future so the City and community partners can make better decisions, improve programs and policies, and increase the wellbeing of people, neighbourhoods and the community as a whole.

In addition, the initiative aims to to inspire more people to take action and contribute to Guelph’s community wellbeing – creating a healthy and safe community where people can live life to the fullest.

Public Nuisance By-Law Feedback:

Community input would be sought for new public nuisance bylaw
GUELPH, ON, September 13, 2012 – Residents would have an opportunity to provide input for a new public nuisance bylaw being considered at Council’s Operations, Transit and Emergency Services Committee meeting September 17.
“Should the committee approve creating a public nuisance bylaw, the community would have the opportunity to have their say on finalizing the draft bylaw before it is presented to Council,” says Doug Godrey, Manager of Bylaw Compliance, Security and Licensing.
While Guelph is recognized across Canada as being a safe community, a bylaw would provide the City’s bylaw officers and local police with additional tools to handle minor incidents and gatherings that occasionally occur on public and private property that contravene community standards.
“The bylaw, as drafted, would provide tools for bylaw officers to address minor, unwanted behaviour or activities occurring on City-owned property. When circumstances warrant, this bylaw would also allow police to address minor issues through a bylaw rather than through the Criminal Code,” says Godfrey.
The draft bylaw, developed by City staff and Guelph Police Service, would provide tools to address:
•   Nuisance parties occurring on private property that, if left unaddressed, may escalate and affect public safety. A bylaw would allow the City to require a host or property owner to pay a fee to recover costs associated with enforcement.
•   Minor disturbances such as protests and rallies extending beyond 24 consecutive hours unless a City permit has been obtained.
•   Camping, dwelling or construction of temporary structures on City property unless authorized through a City permit.
Godfrey adds, “Public education is our first course of action and the bylaw would be used to address unwanted behaviour in a timelier and more cost-efficient manner for all parties involved.”
To view the draft public nuisance bylaw, click here.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Doug Godfrey
Manager
Bylaw Compliance, Security and Licensing
City of Guelph
T 519-822-1260 x 2520
E doug.godfrey@guelph.ca

Bryan Larkin
Chief of Police
Guelph Police Service
T 519-824-1212 x 210
E bryan.larkin@police.guelph.on.ca

Rogers TV Tour:

GUELPH & AREA RESIDENTS INVITED TO TOUR THEIR
COMMUNITY TV STATION AT ROGERS TV OPEN HOUSE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, September 14, 2012 (GUELPH) – Rogers TV, Cable 20, will host an Open House Sunday, September 23 from noon until 4 pm at its Guelph studio, located at 130 Silvercreek Parkway North (in the Winner’s plaza). The public is invited to take a tour of the studio, see what’s new this fall on Rogers TV, and find out how they can get involved in Guelph’s community channel.

“We’re inviting the community to come explore the world of community TV and discover the many access opportunities available to those wishing to get involved with their local TV station,” says Charles Wechsler, Station Manager Rogers TV. “We also have a number of free family activities planned to help celebrate the new fall season of programming.”

Those who attend the Rogers TV Open House will have a chance to:

•   Meet Inside Guelph’s Trish Stevenson and Swap Shop’s Giovanni Petitti .
•   Tour the TV studio and edit suites – try your hand at working a studio camera.
•   Tour the Mobile production truck – see how we produce shows like Guelph Storm Hockey.
•   Visit the Community Moments Cam for a chance to be featured on Rogers TV.
•   See Rogers TV’s new fall line-up.
•   Discover how you can learn TV production through our volunteer program.
•   Find out how you can get involved in community TV and produce your own show.
•   Enjoy free kids activities – face painting, balloons and more!
•   Delight in free cake and punch for the first 200 visitors.
•   Win great prizes including a Family-Four Pack of Guelph Storm Tickets.
Rogers TV is a unique TV channel where community members take an active role in conceptualizing and producing programming for local audiences. Our staff and volunteers produce informative and entertaining local programming, reinforcing Rogers’ commitment to the communities we serve. Rogers Communications is Canada's largest provider of wireless voice and data communications services and one of Canada's leading providers of cable television, high-speed Internet and telephony services. Rogers TV is only available to Rogers’ customers, including the company's 2.3 million cable customers in Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland. For more information on Rogers Communications Inc., visit www.rogers.com. For more information on Rogers TV, visit www.rogerstv.com.

For more information contact:
Charles Wechsler                                                       Lisa Leachman
Station Manager                                                         Publicity & Promotions Officer
Rogers TV                                                                   Rogers TV
(519) 824-1900 ext. 8120                                           (519) 824-1900 ext. 3272
charles.wechsler@rci.rogers.com                              lisa.leachman@rci.rogers.com

Community Meetings Info Reminder!

Residents invited to shape Guelph’s future
GUELPH, ON, September 5, 2012 – Starting tomorrow the City will host several community conversations to learn what people like about living in Guelph and what would improve their quality of life.

As part of the Guelph Community Wellbeing Initiative, each ward conversation will be an opportunity to discuss what matters in life, and how to work together to improve the wellbeing of individuals, neighbourhoods and the Guelph community.

“People have an important role to play in improving the quality of life in Guelph,” says Barbara Powell, General Manager of Community Engagement. “We’ve already heard from thousands of residents who completed our community survey in July. “Now, we’re still seeking additional input to make sure everyone has a chance to shape Guelph’s future.”

Ward conversations are scheduled to take place:
Thursday, September 6
7-9 p.m.   Clair Road Emergency
Services Centre
160 Clair Road West
    Ward 6
Councillors Todd Dennis and Karl Wettstein
Wednesday, September 12
7-9 p.m.   Room 3 Evergreen Seniors
Community Centre
683 Woolwich Street
    Ward 2
Councillors Andy Van Hellemond and Ian Findlay
Thursday, September 13
7-9 p.m.   New Life Christian Reform Church
400 Victoria Road North     Ward 2
Councillors Andy Van Hellemond and Ian Findlay
Wednesday, September 19
7-9 p.m.   Centennial CVI
289 College Avenue West   Ward 3 and 5
Councillors Leanne Piper and Lise Burcher
Thursday, September, 20
7-9 p.m.   Victoria Road Recreation Centre
151 Victoria Road North   Ward 1
Councillors Bob Bell and Jim Furfaro
Thursday, September 20
6:30-8:30 p.m.   Lion’s Lair
West End Recreation Centre
21 Imperial Road South    Ward 4
Councillors Cam Guthrie and Gloria Kovach

Councillor June Hofland will host a ward conversation at a future date to be determined. Information about this and other upcoming events will be posted at guelphwellbeing.ca.

During September, the City and its community partners will continue to encourage residents to participate in the Guelph Community Wellbeing Initiative by:
•   Completing a comment card at their neighbourhood recreation centre, library branch or City facility
•   Attending a ward conversation view dates here
•   Talking to wellbeing volunteers at community events and gathering places view dates here
•   Hosting a conversation with family, friends, neighbours or coworkers – a do it yourself guidebook is available on guelphwellbeing.ca
•   Submitting comments at guelphwellbeing.ca
•   Following and sharing comments using #guelphwellbeing on Twitter
•   Posting comments on the City of Guelph Facebook page
About the Guelph Community Wellbeing Initiative
Using the Canadian Index of Wellbeing, the City and its partners are measuring Guelph’s quality of life in terms of community vitality, democratic engagement, environment, education, time use, health, leisure and culture and living standards.

Learn more about the Canadian Index of Wellbeing and the eight dimensions of wellbeing here.

Its purpose is to develop a shared understanding and vision for Guelph’s future so the City and community partners can make better decisions, improve programs and policies, and increase the wellbeing of people, neighbourhoods and the community as a whole.

In addition, the initiative aims to to inspire more people to take action and contribute to Guelph’s community wellbeing – creating a healthy and safe community where people can live life to the fullest.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Barbara Powell, General Manager
Community Engagement
T 519-822-1260 x 2675
E barbara.powell@guelph.ca

Guelph Mercury Opinion on Garbage Bins:

We’ll figure out the switch to waste carts, a third of us at a time

By the end of this year, one-third of Guelph households will be either cursing the city’s new waste carts system, singing its praises or, more likely, some combination thereof.

The city has finally announced when the blue, green and grey carts will start finding their way into garages, kitchens, rec rooms or wherever else residents plan on storing them.

The rollout of the wheely bins is slated to begin the week of Sept. 24 for one-third of the city, which comprises approximately 15,000 households.

But it will take approximately six weeks for everyone in the first phase areas to get the carts, with actual collection not slated to begin until early November.

I took particular note of a line in the news release suggesting “(t)he three carts will arrive at homes separately, on different dates.

“If a household does not receive all three carts by November 2, they are asked to contact Solid Waste Resources.”

Say what?

It struck me as particularly inefficient to have staff delivering three different carts, on three different days, to 15,000 homes. I’m more of a word guy, but I’m pretty sure that means making 45,000 stops to deliver bins to each home.

Heather Connell, the manager of integrated services at the solid waste services division, explained that because the city allowed residents to custom-order the size of their blue and green carts, it would not be feasible to try to deliver all of them at the same time.

“It’s easier and faster for them to load the trailer with all the same size of carts and distribute those to the residents who asked for that size,” Connell said, adding if there were different sizes of carts in a load it would be more time-consuming for staff to ensure each household received the correct size.

That makes some sense, but it’s also one more reason I’m glad not to be within the various areas of the city switching to carts this year. My neighbourhood gets wheely in 2013, and hopefully by then the city will have encountered whatever problems it is going to encounter and figured out how to remedy them.

Ultimately, I believe the switch will be a positive thing, albeit not without some significant startup problems.

Using fewer plastic bags is obviously desirable for everyone except the plastics industry, and switching to automated trucks should mean four fewer waste trucks on the road which will result in an annual operational saving of close to $500,000.

Closer to home, the switch will also mean a saving of a couple hundred bucks a year on waste bags.

There will be issues, of course. Residents are already complaining about the size of the carts and where they will keep them, and about what has unofficially become known as “the yuck factor.”

We’ll figure it out, just as we did with the switch to Wet/Dry and then Wet/Dry Plus.

And thankfully, for two-thirds of us, someone else is going to have to figure it out first.

Scott Tracey is a Mercury staff writer. His Jury of One column appears Fridays. He can be reached at stracey@guelphmercury.com

Background & Info on Garbage Bins:

Primary
•   The City of Guelph is rolling out a new way to collect organic waste, recyclables and garbage. Carts will be used instead of plastic bags.

•   Using carts will reduce the amount of waste we send to landfill, lower the City’s operating costs and decrease Guelph’s carbon footprint.

•   Sorting our organics, recyclables and garbage carefully, using carts instead of plastic bags and sending our organic material to Guelph’s own Organic Waste Processing Facility are all ways we can reduce the amount of waste we send to landfill and decrease Guelph’s carbon footprint.

•   The carts, through your participation, support the City’s efforts to divert more waste per capita than any comparable Canadian city, and divert 65 per cent of Guelph’s waste from landfill by 2016.

•   The cart program will be phased-in over three years to keep costs affordable. The total cost of the cart program is $8,812,743.
Secondary
•   The first one-third of the city’s households, approximately 15,000, will start receiving their carts Monday, September 24.

•   The delivery process will take place over a six-week period, ending Friday, November 2. The three carts will arrive at homes separately, on different dates.
•   An information package including a user guide and a 2012 to 2014 waste collection schedule will be delivered to homes inside their green cart.
•   Solid Waste Resources will exchange residents’ blue or grey carts, if they prefer a different size.
•   Automated curbside collection of carts for some households will start as early as Monday, November 5. This is dependent on each household’s collection schedule and collection day.
•   As of Monday, September 17, the Solid Waste Resources customer service desk is extending its hours of operation to accommodate residents' phone calls and emails throughout the transition to carts.

Background
The City’s cart collection system will be phased in over three years, starting this fall. One-third, approximately 15,000, of Guelph homes will receive their carts, starting Monday, September 24, 2012. The second phase will take place in 2013 and the third and final phase in 2014.
Prior to cart distribution, residents were asked to choose the size of the blue and grey carts that best meets the needs of their household. When making cart selections, residents were encouraged to consider the amount of recyclables and garbage they accumulate within a two week time period. Currently, with the bag system recyclables are collected weekly, however with the roll out of the carts, this will change to biweekly (every other week). Garbage will continue to be collected biweekly.
Guelph is one of the few municipalities to offer residents the option of customized cart size orders as a customer service offering.
This year, approximately 68 per cent of households provided their size preference orders to the City. To accommodate the delivery of these custom orders, households will receive their carts over a six-week period, ending Friday, November 2, 2012. The three carts will arrive at homes separately, on different dates.
The carts will be collected at the curb in November. Households currently following the Week A collection schedule will continue to do so, and are asked to place their green and grey carts at the curb for collection the week of November 5, on their regular collection day. The following week, they will place the green and blue carts at the curb.

Homes following the Week B collection schedule, will place their green and grey carts at the curb for collection starting the week of Monday, November 12 on their regular collection day. The following week, they will place the green and blue carts at the curb.
As of Monday, September 17, the Solid Waste Resources customer service desk is extending its hours of operation to accommodate residents' phone calls and emails throughout the transition to carts. The new hours of operation are Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

Q&A on New Guelph Garbage Bins:

New questions and answers
(For a complete list, visit guelph.ca/waste > FAQs.)

When will I receive my carts?
The City’s cart program will be phased in over three years, starting this fall. To find out when your neighbourhood will receive carts, visit guelph.ca/waste and view the map or call Solid Waste Resources at 519-767-0598.

Households scheduled to receive carts this fall, will start receiving their carts on Monday, September 24. The cart delivery process will take place over six-weeks, ending November 2. Please note, you may not receive all three of your carts on the same day or within the same week, and you may not receive your carts the same day as your neighbours. If you have not received all three of your carts by November 2, please contact Solid Waste Resources.

When should I start using my carts?
Start using your carts this November.

If your household follows the Week A collection schedule, starting the week of Monday, November 5, on your regular collection day, place your green and grey carts at the curb for collection. The following week, place your green and blue carts at the curb.

If your household follows the Week B collection schedule, starting the week of Monday, November 12, on your regular collection day, place your green and grey carts at the curb for collection. The following week, place your green and blue carts at the curb.

Your collection schedule for 2012 to 2014 will be delivered within your green cart. Alternatively, you can visit guelph.ca/waste or call Solid Waste Resources at 519-767-0598.

Until then, continue to use green, blue and clear plastic bags.

Can I exchange my blue or grey cart for a different size?
If you prefer a different blue or grey cart size than what you receive, contact Solid Waste Resources for an exchange, free of charge.
Where will I place my carts for collection?
Place your carts at the curb or in the mouth of your driveway no later than 6:30 a.m. If your property is beside a...
•   curb: place them about 30 centimetres or one foot away from the curb.
•   gravel shoulder: place them along the outside edge of the shoulder.
•   public lane: place them as close as possible to the edge of the public lane.

The lid of your cart should open toward the street. Point the arrow on the lid of each cart to the street.

Open the latch on the green cart and keep the lids of the carts closed.

Allow one arm’s length clearance (one metre or 39 inches) on all sides of each cart. You may also place individual carts on opposite sides of your driveway.

Remove your carts from the curb by 7 p.m. on your collection day and return them to your storage area.

Some tips for collection:
•   Place items loosely in the cart. Do not force them in.
•   Only material inside the carts will be collected. Do not leave bags or items beside or on top of your carts.
•   Ensure the carts are not too full and the lid can close.
•   Keep lids closed.
•   Open the latch on the green cart for collection.

Where will I store my carts?
Your carts can be stored wherever you currently keep your waste bags — in the garage, backyard, outdoor storage unit, covered porch or balcony, the side of your home or in your front yard, against your home, garage or fence. The carts can’t be stored on a road, road allowance or boulevard.

Some houses, apartments and townhomes have extremely limited storage space. City employees are available to work with you or your property manager to find site-specific solutions for storing your carts. For more information, contact Solid Waste Resources.
Will the yard waste collection program continue?
You can top up your green cart with leaves and yard waste each week, throughout the entire year, for curbside collection. The City will continue to provide spring and fall yard waste collection to all Guelph homes until 2014—when everyone is using green carts. Alternatively, drop off yard waste free of charge at the Waste Resource Innovation Centre, 110 Dunlop Drive.

Keep it in your yard! Yard waste and leaves can provide vital nutrients to your lawn and gardens. For more information, visit guelph.ca/healthylandscapes.

Excess leaves can also be raked to the curb during Loose Leaf Collection each fall, for details visit guelph.ca > seasonal information.

What if I have more garbage, recycling or organic waste than space in the carts?
As of October 29, 2012, additional blue and grey carts can be purchased at cost from the Waste Resource Innovation Center at 110 Dunlop Drive.

Size of Cart   Cost
Small (80 litre)   $25
Medium (120 litre)   $28
Large (240 litre)   $41
Extra large (360 litre)   $45

Green carts are not for sale. Based on research of comparable municipalities, the 80-litre cart is larger than the volume of the organic carts provided in other municipalities and will accommodate the needs of large families and houses with an accessory apartment.

You can bring additional waste to the Waste Resource Innovation Center for a disposal fee.

For oversized items (e.g. furniture), you can continue to use the Bulky Item Collection program.

Guelph's New Garbage Bins:

More info:

Good afternoon Mayor Farbridge and Councillors,

I’d like to provide you with an important update on the implementation of Guelph’s conversion to fully automated cart collection.

The 2012 waste cart roll out to one-third of Guelph households will take place over a six-week period, starting Monday, September 24.

At this time, residents will receive a comprehensive carts user guide and 2012 to 2014 collection schedule in their green cart. E-copies are attached and hard copies, once available, will be delivered to your City Hall office.

September 13 to 21, Solid Waste Resources staff will deliver a door hanger to these homes with key dates about the cart roll out. Please see attached.

Upcoming key dates
•   September 17
o   Solid Waste Resources customer service desk extends hours of operation
•   September 20
o   Advertising and promotion begins
•   September 24
o   Cart delivery begins
•   November 2
o   Cart delivery ends
•   November 5*
o   Automated cart collection begins
*Dependent upon the collection schedule a household follows.

15,000 Residents to Get New Garbage Bins:

First 15,000 households to receive waste carts starting September 24
Carts to be placed at the curb this November for new automated collection

GUELPH, ON, September 13, 2012 – The delivery of Guelph's first green, blue and grey waste carts to one-third of city neighbourhoods, approximately 15,000 households, starts Monday, September 24.
Homes will receive a food scraps container to keep in the kitchen and three carts: an 80-litre green cart for organics, a blue cart for recyclables and a grey cart for garbage. The carts will be used instead of plastic bags to place household waste at the curb for collection. An information package including a user guide and a 2012 to 2014 waste collection schedule will be delivered inside the green cart.
"The carts, through residents' participation, support the City's efforts to produce less waste per capita than any comparable Canadian city and divert 65 per cent of Guelph's waste from landfill by 2016," says Dean Wyman, General Manager of Solid Waste Resources.
Earlier this year, households had the option to select their blue and grey cart size preferences from four options, to suit their needs. To accommodate each customized order, the delivery will take place over a six-week period, ending Friday, November 2. The three carts will arrive at homes separately, on different dates. If a household does not receive all three carts by November 2, they are asked to contact Solid Waste Resources.
At the curb, via the new automated system, the green cart will be collected each week and the blue and grey carts will be collected biweekly, on alternate weeks.
Cart collection begins this November. Depending on the collection schedule a household currently follows, either Week A or B, cart collection starts as early as Monday, November 5.
"The automated system is regarded as a municipal best practice and is faster, more efficient and requires four fewer trucks on Guelph's roads," says Dean Wyman. "This helps decrease Guelph's carbon footprint, contributes to better air quality and generates annual financial savings for the City of approximately $460,000."
As of Monday, September 17, the Solid Waste Resources customer service desk is extending its hours of operation to accommodate residents' phone calls and e-mails throughout the transition to carts. The new hours of operation are Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
More information is available on guelph.ca/waste or by contacting Solid Waste Resources by telephone at 519-767-0598 or email at waste@guelph.ca.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Heather Connell
Manager, Integrated Services
Solid Waste Services
Planning, Building, Engineering and Environmental Services
T 519-822-1260 x 2082
E heather.connell@guelph.ca

Operational Review Info:

Streamlining City processes for planning and development:

GUELPH, ON, September 13, 2012 – The second report of a review of the City’s planning and development practices makes several recommendations to strengthen the City’s processes and make it easier for the Guelph business community to deal with the City on planning and development matters.
Recommendations for a new service delivery model focus on streamlining City processes, such as striking an interdepartmental committee involving Planning, Engineering, Building Services and Enterprise Services, implementing a pre-consultation process for development applications and reinstating a one-step engineering review process. The report also makes recommendations to improve communications among City departments and with business and other community stakeholders.
Steps already completed or underway by the City that address the report’s findings include finalizing several significant planning and urban design projects, developing a business retention and expansion program, streamlining the process for registering subdivisions and condominiums and formalizing the planning and development application processes. Earlier this year, the approval process for minor revisions to site plans was simplified and a triage process for economic development was implemented.
“We welcome business investment in our community,” said Janet Laird, Executive Director, Planning, Building, Engineering and Environment. “The recommendations in this report will make it easier to do business with the City and, as a result, contribute to providing an excellent quality of life for Guelph residents.”
“The Guelph Chamber of Commerce is committed to providing support through the expertise in Guelph’s business community as the Joint Operational Review moves from analyzing operations to developing an action plan to implement the recommendations,” said Lloyd Longfield, President and Chief Administrative Officer, Guelph Chamber of Commerce.
The study that led to the report, Integrated Operational Review of Planning, Building, Engineering and Enterprise Services and the Development Review Process, was prepared by CGA Management Consultants with IBI Group. It cost $70,000.
An oversight committee for the review includes representatives from the Guelph Chamber of Commerce, the Guelph Wellington Developers’ Association and the local development consulting and real estate sectors. They will be invited to review the recommendations and discuss their implementation.

A link to the Phase 2 Report can be found HERE.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Janet Laird
Executive Director
Planning, Building, Engineering and Environment
T 519-822-1260 x 2237
E janet.laird@guelph.ca

Todd Salter
General Manager, Planning and Building Services
Planning, Building, Engineering and Environment
T 519-822-1260 x 2395
E todd.salter@guelph.ca

MPAC Assessments Out this Week:

GUELPH, ON, September 10, 2012 – This week, property owners in Guelph will receive a notice from the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) stating the updated assessed value of their property. The City will use the reassessed property values to calculate property taxes between 2013 and 2016.

“Every four years, MPAC reassess properties across Ontario to align their assessed values with current market values,” says Gail Nisbet, Manager of Taxation and Revenue. “The last reassessment occurred in 2008 and MPAC is simply updating their records to reflect changing property values.”

MPAC will phase in increased property values over the next four years. This phased-in approach helps stabilize the potential impact on property taxes.

“For example, between 2008 and 2012 a property may have increased in value by $40,000. Rather than using the new higher value immediately, MPAC increases the assessed value by $10,000 in each of the next four years to provide some predictability for property owners,” adds Nisbet. “A decrease in assessed value would be applied immediately.”

An increased property assessment does not necessarily increase taxes. MPAC’s reassessment simply redistributes the tax burden among individual properties and property classes.

The City of Guelph applies local tax rates to MPAC property assessments to calculate the taxes to be paid on each property. The tax rate is based on revenue needed to pay for municipal services like police, fire and ambulance services, road maintenance, repairs and snow removal, waste collection, parks, pools, libraries, community centres and public transit.

Other factors also determine the property tax rate including tax policy decisions and education levy changes as determined by the Provincial government.

About the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC)
MPAC is a not-for-profit, independent corporation responsible for providing property owners, tenants, municipalities and government and business stakeholders with consistent and accurate property assessments. Property owners are welcome to contact MPAC with any questions about their property assessment at 1-866-296-6722 or MPAC.ca.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Gail Nisbet, Manager
Taxation and Revenue
T 519-822-1260 x 2316
E gail.nisbet@guelph.ca

Child Abuse Prevention Info:

Family & Children’s Services
of Guelph and Wellington County
invites you to the launch of
Child Abuse Prevention Month
Guelph City Hall Galleria
Carden Street, Guelph
Thursday, October 4, 2012 at 11:00 a.m.
The purple ribbon is the symbol of
child abuse prevention
Help protect children in your community!

Decision on the Wilson Farm House?

Sent: September-04-12 2:48 PM
To: JUS-G-MAG-CRB
Subject: Simmonds Drive - Wilson Farm house decision?

Good day,

I’m just wondering if there is an idea of when the 80 Simmonds Drive, Guelph decision would be made?

Thank you,

Cam Guthrie
www.ward4news.ca
226-820-5080
Ward 4 Councillor – City of Guelph

Response: Sept 11th, 2012:

Good Day,

The decision is being drafted and there is no estimated timeframe as to when it will be issued. I will make note of your inquiry.
Regards,
L.

Get Ready for a Delay on Victoria Rd.

Mayor and Councillors

We understand that there have been inquiries from the public about the status of the reconstruction of Victoria Road South between Arkell Road and MacAlister Boulevard. The following is a summary regarding the project status.

To date, the City’s contractor has completed the majority of underground servicing work and has reconstructed the majority of the roadway up to granular base material. Work by utilities to relocate their plant is primarily on schedule and should be complete over the next week.

With utility work being completed, the remaining work to be constructed includes retaining walls, road widening at the Torrance Creek crossing and installation of remaining deep underground servicing work. The majority of the remaining underground servicing work is related to future development along this corridor. Some of this servicing work was not originally anticipated at the start of the project but by undertaking this work now, we will avoid future project co-ordination requirements and closing of Victoria Road South to service these lands.

The deep underground servicing work has been delayed due to high groundwater issues and the need to secure a permit to take water from the provincial Ministry of the Environment (MOE). The MOE permit has recently been received and the contractor is now scheduled to start this work later this month.

At this point, the project is approximately five weeks behind schedule primarily due to the time delay to receive the MOE permit to take water and the additional underground servicing work. Instead of completing the reconstruction and opening Victoria Rd South by the end of October as originally planned and presented to the public, we now expect an early December opening subject to weather and any further other unforeseen delays.

The second phase of Victoria Road South reconstruction from Stone Road to MacAlister Boulevard is scheduled for 2013. When completed, Victoria Road South between Stone and Arkell will have a four lane section and three lane section, bicycle lanes, curb and gutter and sidewalks along with underground services.

Please do not hesitate to contact the City’s Project Manager, Brad Hamilton (519 837-5604 ext 2319 or brad.hamiliton@guelph.ca) or me, should you have any questions or require further information.

Don Kudo, P. Eng. | Manager,Infrastructure Planning, Design & Construction
Engineering Services | Planning,Building, Engineering and Environment
City of Guelph

T 519-837-5604 x 2490 | F 519-822-6194
E don.kudo@guelph.ca

guelph.ca

WARD 4 TOWNHALL MEETING!

September 20th, 2012 Ward 4 Townhall meeting!

Here's the details:

Thursday, September 20
6:30-8:30 p.m. Lion’s Lair
West End Recreation Centre
21 Imperial Road South Ward 4

Information about this and other upcoming events will be posted at guelphwellbeing.ca.

About the Guelph Community Wellbeing Initiative:

Guelph Transit Fare Hike:

Guelph Transit implementing improved service, fare increase
Service updates include new routes, platform locations, and more frequent service.

GUELPH, ON, August 20, 2012 – On September 2, Guelph Transit will implement new route changes to add capacity and improve service to residents, visitors and students.
As part of the Guelph Transit Growth Strategy, providing service to growth areas allows the City to move toward its long-term vision of making transit the preferred transportation choice in Guelph.

Transit changes effective September 2 will include:

•   Extension of Route 5 Gordon from the University Centre to Guelph Central Station. Riders will be able to travel from the south to downtown on one bus.
•   New base Route 16 Southgate serving both residents and businesses in the south end.
•   Minor schedule adjustments to Route 2B.
•   Platform changes at Guelph Central Station and University Centre.
•   New Route 56 Victoria Express.
•   University Express Routes 50, 57, and 58 will increase frequency to 15 minute service.
“These service updates will make riding Guelph Transit more efficient and help riders get to their destinations faster,” said Michael Anders, General Manager, Guelph Transit. “We’re listening and responding to riders’ concerns, and these updated routes will improve service in Guelph’s growing south end.”

Changes to platform locations are based on months of observing transfer patterns in Guelph Central Station and the University Centre.

In addition to platform and route changes, a fare increase will be implemented on September 1 as approved by City Council in January 2012. Tickets and passes will increase by three to four per cent, cash fares will remain at three dollars. Prices for Affordable Bus passes will not change until January 1, 2013.
For more information on Guelph Transit route and platform changes and fare increases, please visit guelphtransit.ca.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Michael Anders
General Manager
Guelph Transit
Operations, Transit and Emergency Services
T 822-1260 x 2795
E michael.anders@guelph.ca

New Downtown Parking Lot Open:

City to open new temporary downtown parking lot:

GUELPH, ON, August 21, 2012 – A new temporary parking lot on Wyndham Street in downtown Guelph will open on or about Monday, August 27.
The lot is part of the Baker Street redevelopment site and will be in place until the redevelopment of the land begins.
"We want to take advantage of the land prior to its redevelopment by creating more parking in downtown Guelph," said Anna Marie O'Connell, supervisor, parking facilities and downtown farmers’ market.
City Council will consider financial and purchasing options for the Baker Street redevelopment project in 2013. Plans for the site include a new Guelph Public Library, public parking and significant private development.

The temporary Wyndham Street lot will have 46 spaces. Permit and hourly parking will be available for $75 plus HST per month or $1.75 per hour.

Library Dinner Event:

Please join us on Friday, September 14th from 5:00 – 6:00 pm at Victoria Park East Golf Club (1096 Victoria Road South) to learn more about the plans for a New Main Library in Guelph while enjoying complimentary beverages & appetizers! The Guelph Public Library along with the generous donation of Meridian are pleased to invite you to a pre-dinner reception with Library Board members and Senior Library Management staff. If you are golfing, please join us after your game for this meet and mingle.

It’s not too late to reserve your dinner spot for just $35 per person! Purchase your tickets in advance before September 8th at any library location or through Kirsten Bester at 519-824-6220, x302. The evening will be hosted by Magic 106.1 personality, Kevin Kelly. Don’t miss out on all the great raffle items and silent auction prizes!

For more information, contact Kirsten Bester, Fund Development Officer at kbester@library.guelph.on.ca

Thank you for supporting and investing in your public library!

Lisa Cunningham
Marketing & Communications Coordinator
Guelph Public Library
100 Norfolk Street
Guelph, ON
N1H 4J6
519-824-6220. ext. 239
lcunningham@library.guelph.on.ca
www.library.guelph.on.ca

Watermain Cleaning Schedule:

Hello Mayor Farbridge and Members of Council,

Please be advised that, beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 4, Water Services will be completing the fall component of our semi-annual Watermain Cleaning Program.

At this point, we plan to be completed by Friday, Sept 28th.

This fall, licensed water distribution operators will clean approximately 77 kilometres of watermain on weekdays between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Areas to be cleaned are outlined in the attached map.

Customer notification and service activities will include:
•   Local newspaper advertising starting this week and continuing to program end;
•   Local radio advertising starting next week and continuing to program end;
•   Bulk mail notices delivered to all affected customers the week prior to cleaning;
•   Delivery of door hanger notices to all customers on the day before they experience an interruption in water service;
•   Press release distributed this week announcing program start and where customers can get more information;
•   Signage (4 signs) located at key entry points to the areas affected;
•   Posting of relevant information on City web site, including detailed mapping, press release, and Frequently Asked Questions; and
•   24/7 customer telephone support (regular hours – 519-837-5627, after hours – 519-658-8033).

We anticipate a number of customer inquiries related to the program and are committed to limiting customer inconvenience while ensuring program success.

Please contact Water Services if you require additional program information and please direct customer inquiries our way.

Thanks for your support.

Peter L. Busatto | General Manager, Guelph Water Services
Planning, Building, Engineering and Environment | Water Services
City of Guelph

T 519-837 -5627 x 2165 | F 519-822 -8837
E peter.busatto@guelph.ca

G.U.F.F Summer Newsletter:

GUFF newsletter September 2012

2012 Summer activities past and ongoing:

June 10-17th we had the Annual Two Rivers Festival in Royal City Park. There were hikes along the rivers, tree identification activities, juggling, discussions, music and a general celebration of our two Heritage Rivers: The Speed River and the Eramosa River.
Do you know our rivers? Do you know where they begin and end? Do you enjoy their tree diversity along the green corridor on both sides as they slide through Guelph? You won't want to miss the second Annual Two Rivers Festival in 2013 so stay tuned.

2012 Tree Quote contest   Send entries to guffguelph@gmail.com

Guthrie Park and our "New Forest". With the guidance of Moritz Sanio of Trees for Guelph, local residents have helped to plant and water the new forest at the end of Echo Drive in Guthrie Park. Great diversity of species and size plus the little native wildflower plants underneath the trees will enhance this area. Come and see the New Forest and watch it grow. Let us know if you want to be on the list for the bucket brigade when we need it water or weed them now and then. (Usually takes an hour on a late Saturday afternoon.)
Saturday, Sept 15th, join the "Discovery Walk"
This 1 hour walk will link you to three tree sites in Guelph. (two of them orchards and the “new forest” at Guthrie Park.
The event starts at 9:30am at Harcourt Memorial United Church on Dean Ave where 11 trees will be planted. There will be some explanations of the projects, the fruit and nut trees chosen and their value to our community. Of course there will be photo ops also and then the walks begin.

At 10:30 the first group will leave the Harcourt Community Orchard and visit the Guthrie Park new forest and then the Guelph Community Orchard Project at the Guelph Community Christian School.
At 10:45am the second group leaves
At 11:00am the last and third group leaves, if there is need for this group.

Then all are welcome back at the community barbeque at Harcourt Church.
If you would like to sign up for the event/walks, it would give us an indication of numbers. (But don’t let that stop you from coming.) There will be local food related displays in the Harcourt Gymnasium. Come and network and pick up some ideas and local produce. Or attend the workshop on fruit tree care.

The whole idea of planting fruit and nut tree orchards is to increase food security in our community and to contribute to making a positive difference in our environment.

“Roots of Resistance to Climate Change”                                                       “I don’t think we really know how climate change is going to affect our native tree species,” says Janet McKay, executive director and founder of Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests (LEAF), a non-profit that subsidizes the planting of trees and vegetation on private property in Toronto and York Region.
“But we do plant Carolinian species, things like tulip trees, Kentucky coffee trees, eastern redbud.
“These are species that would be at the northern edge of their range here in Toronto. But in downtown Toronto you have the heat-island effect, so these species do well. But as the climate changes and temperatures increase, the range where we can plant those will begin to shift north.”
Trees take up the carbon dioxide spewed by our cars and exhale oxygen. At the same time, they sweep the air of pollution. They suck up rainwater and keep it from taxing our storm drains. Their shade helps reduce air temperature, cuts our air-conditioning costs and provides shelter from the sun. They give our wildlife food and habitat. Even the sound of a breeze rustling through the leaves makes us feel cooler.
In other words, trees are not only good at staving off climate change, they’re also good at helping us adapt to it.
To read the entire article by Antonia Zerbiasis go to: http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/article/1243379--the-benefits-of-trees-in-avoiding-and-adapting-to-climate-change
TREES are on the front lines of our changing climate.http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/12/opinion/why-trees-matter.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120412
SEED SAVERS! Help needed ( from Neighbourwoods in Elora)                Green Legacy is having trouble finding tree seeds this year. They are asking for help. If you see seeds from any of the following species, please collect them and contact :                                                                                                          toni ellis     neighbourwoods@eloraenvironmentcentre.ca
You don’t need to do viability tests. Green Legacy will do that. Beside each species in the list below is when you are likely to see the seeds – although as you have noticed, the trees are confused, so this is a rough guide.
Maple (Sugar and Black) – September
Ohio Buckeye – September
Paper Birch – August
Hickories – October
Redbud – September
Dogwoods – August
Walnut – September
Tulip Tree – September
Ninebark – September
Cherries – August
Oaks – September
Common Elderberry – August
Meadowsweet – September

The John McCrae Victory Arboretum
was officially opened at Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute on June 18th. That morning, a short ceremony took place on the campus as they unveiled the outdoor information board that officially announced their campus as the first high school arboretum in Canada.
GUFF attended along with many other tree enthusiasts and groups.The board shows map locations of over 100 tree species and informs the public, of the importance of urban forestry. Since 2007, teacher Lloyd Lewis, students and some staff worked hard to increase the indigenous tree species from 25 to 100+ Guelph is lucky to have this dedicated diversity and care!

GUFF presents:
Nature in the Neighbourhood Photo Contest 2012

Our second photo contest aimed at Guelph secondary school students will take place during September and October. We have partnered with Nature in the Neighbourhood to offer teachers an opportunity to take their classes on neighbourhood discovery walks led by a naturalist. Suggested subject areas include science, art and communication technology The walks will be documented with photography and then these photos can be submitted to the photo contest. Any secondary school student will be welcome to submit photos to the contest under 3 new categories to be unveiled shortly.
If you are a teacher in the public, separate or independent school system who wishes information please let GUFF know! We will be doing drop offs or mailings to all schools in September, but appreciate direct contacts.
Again we will hold community art shows with the winners and this year will have some additional prizes as well. This contest is generously supported by The Stone Store, Meridian Credit Union and Kloepfer Framing and Gallery.

www.guffguelph.ca

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is NOW." Better still, let's care for and preserve the ones we have.

You have received this email because you indicated an interest in the work we are doing and signed up to receive news from us. If at any time you wish to be removed, please simply hit reply and let us know. Thanks.

More Info on Closing Downtown Streets:

Mayor Farbridge and members of Council:

I am writing to you on behalf of the Downtown Nightlife Taskforce in relation to the recent media reports regarding the upcoming operational approaches to managing the Downtown nightlife. First and foremost, on behalf of the Taskforce, please accept our sincere apologies for learning of this via the media. The Taskforce did put in place a communications strategy which included an operational briefing note intended for Council. Members of the Taskforce completed the final planning yesterday and the intent was to forward the final plan to Council and stakeholders. Regrettably, a member of the Guelph Police Service in conversation with the media prematurely released information. This error ought not reflect on the continued great work of the Downtown Nightlife Task Force.

Overview of the plan:

In 2011, the Guelph Police Service made several alterations as part of its policing operations including significant additions of foot patrol officers in the Downtown as well as a mobile team of officers dedicated to the University area and south-end of Guelph to address neighbourhood complaints to work in partnership with By-law and the U of Guelph Off-Campus Coordinator. Despite challenges on Homecoming day as well as neighbourhood concerns, several gains were made in the Downtown core including a reduction in disturbances, assaults and violent activity. Public fouling, littering and other mischiefs continued to present concerns with Downtown merchants and citizens.

As part of the 2011 debriefing of Project Safe Semester and Homecoming, the Downtown Nightlife Taskforce hosted a series of meetings with Neighbourhood Associations and reviewed all areas in an effort to enhance the collective community response to both Downtown concerns as well as neighbourhood quality of life concerns. The intent was to continue to move toward implementing proactive strategies versus solely reactive measures while maximizing the various resources of all collaborating agencies.

With the introduction of the new Transit Terminal and re-opening of Wyndham Street – the Taskforce discussed the potential to introduce several initiatives including:

•   Street Closures (Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11pm to 4am) – impacting on-street parking

Anticipated Outcomes:
o   Access to all municipal lots remain accessible
o   Promote transit as the best and safest option
   Guelph has one of the highest per capita impaired driving rates in Ontario
o   Access for all emergency services including staging of EMS and Police within the road closures
o   Reduce over-crowding on sidewalks when entry lines for liquor establishments are at maximum during peak hours.
o   Pedestrian walkway intended to reduce the ‘jostling’ of persons on the sidewalks which often escalates into disturbances
o   Reduce the risk of pedestrian collisions
o   Efficient and promote friendly environment that maximizes foot and bicycle police patrols versus mobile patrol – more engagement

•   Transportation – Designated Taxi Stands (Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11pm to 4am)

Anticipated Outcomes:
o   New Transit Hub is video monitored allowing Police and By-law enhanced opportunities to follow up on incidents while monitoring activities
o   New Transit Hub lighting promotes a safe environment
o   New Transit Hub platform accommodates large masses of people reducing ‘jostling’
o   Implement Taxi Stand at Wyndham Street and Cork Street
o   Implement Taxi Stand at Wyndham Street and Fountain Street
o   Taxi Stand monitored by security courtesy of DGBA
o   Creates safe environment for Transit and Taxi operators reducing fear and improved labour relations
o   Creates three distinct flows of traffic out of the Downtown Core when large masses of people are leaving
o   Reducing pedestrians entering traffic in attempt to ‘flag’ taxi cabs
o   Reduce property damage to merchants properties, vehicles as the crowd mass will be directed out of the Downtown in three separate directions.

•   Public Fouling and Littering
o   Implement accessible portable washrooms to reduce public fouling (attempts to encourage business owners to open their washrooms remains a priority and significant challenge)
o   Police will continue to enforce public fouling and littering through application of appropriate By-law and provincial legislation

Attached is a map highlighting the road closures and transportation which will be available to every University Student via their welcome package as well as will promoted to local media outlets and the various stakeholder websites.

The Downtown Guelph Business Association has produced the Map in partnership with the city of Guelph and U of Guelph. The Taskforce has worked diligently to promote a safe environment while ensuring a collaborative approach which included consultation with the Downtown Neighbourhood Association.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact any member of the Downtown Nightlife Taskforce.

Again, please accept our apologies for the communication error, it was unintended and unfortunate. More information from the Guelph Police Service related to Project Safe Semester and Homecoming policing plans will follow in the coming days as we finalize our staffing implementation plan.

With respect,

Bryan

Bryan M. Larkin
Chief of Police
Guelph Police Service
15 Wyndham Street South
Guelph ON N1H 4C6
T. 519.824.1212 ext. 210
F. 519.822.0949
guelphpolice.com

Guelph Credit Rating Update 2012:

Guelph’s credit rating moving from good to great
"AA" rating upgraded based on healthy local economy and manageable debt

GUELPH, ON, August 24, 2012 – Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has reaffirmed Guelph’s current "AA" credit rating, and upgraded the City’s outlook from "stable" to “positive.”

“This Council has implemented several new financial policies," says Mayor Karen Farbridge. "Our improved credit rating shows they’re paying off."

Guelph’s low unemployment rate was a key factor in the rating improvement, along with the city’s diversified local economy.

Standard & Poor’s also noted the City’s continuing efforts to manage its debt by focusing on infrastructure renewal and replacement, reducing debt-financed projects, and deferring growth-related projects into future years. The City’s increasing liquid assets and reserves also influenced Standard & Poor’s outlook assessment.

"Guelph is growing and this research shows we’re financially prepared to manage that growth in a way that’s affordable and sustainable,” says Al Horsman Guelph’s Chief Financial Officer.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Peter Cartwright
General Manager
Economic Development
T 519-822-1260 x 2820
E peter.cartwright@guelph.ca

Year End Holiday Closings:

DATE   August 30, 2012

TO   All City Hall Employees

FROM   Lynne MacIntyre
DEPARTMENT   Human Resources

SUBJECT   Season Closure – City Hall December 25, 2012 – January 1, 2013

City Hall will be closed to the public during the year-end holiday period, from Tuesday, December 25, 2012 up to and including Tuesday, January 1, 2013.

December 25, 2012   Christmas Day
December 26, 2012   Boxing Day
December 27, 2012   Float Day
December 28, 2012   Vacation day, banked overtime, floater, etc.
December 31, 2012   Vacation day, banked overtime, floater, etc.
January 1, 2013   New Year’s Day

Tuesday, December 25, 2012 (Christmas Day), Wednesday, December 26, 2012 (Boxing Day) and Tuesday, January 1, 2013 (New Years Day) are the designated Statutory Holidays. There is one (1) Float Day provided to all full-time staff and for the additional 2 days of closure, employees are expected to use vacation leave, banked overtime hours, floater or leave without pay. Vacation and banked overtime hours must have been accrued prior to December 31, 2012. Employees cannot borrow from future vacation entitlements or possible future overtime. Unused vacation earned until December 31, 2012 is eligible for consideration.

While offices will be closed, employees who do not have any vacation, banked overtime or floater time, may be allowed to work during this time if there is work available and it must be approved by the immediate supervisor. It is important that supervisors work with their staff to ensure that employees understand their choices and help them make decisions which will work best for both the employee and the department. Also note that where your department has deemed that a service is necessary/essential, you may be required to work during the Christmas closure.

Departments other than those listed above will develop a holiday schedule that best suits their operational needs. Employees required to work will be scheduled and paid in accordance with the legislated obligations. A separate memo will be forwarded to these departments in this regard.

Emergency protocols will be communicated by departments whose offices are closed over the holiday.

Older Adult Strategy:

Good Evening:
The CESSL division, through the Community and Social Services department has undertaken the development of an Older Adult Strategy for the City of Guelph. This project will ensure that Guelph is a great place to grow up and grow old. The outcome of the project will be a strategy that includes a 10 year implementation plan.
The consultants, The Osborne Group, along with Seniors Services staff have engaged a variety of stakeholders including community members, local service providers and City staff, about ways that we can make Guelph an age-friendly AND age-ready community.
As part of the project we would like to provide information and have input from Mayor Farbridge, Councillors and Executive Team members. Attached is a power point presentation outlining the progress of the project.
You can become involved by:
• Participating in an in-person or telephone conversation, with The Osborne Group, at your convenience
• Written feedback sent to The Osborne Group
Please contact Melodie Zarzeczny at mzarzeczny@osborne-group.com , by September 5th, if you would like to provide further feedback.
Thank You,
Wendy Kornelsen
Wendy.kornelsen@guelph.ca

Lourdes Bus Discontinued:

Mayor Farbridge and Councillors,

Guelph Transit has operated school special runs for many years. The Transit Growth Strategy (TGS) called for a reduction in school specials for various purposes but mainly to streamline and make better use of resources. Transit Operations has been cancelling school specials since January 2012 including the JF Ross Special, Harts Lane Special, GCVI Special and the Centennial Special to better focus bus resources in areas of high demand.

The Lourdes Special consisted of one trip to the school in the morning and one trip from the school in the afternoon. Ridership is very limited and averages a total of 10 to 12 passengers daily. This route was of more value with the old route system as the new TGS routes serve most of the same corridors. As such, we will not be resuming this special in September. The Wellington Catholic District School Board has been informed of our decision and the Guelph Transit website will be updated accordingly.

Thanks.

Michael Anders | General Manager
Community Connectivity and Transit
Operations, Transit & Emergency Services
City of Guelph
T 519-822-1260 x 2795 | F 519-822-1322
E michael.anders@guelph.ca

Elmira Rd & Fife Construction Notice:

Good Morning,

Please find the attached 2 Construction Notices for Elmira Road (between Speedvale Avenue and Woodlawn Road) & Fife Road (between Gateway Drive and Whitelaw Road) as part of the Annual Asphalt program. Elmira Road is scheduled to begin on or about Tuesday, August 28th and Fife Road is scheduled to begin on or about Monday, Sept. 10th. The construction on both Elmira and Fife Roads will take approximately 4 weeks to complete all phases of the asphalt reconstruction.

These notices were hand-delivered to residents and businesses directly affected by the construction. It will be advertised on the City Page in the Guelph Tribune and posted on guelph.ca/construction. Emergency Services and other City staff whose operations may be affected by the construction will be notified.

If you have any further questions, please contact Mr. Doug Wilson (in Grant Ferguson’s absence), at ext. 2292 or via cell – 519-220-9648.

Kindest Regards,

Gwen Barthe, Administrative Coordinator
Engineering Services, Planning, Building, Engineering and Environment
City of Guelph
T 519-822-1260 x 2247 | F 519-822-6194
E gwen.barthe@guelph.ca

ELMIRA ROAD ASPHALT RECONSTRUCTION
Find Out What’s Happening in Your Neighbourhood
What you need to know

As part of the Annual Asphalt program, the City has hired Cox Construction Limited to repair concrete curbs, mill out and remove the existing asphalt surfaces, lower and raise catch basins and manholes and restore the asphalt on Elmira Road between Speedvale Avenue and Woodlawn Road starting on or about Tuesday, August 28, 2012. This work will take approximately four weeks to complete all phases of the work. Improvements to the entrance of Independence Place will also form part of this work.
Access to your property

During construction the contractor will make every effort to maintain access to all driveways, but at times your driveway may be temporarily blocked by construction equipment and/or operations during working hours. All driveways access will be restored by the end of each working day.
The City of Guelph will make every effort to minimize inconvenience during construction. We appreciate your patience, understanding and co-operation during this important infrastructure renewal project.

Transit Routes
Guelph Transit may need to alter their bus stops locations temporarily and to make inquiries about temporary changes please go to transit@guelph.ca or telephone 519-822-1811.
Who to Contact

If you have concerns about day-to-day construction or general questions regarding this reconstruction project please contact:
Grant Ferguson
Program Manager, Technical Services
Engineering Services
Planning, Building, Engineering and Environment
City Hall, 1 Carden St, Guelph ON N1H 3A1
T 519-822-1260 x 2251
E grant.ferguson@guelph.ca
F 519-822-6194

FIFE ROAD ASPHALT RECONSTRUCTION
Find Out What’s Happening in Your Neighbourhood
What you need to know

As part of the Annual Asphalt program, the City has hired Cox Construction Limited to repair concrete curbs, mill out and remove the existing asphalt surfaces, lower and raise catch basins and manholes and restore the asphalt on Fife Road between Gateway Drive and Whitelaw Road starting on or about Monday, September 10, 2012. This work will take approximately four weeks to complete all phases of the work.
Access to your property

During construction the contractor will make every effort to maintain access to all driveways, but at times your driveway may be temporarily blocked by construction equipment and/or operations during working hours. All driveways access will be restored by the end of each working day.
The City of Guelph will make every effort to minimize inconvenience during construction. We appreciate your patience, understanding and co-operation during this important infrastructure renewal project.

Transit Routes
Guelph Transit may need to alter their bus stops locations temporarily and to make inquiries about temporary changes please go to transit@guelph.ca or telephone 519-822-1811.
Who to contact

If you have concerns about day-to-day construction or general questions regarding this reconstruction project please contact:
Grant Ferguson
Program Manager, Technical Services
Engineering Services
Planning, Building, Engineering and Environment
City Hall, 1 Carden St, Guelph ON N1H 3A1
T 519-822-1260 x 2251
E grant.ferguson@guelph.ca
F 519-822-6194

Interesting Info for Guelph Minor Hockey:

Good day,

The City of Guelph offers all registered non-for-profit youth organizations (such as Guelph Minor Hockey) a 47.5% subsidy off their arena ice time rental fees, as well as priority allocation of all our arenas. The City of Guelph provides a lot of support to youth sports in general and specifically to GMHA as broken down with some statistics for the 2011 season for GMHA:

Allocation for 2011:
Total ice hours available for rent (all arenas)   ------ 12,856 hours    100%

Total ice hours rented by youth organizations ---------------------------------------- 8,615 hours       67%
Of the time allocated to only youth, the total ice hours rented by GMHA is ------4,431 hours      51% (of all youth time)

Subsidy for 2011:
Total City taxpayer subsidy to all youth sports (ice, court, pool and field sports groups) ---- $1,062,424     100%
Of this, the total City taxpayer subsidy directly to GMHA is--------- ------------------------------- $497,693        46%

Note: The City of Guelph does not schedule specific practice or game times for individual GMHA leagues/teams. We allocate hours and it is up to GMHA to schedule individual games/practices for their leagues/teams.

I hope this helps to outline the support the City of Guelph taxpayers currently provide to youth sports and directly to GMHA.

Best regards,

Peter C. Avgoustis | Manager, Business Services
Community & Social Services
City of Guelph

T 519-822 -1260 x 2594 | F 519-763 -9240
E peter.avgoustis@guelph.ca

Downtown Roads to Be Closed:

INFORMATION BULLETIN

Downtown task force plans safe start to student semester
GUELPH, ON, August 28, 2012 – Guelph’s Downtown Nightlife Task Force will launch its Safe Semester pilot project this Thursday, August 30. The project is designed to create a safe and enjoyable environment for downtown patrons including the expected influx of students starting school in Guelph this week.

The task force — which includes representatives from the Downtown Guelph Business Association, the Guelph Police Service, the University of Guelph, the City’s by-law compliance and enforcement, public works, downtown renewal, and transit departments, the Downtown Residents’ Neighbourhood Association and several downtown businesses — is working to prevent littering, public urination and other nuisances, and reduce conflicts between pedestrians and drivers getting in and out of downtown on weekends.

What to expect on weekends downtown

On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m.:
•   Macdonell Street will be closed to traffic between Wilson Street and the West Parkade.
•   Wyndham Street will be closed to traffic between Carden Street and Cork Street.
•   Two portable washrooms will be placed at Guelph Central Station on Carden Street.
•   Two portable washrooms will be placed in the Macdonell Street parking lot (one of which will be wheelchair accessible.)
•   One taxi stand will be located at the corner of Wyndham Street and Cork Street.
•   One taxi stand will be located at the corner of Wyndham Street and Fountain Street.
•   All parking lots remain open and accessible.
“We’re hoping the changes in traffic flow will prevent collisions and increase safety for people walking and driving downtown,” says Allister McILveen, Guelph’s traffic and parking manager. “We want everyone to get home quickly and safely at the end of the night.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION
About the Safe Semester Pilot Project

Bryan Larkin
Chief of Police
Guelph Police Service
T 519-824-1212 x 210
E bryan.larkin@police.guelph.on.ca
About road closures and parking

Allister McILveen, Manager
Traffic and Parking
City of Guelph
T 519-822-1260 x 2275
E allister.mcilveen@guelph.ca

Looking for a Director:

August 29th, 2012:

Board of Directors of Guelph Municipal Holdings Inc. (GMHI)
1 vacancy, 2 years to the end of the existing term of Council (November, 2014)

Persons interested in serving on this board shall file an application with the City Clerk by the end of the day on September 13, 2012. Applications are available on the City’s Website (www.guleph.ca) and may also be picked up at the ServiceGuelph counter at City Hall (1 Carden St).

Meetings: A minimum of four per year, with additional meetings as required.

Summary of Duties: Appointees to this Board will act in a strategic governance role, and regularly and as required, advise, inform and make recommendations to the City as Shareholder on matters and opportunities pertaining to GMHI and the corporations held by GMHI.

Qualifications: In addition to sound judgment and personal integrity, qualifications that will be considered an asset include:
•   awareness of Provincial policy frameworks (e.g. Municipal Act and Ontario Business Corporations Act) and the municipal framework in which GMHI operates;
•   awareness of the role GMHI has in achieving the objectives of the City Corporate Strategic Plan and the issues related to operation of the GMHI;
•   expertise in business and entrepreneurship, including private/public partnerships;
•   knowledge of electric utilities, energy conservation and demand management as well as electricity generation;
•   experience on boards of significant commercial corporations;
•   financial, legal, accounting and/or marketing experience; and,
•   knowledge and experience with risk management strategy.

Persons applying for appointment must be over 18 years of age. Non-residents are permitted to submit an application. The City of Guelph is an equal opportunity volunteer recruiter.

Appointments will be made for the remainder of existing term of Council to expire at the end of November, 2014

Persons may direct questions regarding vacancy requirements to Donna Jaques 519-822-1260 ext. 2288. For questions regarding the application process, contact Dolores Black at 519 822-1260 ext 2269.

Blair Labelle, City Clerk
City Hall, 1 Carden Street
Guelph ON N1H 3A1

Summer Hours OVER!

August 30th, 2012:

Just a reminder that summer hours at City Hall cease on Friday, August 31, 2012.

Commencing Tuesday, September 4th City Hall hours will be 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday with a one (1) hour lunch break.

STAFF

Report a Waste of Money:

Letter to the Editor: Guelph Tribune Aug 2nd ,2012:

Report a waste of money

Re: Councillor, mayor disagree on funds (Tribune, July 17)
There appears to be a few with authority at city hall who have become very puffed up and resentful towards anyone who disagrees or questions them.
The mayor believes that the integrity commissioner’s report and fee of $10,400 plus HST was acceptable, and she highly praised it.
I disagree and believe the whole purpose was to muzzle councillors Gloria Kovach and Cam Guthrie, who have shown a lot of integrity and honest concern for the taxpayers. We need more like them.
I would like to thank Cam and Gloria, also councillors Bob Bell, Jim Furfaro and Andy Van Hellemond – keep up the good work.
I hope when the next election rolls around that the citizens of Guelph will remember some of the costly decisions that have been made and vote accordingly.
May the good Lord raise up a few good men to run this city and a mayor who has a heart for the people.
Laura Floyd
Guelph

Council Tax Optics Bad:

Guelph Tribune Editorial:

Thursday, August, 02, 2012

Council optics not good

City council’s recent decision not to consider the repercussions of a zero, one and two per cent tax hike leaves me perplexed. It also leaves me wondering if their air is so rarified they’re lacking oxygen.
This is not to say I am buying into Councillor Cam Guthrie’s political grandstanding as a tax-busting champion of the little guy.
His heart’s in the right place, and there is a logic in his rejected proposal to examine all budget options and possible ramifications.
That said, Guthrie is living in and promoting a black and white world when the reality is many shades of grey. Black and white is sexy, sells and makes for great sound bites. Grey, not so much so.
However, Guthrie is making hay at the expense of the majority who come across as elite know-it-alls. Nothing ticks off an electorate more than condescending politicians telling those who voted for them that they know what’s best.
I read about the recent budget debate from afar while on vacation. The optics are not good and getting a tad tiresome, too. It’s as if residents have no collective memory.
First the death notice. It will cost 8.5 per cent more next year to maintain the same service levels as this year. However, staff will use three per cent as the tax guideline. For this we are supposed to be thankful?
The biggest laugher for me was when it was suggested that just because a three per cent hike is the benchmark, it could come in less. I can foresee a 2.99 per cent increase, perhaps after some financial dipsy-doodling. But does that suffice?
I know all of this sounds most curmudgeonly, but I have to wonder who some members of council are hanging out with. They seem almost insulated from Main Street, Guelph.
Do they realize that while our city may be affluent, not everyone has nice-paying jobs and benefits working at the University of Guelph, City of Guelph, Ontario Ministry of Food and Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and such?
In other words, we are a wealthy public sector town, but there is a good chunk of the population that are working stiffs who probably would like to see how a zero, one and two per cent tax bill would affect their lives.
I have no doubt that the hearts, minds and ideals of the majority who snuffed Guthrie’s budget overtures are in the right place.
However, in politics optics are everything, and their optics are not good.
Perception is reality, and my perception is that the ‘three per centers’ feel that they know what’s best for us and have little faith in their constituents to discern what sacrifices should and should not be made during budget deliberations. cclark@guelphtribune.ca

Construction Notice:

Good Afternoon,

Please find the attached Construction Notice with contacts for:

•   Speedvale Avenue Bridge repairs (between Woolwich Street and Riverview Drive)
o   Scheduled to begin on or about Tuesday, August 7th with approximate completion - 6 weeks
o   Project Manager – Mr. Brad Hamilton, ext. 2319
o   Construction Inspector – Mr. Corey Young (Gamsby & Mannerow),

This notice will be hand-delivered to residents and businesses directly affected. It will be advertised on the City Page in the Guelph Tribune and posted on guelph.ca/construction. Emergency Services and other City staff whose operations may be affected by the construction will be notified.

If you have any further questions, please contact the above or Mr. Richard Henry, at ext. 2248

Speedvale Avenue Bridge Repairs
(Located between Woolwich Street and Riverview Drive)

FIND OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING IN YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD


WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Repair work to the Speedvale Avenue Bridge over the Speed River is scheduled begin on or about Tuesday, August 7, 2012. The work will be undertaken by Maloney and Pepping Construction Limited from Stratford and take approximately 6 weeks to complete. The work involves repairs to the concrete barrier posts, sidewalks and girders on the underside of the bridge deck.

LANE CLOSURES
Speedvale Avenue will be reduced to one lane of traffic in each direction across the bridge throughout the duration of the repair work.

LOCAL ACCESS
Local access to abutting residential properties and businesses will be maintained throughout the duration of the repair work.

CONSTRUCTION INSPECTOR
Corey Young from Gamsby and Mannerow Limited will be providing construction inspection services for the repair work. Please feel free to contact Corey at 226-755-1055 regarding any construction issue.

The City of Guelph appreciates your patience, understanding and co-operation during this important infrastructure project. Construction information and updates are available on the City’s website at guelph.ca/construction.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Brad Hamilton, P.Eng.
Project Engineer,
Engineering Services, PBEE
1 Carden Street
Guelph, ON,   N1H 3A1
T 519-822-1260 x 2319
E brad.hamilton@guelph.ca
   Brad Bunke, P.Eng.
Project Manager,
Gamsby and Mannerow Limited
145 Thames Road West, Unit 4
Exeter, ON   N0M 1S3
T 519-235-2539
E bbunke@gamsby.com

Rebate for Waste Water?

DATE July 27, 2012
TO Madam Mayor and Members of Guelph City Council
FROM Peter Busatto, General Manager
DIVISION Water Services
DEPARTMENT Planning, Building, Engineering and Environment
Wastewater Treatment Volumetric Charge Avoidance Customer Inquiries
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Water Services and Wastewater Services staff received two separate inquiries this week
from members of Council on behalf of constituents seeking relief from wastewater
volumetric charges for water volumes used for consumptive uses (such as irrigation or
evaporative cooling), which are not discharged to the sanitary sewer for later treatment.
In response to these inquiries, staff developed the following response and through this
briefing note is informing senior staff and all members of Council.
Response:
The City’s current Council-approved water and wastewater rate policy requires residents and
local business to pay water and wastewater treatment volume charges for all water
consumed regardless of the end use of the water. Reasons for this policy include the
following:
1) A Rate Structure that Encourages Careful Use and Equity
Council agreed that based on the limited nature of Guelph’s water supply,
reductions in rates would not be applied for high water use, such as water used
for cooling in industry or for irrigation. The current rates support equity in how all
customers are billed;
2) The Expense and Impracticality of Separate Water/Wastewater Metering
With the requirement to use specific industry-approved metering technologies for
customer billing purposes, the separate metering of wastewater flow from
individual customer sewer connections is largely unaffordable in terms of
equipment;
Furthermore, to ensure integrity in business and billing practices, these meters
would also need to be installed by trained staff and read on a regular basis as
part of customer account collection cycles. Collectively, these costs are
anticipated to outweigh some of the financial benefit to customers associated
with installing a separate meter to differentiate outdoor water use;
3) User Pay Principle and the Additional Cost of Seasonal Summer Water Demands
Customers use water for cooling and irrigation usually during hot summer periods
when the local groundwater system is under stress and the cost of pumping this
water is more expensive than at other times of the year;
Additionally, more expensive infrastructure is maintained to support customer
seasonal and fire demands and paid for by all customers even though it benefits
only some customers. According to the user pay principle, increased peak service
charges should be applied to those customers using peak-related services. The
intent of this principle is achieved through the current policy, but could be further
refined in the future through the introduction of water smart meters, to better attribute seasonal utility cost requirements to applicable customers – this equity model is widely accepted for electrical utilities today; and Wastewater treatment costs are higher in summer months based on more stringent treatment requirements for this period. Based on the user pay principle, customers should be paying higher wastewater treatment charges in the summer, although it is unaffordable and impractical for the utility to charge more in the summer at this time. Again, the intent of higher wastewater rates for summer use is achieved through the current rate policy where customers pay full charges for cooling or irrigation water use;
4) Changes from the Current Rate Structure Would Not Necessarily Lead to Lower Customer Bills The loss of a portion of wastewater treatment volume revenue (i.e. irrigation and cooling revenue) by the utility would be offset by either expense reductions (which may not be realized as the majority of operational expenses are fixed in nature and not driven by consumption or lack thereof) or an overall rate increase on the remainder of wastewater customer rates.
Based on the above reasons, Council has supported the current rate structure where all customers pay both water and wastewater volume charges for all water used regardless of the type of use. This policy and billing practice is consistent with that employed by many Ontario municipalities.
To assist customers in alleviating financial impacts of peak season water use the City of Guelph offers numerous educational services to establish outdoor environments requiring less water, irrigation efficiencies and program resources (such as rain barrel sales) to establish systems to capture naturally received precipitation for outdoor use. For more information on these resources please visit the City’s Healthy Landscapes Program website at guelph.ca/healthylandscapes.
Sincerely,
Peter L. Busatto
General Manager, Water Services
Water Services Division
Planning, Building, Engineering and Environment Department
T 519-822-1260 x 2106
F 519-822-8837
E peter.busatto@guelph.ca

Staff Response to Pension Issue:

Hello Madame Mayor/Members of Council, in response to media enquiries seeking comment on correspondence they (and Council) have received from the Fair Pensions For All group, i.e. Bill Tufts, I have as follows:

•   Mr. Tuft’s information is misleading on several fronts.
•   At its July 23rd meeting, Council approved a budget guideline of up to three per cent, including all mandated increases (e.g., OMERS, CPP, EI).
•   The OMERS deficit is not new information and is an actuarial deficit – this is not a situation where OMERS expenditures are greater than contributions received from employers and employees and from investment income. An actuarial deficit is calculated based on projections many years into the future and based on a presumption of “how much would have to be paid tomorrow to everyone in the OMERS pension plan if required to.” An analogy would be if all chartered banks were required to pay all deposits from customers, this would likely place them in a “deficit” position, as well. In both cases, the probability of this occurring is highly unlikely.
•   OMERS has had a provincially approved plan in place since 2010 to deal with the actuarial deficit through temporary employer and employee contribution rate increases.
•   At present, there will be no additional burden placed on municipalities including Guelph beyond the current provincially approved plan to fund the actuarial deficit as implied in Mr. Tuft’s correspondence. OMERS projections show an increase to the actuarial deficit to about $9.7 billion by the end of 2012 and to gradually decrease to 0 in the next 10-15 years based on the temporary contribution rate increases already in place.
•   The projections of the “Top Ten” lifetime retirement calculations are misleading. Not all OMERS employees retire at the same time with the same amount of service. The calculation seems to assume a full 35 years of service and OMERS records show that, province wide, the average length of service at retirement is 25 years. Not all retirees collect an OMERS pension for the same number of years for obvious reasons.
•   The Municipal Employer Pension Centre of Ontario, a nonprofit corporation through the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, which represents municipal interests – researches, advocates and provides municipal perspective on pension matters directly through to OMERS – is advocating on behalf of all municipalities for affordable pensions.
•   OMERS currently has $55 billion in assets. In 2011, OMERS collected $2.7 billion in contributions, which are paid 50 per cent by employers and 50 per cent by employees, unlike other public sector pensions, and paid $2.4 billion to retirees.

If you have further questions, please feel free to contact me. Regards.”

For Mayor/Members of Council, if you have further questions, please contact me. Regards.

Mark Amorosi |Executive Director
Corporate and Human Resources
City of Guelph

Summer Break Stays for Council:

Article from Guelph Tribune: July 26th, 2012:

See you in September: Summer recess remains

By Doug Hallett
Guelph Tribune

City council won’t be meeting again until early September, and Coun. Cam Guthrie doesn’t like that at all.

However, Guthrie’s bid to eliminate the summer recess from next year’s council schedule was defeated Monday on a 7-4 vote.

“We’d have eight more decision points” during a four-year council term if an early-in-the-month planning meeting and a late-in-the-month regular council meeting were scheduled for August, as they are for other months of the year, Guthrie said.

“I think there are some valid reasons why we should be working throughout the year for the residents,” he said.

“I never take August off,” Coun. Leanne Piper responded. Councillors are “still on duty” in August even if they aren’t going to committee and council meetings, she said.

As well as allowing councillors to catch up on their constituency work or vacation with their families, the August break is also recognition that city staff need time off, Piper said.
City residents appreciate a break from being concerned about council issues, said Coun. Lise Burcher. “It’s nice just to slow things down . . . it’s not just about us.”

Coun. Ian Findlay compared the city with senior levels of government, which have extended breaks. “If the federal government can take most of the summer off and still manage the affairs of the nation, we should be able to take one month off.”

Coun. Bob Bell said he’d like to see a reduced schedule of meetings in August that could be cancelled if the meetings are not needed.

Although city hall occasionally adds a meeting in August if it’s needed, it is not easy for a councillor to succeed in getting an August council meeting held, Bell said.

Mayor Karen Farbridge strongly disagreed with Guthrie’s motion. “It would be going back to an old way of doing business” at Guelph city hall, she said. “Summer meetings do not serve the community.”

Farbridge said a break from being engaged in the “relentless cycle” of committee and council meetings is not only healthy, but it also frees up city staff to deal with other issues, including those raised by residents.

A lot of staff who have already taken their vacations by August find the month is a good time to do highly productive work, she said. “I’ve heard that summer is when you get work done.”

If anything, Farbridge said, council should consider increasing rather than decreasing the breaks from council’s normal meeting schedule. January might be a good month for this, she suggested.

Voting with Guthrie were Bell, Jim Furfaro and Andy Van Hellemond.

Councillors Gloria Kovach and Maggie Laidlaw weren’t at Monday’s meeting.

Guelph Council Debates Tax Increase:

Article from Guelph Tribune: July 26th, 2012

Council mulls potential tax rate increases

By Doug Hallett
Guelph Tribune

Coun. Cam Guthrie’s push to get city staff to explore what it would take to keep property taxes from going up in 2013 was turned aside this week by a majority on council.

In a 7-4 vote, council defeated Guthrie’s motion calling for staff to “show the potential implications” of a 2013 budget with a zero increase, a 1% increase and a 2% increase.

Instead, council approved a list of recommendations from senior city staff for preparation of the 2013 budget. The list includes a tax rate guideline of “up to” a 3% increase in the “net tax levy requirement” – the additional money that would need to be raised from property taxes in 2013.

Guthrie said several Ontario cities, including Markham, Hamilton, London and Windsor, seem to be able to avoid tax increases for years in a row.

These cities are “very determined and focused and committed” at both the staff level and the council level “to aim for zero,” he said.

“I think as an organization we should challenge ourselves to aim for less than 3%,” Guthrie said.
Guthrie got support from councillors Jim Furfaro, Bob Bell and Andy Van Hellemond, but most of council lined up against him. Councillors Gloria Kovach and Maggie Laidlaw were absent.

“At best, it is premature in our process,” Mayor Karen Farbridge said of Guthrie’s motion. She said it’s the sort of additional direction that council could give to staff in September, after getting a look at the draft budget prepared by staff over the summer using the guideline of up to 3%.

However, recalling the “disruptions in the community” caused by the city’s 2010 budget, Farbridge said she doubted Guelph residents want to go down that path again.

The 2010 budget, which was crafted to deal with a revenue shortfall of at least $8 million linked to the recession, included numerous service cuts, user fee increases, city hall spending reductions, five unpaid days off by city employees and job cuts at city hall.

Despite all this slashing, the 2010 budget also included a 3.66% increase in the tax levy.

Coun. Lise Burcher said cities that keep tax increases near zero employ major service cuts to get there, and she doesn’t want this for Guelph.

“It is going to be cutting into the meat if we do that,” Coun. Ian Findlay agreed.

Findlay also said Guelph is in the process of scrutinizing many of the things it does. These service reviews could eventually lead to savings in the city’s budgeting, he said.

However, Guthrie said that after talking recently with city CAO Ann Pappert, he doesn’t have confidence in the city’s service review process. He plans to table a motion related to service reviews in the fall for council to debate.

Bell said Guthrie’s motion could lead to useful “prioritization” by staff of spending that might help council bring a 2013 budget in at less than a 3% increase.

Coun. Karl Wettstein said that if council wants to achieve a tax increase lower than 3%, it’s up to councillors to “start talking to people” about how this might be
done, rather than relying too much on city staff.

Wettstein also said it will be tough for staff to even get the budget down to 3%, given the financial numbers contained in a new staff report.

The report says it would cost $15 million, or 8.5%, more to deliver the same level of service in 2013 than it’s costing in 2012.

And, the report says, this doesn’t include any money for new services or service enhancements that might be proposed during the 2013 budget process, which ends in December.

“As in prior years, the intention will be to submit these requests separately from the base budget,” it says.

One of the pressures on the 2013 base budget is an additional $4.4 million needed for salaries and benefits for city employees, the report says.

Another pressure comes from an anticipated 2013 reduction in supplementary revenues – revenues resulting from new taxes billed on new or expanded buildings. Although the city is issuing a lot of building permits, most are for minor residential projects, the report says.

“A lack of new industrial and commercial building permits issued to date in 2012 has caused the estimate for supplementary revenue to be reduced for 2013,” it says.

There is also pressure on the capital budget front, with staff proposing to increase allocations to capital reserves in the 2013 budget by $3.2 million, it says.

To bring the tax levy increase in the base budget down to no more than 3%, staff won’t limit themselves to traditional ways of addressing budget pressures, says the report, which was recommended to council by Al Horsman, the city’s new chief financial officer.

Staff are “committed to exploring non-traditional approaches, including efficiencies, innovative financing, and different reserve and debt ratios to manage the potential pressures identified for 2013,” the report says.

Each 1% reduction in the city’s 2013 budget represents about $1.75 million.

City budgets include money not only for operations under the direct control of city hall, but also for the city’s share of social services controlled by the county and of public health services controlled by the regional health board.

It also includes spending by the police and library boards.

The report says it’s assumed that both the police and library boards will send 2013 operating budgets to the city with a 3% increase over 2012.

However, the Guelph Police Services Board last week approved a 2013 budget of $34.6 million, which is about 5% higher than its 2012 budget.

Guelph Looking to Allow Bags in Bins?

Article from Guelph Mercury: July 26th, 2012:

Guelph wants permission to use bag liners in green waste carts

GUELPH – The City of Guelph is asking the province to relax a provision which would eventually ban bags in the waste collection system.

Specifically, the city wants the Ministry of Environment to revoke a condition in the certificate of approval for the organics processing facility which bans collection of organics via a bag-based system.

Instead the city is seeking permission to use “organic bags,” which are derived from plants or animals and are easily biodegradable.

The issue is to be discussed Thursday evening during the next regular meeting of the organics processing facility’s public liaison committee.

Dean Wyman, the city’s general manager of solid waste resources, said the key complaint officials have heard as they plan to launch a cart-based collection system later this year is that liners can not be used inside the green organic waste carts.

“We’re trying to address residents’ concerns … to be able to use a certain type of compostable bags,” Wyman said, adding most municipalities allow use of bags as liners “and we want the same opportunity for our residents.”

The ministry requires the city to phase-out plastic bags from its organics waste stream over the next three years as the wheeled carts are phased in.

But Ottawa-area composter Orgaworld Canada Ltd. successfully appealed a similar condition in its certificate of approval, opening the door for Guelph to seek a similar relief.

Ken Spira, who lives near the Guelph organics facility and is president of the Guelph Waste Management Coalition, said he is concerned about the city’s application.

Spira noted he understands the restriction on accepting bagged waste was imposed “because of the location of this facility in relation to the residential area, and that odour would be magnified if it comes in in bags” because waste starts to break down faster is enclosed.

Spira said if the facility was not near a residential area “I’d be 100 per cent for the bags … for everyone who has to deal with these (waste) containers without the use of bags.”

Wyman said collecting waste in compostable liners has not been shown to increase odours.

“We’re not concerned about odours at all,” he said.

Wyman said as well as addressing residents’ concerns about being able to use liners in their carts, removing the no-bag restriction would also open up partnership opportunities between the city and other municipalities.

A report to go before the public liaison committee suggests 62 per cent of Ontario municipalities offering separate organics collection allow the use of compostable liners, including 80 per cent of municipalities within 150 kilometres of Guelph.

Wyman said the city has “a little excess capacity” at the facility and could offer that capacity to neighbouring municipalities to generate some revenue, as long as Guelph would be able to accept their waste.

However he stressed this is “a secondary benefit” of using compostable bags, adding he expects Waterloo Region – with which Guelph has a contract – will eventually use any capacity Guelph does not require.

Guelph’s switch to a cart-based system was largely prompted by the no-bag condition the city is currently trying to overturn. But Wyman stressed the city is only seeking permission to accept compostable bags in the organics stream, so the plastic garbage bags currently in use would be banned either way.

He also noted the city estimates it will save $460,000 annually in operating costs once the carts and automated collection system are fully implemented.

Does Council Have the Political Will?

Article from Guelph Mercury July 26th, 2012:

Will council consider tighter civic budgets?

Guelph Mayor Karen Farbridge suggested this week that a push by another councillor to see municipal staffers prepare a variety of civic budget scenarios was a “premature” notion.

Coun. Cam Guthrie had moved for city staff to bring back to council draft budget scenarios that would see proposals for 2013 civic operating budgets based on zero, one and two per cent increases in Guelph’s property tax rate for next year.

Farbridge was among the members of council who opposed this suggestion. She asserted it was too early in the budgeting process for such an idea to be considered.

That seems an odd reason to offer in this discussion.

This is early in the budget process. But Guthrie floated this amid a council workshop-type session to set the framework with civic administration to build a proposed 2013 city operating budget. Council is months away from going line by line over a draft budget for next year. It seemed this week’s meeting would have provided a most opportune time to voice this idea. If not, when would be a more optimal one?

Most members of council have signalled in some way that they’re aware of the widespread frustration within the community over a variety of taxation issues. There’s a wide general anxiety over the ever-increasing property tax rate — which recently has annually been well over the rate of inflation. There’s also a wide sense of fatigue in the community over what’s perceived as a yearly civic-political property tax stratagem.

This sees a huge, potential tax-increase figure just to sustain civic services for the next year made public about mid-year. Then, council and city administrators make moves that achieve a lower rate of tax increase, which seems to be a great relief in light of the big number previously rolled out.

This week, council urged the fashioning of a draft budget that would see no more than a three per cent property tax increase. For residents miffed at recent city property tax rate management, this will likely seem like progress, and also seem like a disappointment.

It’s not the eight-plus per cent tax hike possibility aired earlier this summer by city administration as a figure that would be needed to sustain services for next year. But it’s a step toward another budget with a likely higher than inflation rate property tax increase.

There are a lot of local residents who would like to see a deeper political conversation about having a budgeting process that considers much less than three per cent tax increases folded in each year. Is there enough political will on this council to see that happen? That doesn’t appear to be the case.

Downloading of Pensions to Cities Info:

July 26 2012

Mayor and City Councilors
The City of Guelph
1 Garden Street
Guelph ON N1H 3A1

Provincial Downloading of $7.3 billion pension deficit to municipalities

Dear Mayor and Councilors:

We are bringing to your attention the current situation with the OMERS pension plan, and urge you to investigate the implications that current downloading of the $7.3 billion deficit onto municipalities will have on your city. OMERS has commented that they expect this to increase to $10 billion by the end of the year. Our estimates suggest it could be even higher.

City Obligation

Since the plan has a $7.3 billion shortfall for 263,000 employees, this can be prorated to the cities based on the number of employees they have. The shortfall amounts to $27,750 for each employee. Based on the current FTE employee count in Guelph of 1,506 the total liability for the City amounts to $41.7 million, rising to over $51.5 million by the end of the year. [i]

The City of Ottawa admitted that this liability is already costing them an extra $10 million per year in taxpayer contributions. Last year, Guelph matched contributions at 12.9% of salary (25.8% total). The 2013 contributions will be 15.9% per employee at the highest level.

Is it fair to ask voting taxpayers to continually increase their contributions to city employee pensions when statistics show their own pensions average only $60,000 in value at retirement?

There is currently no realistic plan to eliminate the deficit and the risk that it poses to Ontario’s cities. Consider this unconvincing “solution” promoted by OMERS management:

“...OMERS said investment returns (which it hopes will be between 7 and 11 per cent annually over the long-term) and temporary contribution increases from members as well as benefit reductions should return the plan to surplus within 10 to 15 years. Meanwhile OMERS earned (only) 3.17 per cent on its investments, or $1.7-billion, in 2011, and its assets rose to an all-time high of $55.1-billion. (Globe and Mail, Feb 24,2012)[ii]

Current Shortfall

The shortfall at OMERS is escalating rapidly and is cause for concern for us. Last year, for example, the plan increased its shortfall by $2.8 billion. This is up from a zero deficit just three years previous. This shortfall increase is despite unprecedented funding increases of $2.7 billion last year based on employees’ and employers’ matching contributions.

OMERS Review Process

The Province has dropped responsibility for the OMERS plan directly onto cities, and has moved away from an implicit backstop on pension shortfalls. In conjunction with this, they have commenced a pension review based on changes to the plan in 2006. The elected city officials we have spoken with are blissfully unaware of either the changes to the pension plan or the current review. It has come to our attention that there are no cities that have submitted proposals to the OMERS Review.

We urge you to investigate and bring Council up to date! Please contact us if you need any further information regarding this process.

William Tufts, GBA
Executive Director
Fair Pensions For All

Bill Tufts
Fair Pensions For All
http://about.me/bill.tufts
Call: 905-741-1904
Web site: Fair Pensions For All
Twitter - @Fairpension

Ste, 824 1063 King St. W
Hamilton On.
L8S 4S3

My Motion for August Meetings Fail:

From the Guelph Mercury: July 24th, 2012

Cam Guthrie sees the blank spaces on council’s meeting calendar as missed opportunities.

Most of his colleagues don’t share that view.

Councillors Monday rejected a resolution which would have meant an end to council’s traditional August break, when there are no regularly-scheduled committee or council meetings.

Guthrie said not having meetings during that month means councillors “miss the opportunity for two decision points,” as there is typically a council planning meeting at the beginning of each month and the regular council meeting near the end of the month.

He proposed scheduling those meetings to keep the city’s business moving year-round.

“I never take the month of August off,” Coun. Leanne Piper countered. “I’m answering constituents’ emails and attending events representing council.”

Piper noted there are provisions for August council meetings if there are time-sensitive matters to be discussed, but otherwise, organizing meetings during August is a strain on staff resources during peak vacation times.

“If the federal government can take most of the summer off and still manage the affairs of the nation, I think council can miss a couple of meetings,” noted Coun. Ian Findlay, agreeing most councillors continue working through the summer regardless.

Guthrie became upset some councillors appeared to believe he considered August to be time off.

“I specifically said I’m looking for two more decision points,” he said. “It had nothing to do with not responding to constituents.”

Mayor Karen Farbridge said while she is always interested in proposals aimed at increasing productivity, she believes Guthrie’s proposal does the opposite.

The mayor said it requires “enormous (staff) resources” to organize council and committee meetings, noting not having those meetings in August allows staff time to focus on other tasks.

“I’ve often heard from staff … that summer is when you get things done,” Farbridge said.

The mayor said it might make more sense to extend the summer meeting hiatus, or to introduce a similar break in January so staff can spend December focusing on year-end tasks rather then organizing agendas.

“It’s got nothing to do with vacations (and) everything to do with productivity,” Farbridge said.

Guthrie’s resolution failed on a 7-4 vote

Open Government Coming to Guelph:

I thought it might be valuable to provide a quick update regarding my ongoing work on Open Government. As you may be aware, Open Government is one of the four ‘pillars’ to the Corporate Technology Strategy which will be coming to Council in September as I understand.

I’m sure you have all come across the term Open Government as it is now quite commonly used, however, it is not always adequately defined. In an attempt to decode this concept and in relation to a strategic initiative identified in the 2012 CSP, I am currently developing an Open Government Framework for the City.

In general terms, the framework will provide information related to concepts such as open data, open source standards/procurement, proactive information disclosure, knowledge sharing, innovation partnerships and crowdsourcing. I will also provide examples of successful Open Gov initiatives led by other public sector agencies along with a high level roadmap for Guelph. In order to ensure a successful and fully sustainable program there will be a need to develop an Open Government Strategy and associated work plan. Along with the identification of both short and long term objectives as well as support requirements, this plan will also make connections to work currently underway within the organization such as the Corporate Technology Strategy, Citizen Engagement Framework and Community Well Being Plan.

The Open Government Framework will be brought forward for your consideration prior to the end of 2012. I look forward to collaborating with all of you in order to move forward this interesting and important work. Staff

Seeing Implications of Lower Taxes Fails:

Guelph Mercury Article: July 24th, 2012

City councillors have certainly not ruled out the possibility of a tax increase of less than three per cent, but did shoot down a proposal that would have seen staff spell out the ramifications of going below that number.

On Monday evening, council voted to have staff prepare a draft 2013 operating budget using a tax rate guideline representing an increase of up to three per cent.

But councillors rejected an amendment from Coun. Cam Guthrie which would have also seen staff report back on the implications of bringing back tax increases of zero, one and two per cent.

Guthrie noted he has been doing some research and has found several Ontario municipalities — including Markham, Hamilton and Windsor — which have returned year-over-year zero per cent increases.

“Maybe we can do something different,” Guthrie said. “I view it as a challenge.”

Other councillors, it seemed, viewed it differently.

Coun. Lise Burcher said municipalities which freeze taxes typically experience significant service cuts.

“Personally, I don’t want to live in a community that cuts tremendously to get to zero,” Burcher said, noting if services are to be cut or scaled back that should be a decision for councillors to make.

Other councillors picked up on this.

“I don’t think it’s fair to ask staff to come up with $5 million in service cuts when it’s our accountability,” said Coun. Karl Wettstein, referring to the fact it requires approximately $1.75 million to save one per cent.

Coun. Leanne Piper noted it will take “a great deal of staff time” just to arrive at a draft budget representing a three per cent increase over last year. She noted once councillors see that draft, they will be able to make cuts or amendments if they want to get the tax rate lower.

“If you start going down to zero, you’re going to be cutting into the meat of what we do,” said Coun. Ian Findlay, noting while he likes the idea of a tax freeze, he doesn’t believe it feasible.

Councillors heard during a workshop last week it will cost approximately $15 million — or about 8.5 per cent — more in 2013 to offer the same services being offered this year. But city staff had recommended councillors aim for a three per cent boost in the net tax levy requirement, to provide direction during the next two months as staff begin to craft the 2013 budget.

A draft will be presented during a second council workshop in September.

Mayor Karen Farbridge said Monday she does not support Guthrie’s proposed amendment, calling it “premature” so early in the budget process.

Outside the council meeting, Guthrie noted his research suggests municipalities which have held taxes stagnant have managed to do so without service cuts.

“It requires a will to do it and a common goal between councillors and staff working together,” he said.

Guthrie’s amendment failed 7-4, with councillors Bob Bell, Jim Furfaro and Andy Van Hellemond voting in favour. Councillors Maggie Laidlaw and Gloria Kovach were absent from the meeting.

Could Someone Throw Me a Bone?

July 24th, 2012

Could someone throw me a bone?

Council work is exhausting. Don’t get me wrong, I love it. I’ve never felt more determined or energetic about something like this role that I’m in for a long time. But none the less, it’s exhausting.

There are the endless emails, phone calls both on my cell and at home, meeting residents at their home or at other functions and then preparing for the meetings while having more meetings with city staff and it goes on like this.

And as I stated above, I love it.

But at the end of the day, I have ideas. Ideas that I was elected on. Ideas like Common sense, less government interference, lower taxes and looking over everything with a fresh set of eyes. Yet these ideas seem to consistently go no-where. And that’s the exhausting part. That’s why I started this post by saying “Could someone throw me a bone?”

It seems on a consistent basis that whether I bring forward amendments or motions to the table, they got shot down.

I have an idea to try and save the taxpayers some money! Voted down.
What if we did this same service in a new way? Voted down.
Maybe if we worked a couple more meetings in throughout the year we could accomplish so much more! Voted down.

Other communities can hold taxes low without service cuts! Maybe we could do that too? Who's with me? Voted down.

How about we ask staff to present a couple options for us to look at? Voted down.

It’s a broken record and at this point in my term I ‘m thinking we’re going to see a lot more of the same. Fine with me. That's democracy. Council speaks as one voice depending on how the vote goes. I get that. I respect that and I accept it. Time to move on when things don't go my way. No problem.

But wouldn't it be nice if only a couple more councillors would hit the other button once and a while?

Then we'd have that bone to chew on.

Cam Guthrie

Old Guelph Museum Sold:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

City sells former Guelph Civic Museum property to Tyrcathlen Partners Ltd.
Conditional sale of 6 Dublin Street to close October 31

GUELPH, ON, July 6, 2012– The City has accepted Tyrcathlen Partners Ltd.'s offer to buy the former Guelph Civic Museum property, located at 6 Dublin Street.
"Tyrcathlen Partners are excited and thankful Guelph City Council endorsed its vision of creating a centre for arts, culture and new media in the former Guelph Civic Museum building," said Kirk Roberts, a principal of Tyrcathlen Partners. "Our next step is to work with leaders in the Guelph arts community to transform our vision into reality."
The agreement with Tyrcathlen is conditional on inspections and is scheduled to close October 31. The purchase price will remain confidential until the deal closes.
In 1980, 6 Dublin Street South became the home of the Guelph Civic Museum. Earlier this year, with City, provincial and federal government funding, the museum was relocated to 52 Norfolk Street — a facility that is almost three times the size of the 6 Dublin Street location.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Jim Stokes
Manager, Realty Services
Legal and Realty Services
Corporate and Human Resources
T 519-822-1260 x 2279
E jim.stokes@guelph.ca

Open Air Burning Advisory:

INFORMATION BULLETIN

Open-air burning strictly prohibited
A reminder from the Guelph Fire Department

GUELPH, ON - Friday, July 6 - The Guelph Fire Department is reminding residents that camp fires, bon fires and any other open-air burning are strictly prohibited within City limits.

According to Environment Canada the hot, dry weather is expected to continue for the next few days. During this type of weather embers from any outdoor fire (e.g. those in a pit, chiminea, or unsupervised cooking fire) can catch on nearby grass and other vegetation and quickly burn out of control.

“We want people to have a safe and fun summer with their family and friends,” says Deputy Fire Chief John Osborne. “To avoid having a fire burn out of control we’re reminding everyone that open air burning is not permitted, and we’re asking people to take a few safety precautions when getting ready to grill in the back yard.”

The Guelph Fire Department suggests residents use a natural gas, propane or electric barbecue grill with a lid when cooking outdoors, and encourages people to have a water source like a charged garden hose on hand for safety.

The Ontario Fire Code reads: open air burning shall not be permitted unless approved by the Chief Fire Official, or unless such burning consists of a small, confined fire, supervised at all times, and used to cook food on a grill or a barbecue. Anyone who contravenes the Ontario Fire Code is liable to a fine of not more than $50,000 or to imprisonment for a term of not more than one year, or to both.

Residents can learn more about open-air burning by calling 519-763-8111 or at guelph.ca/fire

FOR MORE INFORMATION
John Osborne, Deputy Fire Chief
Emergency Services
T 519-824-6590 x 2140
E john.osborne@guelph.ca

Urbacon Litigation Update:

Questions and answers
Q. Why was Urbacon, the contractor for City Hall, fired?
A. The City terminated its contract with Urbacon because the work on City Hall was excessively delayed and it was unknown when Urbacon would be able to finish. The leases for office space that the City had negotiated in the interim were coming to an end and it was not known how long Urbacon would take to complete the building.
Q. How many times was the construction schedule for City Hall changed?
A. According to Urbacon’s original construction schedule, City Hall was to be substantially complete by February 28, 2008. An extension for the completion date to August 15, 2008 was negotiated and agreed to in December 2007. Shortly after, an additional extension to September 8, 2008 was made to accommodate design changes.

Q. What is the status of the City’s legal matters with Urbacon?
A. A month after Urbacon’s contract was terminated, Urbacon filed a $20 million breach of contract lawsuit against the City. The City then filed a $5 million counterclaim against Urbacon.
The City and Urbacon will participate in two days of voluntary mediation, September 20 and 21, 2012, to collaboratively and equitably resolve outstanding legal matters and to reduce legal costs for all parties.
If these matters are not resolved through mediation, the City and Urbacon will go to trial in January, 2013.

Q. How much money has the City paid to date on legal costs against Urbacon?
A. The City cannot publicly release the amount spent on legal costs at this time because it relates to ongoing litigation including the City’s legal strategy. This information will be available once the litigation has been resolved.

Fun at Market Square:

A Summer of Family Fun at Market Square

Guelph, ON, July 13, 2012– Enjoy a drive-in experience minus the car this summer in Market Square. Four family-themed films will be shown on a giant screen in Guelph’s newest gathering place during July, August, and September as part of a new programming initiative called Movies in the Square.

Families are encouraged to bring lawn chairs to the screenings, with seating on a first-come, first served basis. The free films will begin at 9:00 p.m. Movie screenings will be cancelled in the case of inclement weather.

The movie line-up includes:
•   July 20 – ET: The Extra-Terrestrial. The Steven Spielberg-directed 1982 film classic features a young Drew Barrymore in the tale of an alien stranded on Earth, three million light years from its home planet.
•   August 10 – The Princess Bride. A classic fairy tale, with swordplay, giants, an evil prince, a beautiful princess, and yes, some kissing (as read by a kindly grandfather).
•   August 24 – The Wizard of Oz. A young girl is swept away to a magical land in a tornado and embarks on a quest to see the Wizard who can help her return home in this 1939 classic.
•   September 14 – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. A young boy wins a tour through the most magnificent chocolate factory in the world, led by the world's most unusual candy maker, played by Johnny Depp.

It’s not just films that promise family fun! Market Square will host a number of other events into the Fall that make this the place to be.

•   August 4 – John Galt Day. Splash in the water and enjoy free entertainment and activities as part of this annual celebration of Guelph’s founder. The event runs from 10:00 a.m.to 2:00.p.m.
•   September 8 – Guelph Jazz Festival & Nuit Blanche. This free all-day concert, beginning at 11:30 a.m., is a favourite with festival goers. The entertainment carries on into the night with performances and art installations at indoor and outdoor venues throughout the city.
•   September 28 – Celebrating Culture Days. With a stroke of genius and an innovative twist on contemporary dance, CORPUS offers a surrealistic and hilarious view of sheep behaviour with a show entitled Les Moutons. Performances take place at 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Visit guelph.ca/marketsquare for event updates.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Colleen Clack, General Manager
Culture & Tourism
519-822-1260 x 2588
colleen.clack@guelph.ca

John Galt Day - August 4th!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Celebrate John Galt at Market Square on August 4
Guelph, ON, July 16, 2011 –Join us for a day of free festivities in honour of Guelph’s founder John Galt on Saturday, August 4, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in Market Square. Guelph’s 6th annual civic celebration offers activities for the whole family to enjoy: live entertainment, children’s games, crafts and face painting, food and much more.

This year’s event features performances by members of Guelph Arts Platform; a guided historical walking tour of downtown with the Guelph Arts Council; tours of Locomotive 6167; Farmers’ Market craft and food vendors; free admission and cookie tasting at the Civic Museum; and a historical talk entitled “The John Galt that Guelph Doesn’t Know.”

“John Galt Day is a unique made-in-Guelph civic celebration that offers residents and visitors the opportunity to honour an important part of Guelph’s history and enjoy a day of free entertainment,” says Mayor Karen Farbridge. “Everyone is invited to come to Market Square, splash in the water and enjoy the exciting atmosphere in Guelph’s newest public gathering space.”

John Galt was a prominent Scottish novelist who founded Guelph in 1827. As the superintendent of The Canada Company, a large land company in London, England, he conceived the idea of building a town to stimulate and direct the agricultural settlement of the area. Galt planned the community with its distinctive radial design, quite different than the gridiron plan of most cities, thus making Guelph a unique and special place.

On August 5, 2012 at 12:30 p.m., the Guelph Historical Society is hosting the Kirking of the Tartan at the Church of our Lady Immaculate. This Scottish ceremonial parade of dignitaries recognizing public service to the community was practiced in Scotland at the time of Guelph’s founding.

For more information about John Galt Day activities, visit guelph.ca/johngaltday.

- 30 -
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Danna Evans | Event Manager
Market Square | City of Guelph
519-822-1260 ext 2621
danna.evans@guelph.ca
guelph.ca/johngaltday

RED ALERT - WATER USAGE:

City’s outside water use program moves up to Level 2 Red
Residents and businesses asked to reduce water use by 20 per cent

GUELPH, ON, July 18, 2012 — Low precipitation, high temperatures and drought-like conditions have prompted City officials to elevate the Outside Water Use Program (OWUP) to Level 2 Red.

In Level 2 Red, residents and businesses are asked to reduce water use by 20 per cent and stop any non-essential outside use, such as lawn watering. All time shift watering permits are also suspended. However, new lawn and treated lawn permits remain active and continue to be issued. Should conditions persist, all water permits may be suspended.

In addition, alternate day and time watering restrictions are in place for trees, shrubs, flowers and ornamental gardens, as well as vehicle washing (hose must be equipped with a shut-off nozzle). Homeowners with odd-numbered addresses are permitted to water plants and wash their vehicles on odd-numbered days and those with even-numbered addresses on even-numbered days – between 7 and 9 a.m. and 7 and 9 p.m.

There are no water restrictions for recreation uses such as sprinklers, splash pads, pools and hot tubs.

According to Wayne Galliher, water conservation project manager with the City’s Water Services, the level change is a result of local watershed conditions, which includes decreasing flows in the Eramosa River and below average levels of local groundwater.

“With continuing drought-like conditions and further observed decreases in environmental indicators, such as the Eramosa River flows, it is necessary that water use restrictions are implemented at this time to protect our precious water resources.”

Hot Summer Nights
Level 2 Red will also impact the City’s scheduled ‘Hot Summer Nights’ events hosted by the Guelph Fire Department. These events typically include water activities, but due to imposed water restrictions, the fire department is removing this feature from the events. However, the public is still invited to meet with members of the fire department, along with representatives of Guelph-Wellington Emergency Medical Service and Guelph Police Service, who will continue to attend the events to promote summer safety and tours of emergency vehicles.

Increased enforcement of the City’s outside water use bylaw is implemented as part of Level 1 Yellow and Level 2 Red. Failure to comply with this bylaw may result in a set fine of $130 or a summons to appear in court and, upon conviction, a maximum fine of $5,000.

Guelph is one of the largest communities in Canada to rely solely on a groundwater source for its drinking water needs. Groundwater is unique as it is limited in quantity, it takes much longer to replenish than surface water and is vulnerable to drought conditions and overuse.

The City of Guelph and the Grand River Conservation Authority continue to monitor and evaluate watershed conditions in accordance with the Ontario Low Water Response Plan.

For more information about Guelph’s Outside Water Use Program, please visit guelph.ca/water or call 519-822-1260 x 2153.
FOR MORE INFORMATION

Wayne Galliher
Water Conservation Project Manager
Water Services
T 519-822-1260 x 2106
E wayne.galliher@guelph.ca

Also here's more info:

.   For your reference::

•   Level 2-Red has be implemented under the Outside Water Use Program to protect the City’s water supply throughout ongoing drought conditions. Conditions driving this level change include both 1 month precipitation averages (currently 22% of average 30 year normal) and decreasing Eramosa River flows (currently 50% of minimum flow requirements).

•   In accordance with the City’s Outside Water Use Bylaw, residents and businesses are asked to reduce water use by 20 per cent and stop any non-essential outside use, such as lawn watering, during Level 2 Red. All time shift watering permits are also suspended. However, new lawn and treated lawn permits remain active and continue to be issued. Should conditions persist, all water permits may be suspended. In addition, alternate day and time watering restrictions are in place for trees, shrubs, flowers and ornamental gardens, as well as vehicle washing (hose must be equipped with a shut-off nozzle). Homeowners with odd-numbered addresses are permitted to water plants and wash their vehicles on odd-numbered days and those with even-numbered addresses on even-numbered days – between 7 and 9 a.m. and 7 and 9 p.m.

•   There are no water restrictions in place for recreation uses such as sprinklers, splash pads, pools and hot tubs.

•   During Level 2 Red increased enforcement of the City’s Outside Water Use Bylaw is implemented. Failure to comply with this bylaw may result in a set fine of $130 or a summons to appear in court and, upon conviction, a maximum fine of $5,000.

•   Staff are continuing to closely monitor all conditions/indicators under the low water response program and will alleviate current water use restrictions should watershed conditions approve.

Q&A Baseball Diamonds in Guelph Info:

How many ball diamonds do we have here in the city and how many of them are city operated? The other diamonds, are they operated by the school board or the province?
We maintain (44) city owned – A & B class fields. Plus (2) Separate school fields located at St. James, under a reciprocal agreement with the WCDSB and (1) diamond located off Stone Road at OMAFRA
Our sports field permitting season runs from the start of ~ the second full week in May to September 30th.
(47) diamonds are groomed weekly.
The public school diamonds, such as Brant Ave. P. S. are booked and maintained by the school board.

Are there enough baseball diamonds in the city for the demand?
Based on the number of baseball facilities that are not booked, and an industry target of 1:2500 residents, we believe we’re in the ‘ball park’.   The desire from ball groups is for larger sports field complexes providing numerous (4+) fields to afford tournament opportunities; however, this is a larger park planning matter.

We’ve had a number of people comment on the quality of some of the fields in Guelph. Is the city using parks like Peter Misersky, which is much lower quality than other parks, like say, behind Bishop Mac high school, because the demand for ball diamonds is so high?
The fields at Peter Misersky Park are not booked, therefore, they receive a minimum standard of care---grass cutting/trimming but no grooming of the infield. Our staffing, equipment and material resources are focused on permitted facilities.

How does the maintenance schedule for these parks work? Are they all maintained regularly or at the beginning of the year, or does the city wait for a complaint and then address it? Some parks seem to be in poor shape, while others are looking great. How does the city decide which ones to work on?
As noted above, our maintenance activity is focused on permitted facilities.   Maintenance-wise, of our (47) fields, they are either deemed to be Class A or B .   Class A - fields are gilled per booking, while Class B - fields are gilled 2 to 3 times per week.
Foul lines are painted every 15 to 20 working days. All fields are checked at the start of the year as part of our sport field inspections. Unless the scrub-type diamonds are booked, they are not maintained apart from cutting and trimming. Maintenance and safety issues with these fields are when reported by area crews, or as part of our health and safety inspections of park facilities.

I’d also be interested to hearing about the cost of renting diamonds. We’ve heard from a few people that Guelph is an expensive place to host baseball tournaments. How does Guelph compare to nearby cities in terms of the cost of renting the diamonds for hosting tournaments. Does Guelph charge more? What is the cost for renting the diamonds for tournaments?
Rental fees are identified within our Council approved rates and fees---the schedule is updated annually. Youth groups currently receive a 47.5% subsidy/discount on all sports field bookings. For 2012, our rates, hourly for the most part, are as follows.

Parks and Recreation
Class AA Facilities (incl dressing rooms, lining and dragging) Hourly rate
Hastings Stadium   $          40.00
Class A Facilities (incl painting of lines, dragging) Hourly
Guelph Lake GG1,GG2,GG3   $           16.19
Guelph Lake GG4, GG5,GG6,GG7   $           13.66
LP1, LP2   $           13.66
LP3 (includes score board and press box)   $           16.92
Exhibition A1   $           13.66
Joe Kaine C7   $           11.37
Lyons D2   $           11.37
Class B Facilities
Baseball, Softball, Cricket, Soccer, Combination Fields, Multi-sport   $          10.29
Other Facilities
Volleyball, Basketball, Tennis   $           8.91
Lighted facilities - light charges per hour - Subsidies do not apply
Softball - Lyon Park   $          26.92
Softball - Guelph Lake   $          26.92
Softball - Exhibition A1   $          26.92
Baseball - Hastings Stadium   $          35.00
Baseball - Joe Kaine C7   $          26.92
Larry Pearson Complex   $          26.92
Field/Diamond Preparation: flat rate - Subsidies do not apply
Groomnig of any diamond   $          66.18
Lining: flat rate
Baseball/Softball- all   $          68.92
A & B Tournament/Special Event Fees (per day per facility) Subsidies do not apply.
Fee applied per sports facility, per day or part day for the provision of add'l sanitation collection and disposal services---does not include field lining.   $          25.75
Tournament/Special Event Staffing - Hourly   Subsidies do not apply.
Additional dedicated staff on-site - Minimum 3 hour booking   $          99.37
Special event staffing (sanitation services) - per person, per hour   $          57.86
Special event clean-up (per person/per hour)applied to parks left in an unacceptable state   $          57.86

We believe our rates are competitive to area municipalities……would suggest you touch base with your sample group to compare and confirm if the subsidy, which we provide to youth, is included or not. Further, the likes of Guelph Girls Softball has hosted provincial and national tournaments where they have been awarded fee waivers to address thousands of dollars of rental charges. When comparing rates, it is imperative to confirm the facilities and amenities are like for like.

STAFF

More Q&A on Accessability for New Waste Bins:

From Staff: July 17th, 2012

Good afternoon,
Regarding Accessibility for the Solid Waste Automated Cart Collection Program:

Q)   Is the City offering special assistance for residents with their waste collection?
A)     Yes.
Q)   What are the details of the program?
A)     Residents are asked to choose the size of cart that needs their waste generation needs. Once they receive their carts, residents are asked to call Solid Waste Resources and staff will visit with them to discuss their individual needs. Assistance will be provided on a case by case basis.
Q)   How much interest do you expect in response to the program?
A)     Research of best practices from other municipalities with cart programs have shown very limited requests for the service and indicate that residents prefer to be independent and are unlikely to abuse the program.
Q)   How is the program being communicated?
A)     Information has been provided on our website and the brochure that was delivered in May to each household on the 2012 rollout instructing residents who require special assistance with their waste collection to contact Solid Waste Resources. In addition, this information will be provided in the User Guide that will be delivered inside the carts. Solid Waste has also been in communication with the City’s Accessibility Advisory Committee and Guelph Independent Living.

Garbage Bins 2012 Survey Results:

Cart Based Garbage Research & Survey Results 2012.pdf

Click on the above link to take you to the results of a recent survey done to many Guelph households about the upcoming garbage bins rolling out to us starting this fall.

Seems to be good uptake on it from what this survey says.

Thank you,

Cam

Roll Out of Garbage Carts Info:

July 6th, 2012Info from STAFF:

Following is an update on the roll out of the fully automated carts collection program, which will begin this fall.

Project update
•   Carts have been ordered and production is underway.
•   Solid Waste Resources staff will continue to accommodate residents’ cart size selections.
•   Automated collection trucks will begin arriving in August.
•   Carts will be delivered to select homes starting this fall.

Public opinion research findings
This June, the City commissioned a statistically significant telephone survey of 411 residents in neighbourhoods scheduled to receive carts this fall and learned...
•   98 per cent of residents are aware of the conversion to the fully automated carts collection program
•   79 per cent of residents are aware they will receive their carts this fall
•   90 per cent of residents received the carts information package delivered to their home by Solid Waste Resources staff
•   Of those who received this information package, 95 per cent read the brochure and
75 per cent submitted their cart size selection cards and and an additional six per cent submitted online or by phone (of the remaining 25 per cent, 45 per cent of those were happy with the cart sizes to be supplied by the City)

Communications tactics and public outreach (July-October)
To reach and prepare all residents located in neighbourhoods scheduled to receive carts this fall, specifically the two percent who are unaware of the program and the 11 per cent who are unaware their carts will be delivered this fall, the following communications tactics will be employed starting this summer.
•   information booths at community events and Stone Road Mall
•   cart displays throughout the city
•   presentations at neighbourhood groups and ward meetings
•   information sessions in each of the city’s four wards
•   guelph.ca/waste - FAQs, map of cart distribution, instructional video, user guide, collection schedule
•   Radio, print, online and Guelph Transit ads
•   Mobile signs
•   Messages and updates on City’s Facebook page and Twitter account
•   User guide/instruction manual delivered to homes with the carts
•   City staff quick facts
•   City staff training
•   Issue note (for internal use only) for Council
•   Media relations
•   Targeted communications to University of Guelph students

For more information residents should continue to be directed to http://guelph.ca/living.cfm?subCatID=886&smocid=1471

or Solid Waste Resources at 519-767-0598.

Community Wellbeing. Outcomes will be:

June 28th, 2012

Citizens are at the centre of CWI development - how to engage them, how to serve them better and how to improve the wellbeing of this community. The anticipated outcomes include:

•   A Community Wellbeing Plan that complements the City’s Strategic Plan and Official Plan;
•   An engaged community working to achieve the vision of the Community Wellbeing Plan;
•   A stronger relationship between the City and the community developed through a new civic   engagement model;
•   City and community services that are delivered in an efficient and effective manner;
•   A tool for proactive advocacy with the provincial and federal governments; and
•   New collaborative partnerships to achieve positive results through innovation.

STAFF

Come on Downtown Guelph!

This Friday June 22nd, the City of Guelph in partnership with the Downtown Guelph Business Association and the Fab 5 Festivals, is hosting a summer street party.

As part of the 4th Friday events throughout the City, this event will feature world fusion music by Eccodek, performances by The Rubber Brothers and Matt Brubeck, and a newly commissioned dance piece by Imageo Art Works that incorporates dance and music into and throughout the water feature.

The event runs from 8:00 pm – 10:30 pm. The water feature will be shut down to the public starting at 7:00 pm in preparation for the event. Carden Street will be closed starting at 6:00 pm and the DGBA has been encouraging the merchants to also participate in the event that evening.

I hope that many of you will consider joining us on Friday night!

Colleen
Colleen Clack | General Manager Culture & Tourism
Community and Social Services | City of Guelph

T 519-822-1260 ext 2588 | F 519-763-9240

The Planning Department on The 3rd Floor?

June 19th, 2012:

Yesterday, during a planning, building, environment and engineering meeting, I raised a question of a common concern throughout Guelph that I continue to hear which is that the planning department, or more specific, the key things residents, contractors, builders need like deck permits for example are on the third floor. The Mayor picked up on my comments and also agreed that she's heard similar comments. She identified three issues.

The concerns she's heard relate to:

-   the requirement to go through security
-   the location on the third floor given the amount of activity
-   the mess it creates especially in the spring

I suggested today through email to the planning department that a trial pilot project could be done. Here's my email:

It would be interesting, as a pilot project, to have someone from planning, building dept that handles the common permits, such as decks, sheds, basements etc… be at the main counter for a few months and see how it goes?
Cam

What do you think Guelph?

Thanks,

Cam

COSTCO GUELPH and Traffic Issues:

A traffic impact study has been prepared by Paradigm Transportation Solutions Ltd to identify and address the traffic impacts associated with this development.

The study indicates the following distribution of traffic generated by the proposed development:

•   85% of traffic will arrive from areas to the north of Paisley Road (primarily using Elmira Road, Paisley Road, Imperial Road, Speedvale Avenue and Willow Road).
•   10% of traffic will arrive from the south using Imperial Road.
•   5% of traffic will arrive from the south on Elmira Road.

Whitelaw Road is not identified as a potential route for traffic arriving at the proposed development.

However, we appreciate the concerns raised in regard to the potential for traffic increase on Whitelaw Road and this will be addressed in the staff review of Paradigm’s traffic study as part of the review of the development application.

b) Elmira Road connection to Hwy 24

The extension of Elmira Road to Wellington Road 124 (former Highway 24) was part of the earlier plan to extend Stone Road and connect with Elmira Road at the new Wellington Road 124 (WR 124). The proposed alignment for the new WR 124 is to the north of the existing WR124 road.

This plan has undergone changes in two respects.

(1)   In 1996, the Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO) downloaded Hwy 24 (WR 124) including the responsibility to build the new realigned roadway. Given the funding requirement, it is not certain when the new road will be built.
(2)   In 2009, as part of the approved Environmental Assessment for the Hanlon Expressway improvements, the option of extending Stone Road across the Speed River was removed from the Official Plan.

However, extending Elmira Road to the existing WR 124 is a possibility, and will involve coordination with Wellington County as the extension will be outside the City limits.

STAFF

COSTCO Get's Opposition from Some Whitelaw Rd Residents:

Costco plans raises traffic concerns: June 19th, 2012:

By Doug Hallett
Guelph Tribune

Two west end residents are trying to rally opposition to a proposal to make a Costco store the anchor of a big new commercial development on the city’s western outskirts.
Flyers being distributed to residents on and near Whitelaw Road by Donna Driskell and Helen Arbour, who both live in the area, list traffic congestion as their top concern. They’re especially concerned about more traffic on Whitelaw Road, which the flyer describes as “a two-lane road with many young families.” Traffic “increased quite a bit” on Whitelaw when the city’s biggest Zehrs was built a few years ago at the corner of Paisley and Imperial roads, Arbour said in an interview Thursday. Now there’s concern that traffic on Whitelaw will “increase all the more” if a Costco is built west of Elmira Road, across from the Zehrs site, she said.
Driskell said she didn’t know about Armel Corp.’s request for rezoning of its land to allow the Costco-anchored development until the day before a June 5 city council planning meeting where the development proposal was introduced. Arbour said she didn’t find out about the rezoning proposal until the day of the meeting. As they distributed flyers last week and spoke to some residents, they said they found both a lack of awareness and considerable opposition to the rezoning proposal.
“We are concerned that residents are not aware of the proposed rezoning,” Arbour said. When they spoke to people about it, most were opposed to a Costco-anchored development, she said. Aside from traffic congestion, their flyer lists three other objections to allowing a Costco that could be as large as 158,000 square feet.
It’s poor planning, the flyer says, to put a Costco membership warehouse outlet in Guelph “15 minutes away” from an existing Costco in Kitchener.
Guelph should have “one-stop shopping” for big box stores, the flyer says, and “if we must have a Costco in Guelph, put it on Woodlawn Road with all the others.”
It also says a big box store like Costco would be “an eyesore in our primarily residential neighbourhood” and could affect businesses already established in the west end. “Costco has a reputation of putting other stores out of business,” the flyer says.
The flyer urges people to call Ward 4 councillors Cam Guthrie and Gloria Kovach to “let them know you are against Costco and other big box stores coming to our neighbourhood.”
It also urges people to express their views and “have your named added to the NO list” by emailing guelphwestend@hotmail.ca – an email address the two women said they set up specifically for this fight.
Driskell said that if council allows Costco to build on Armel’s site, the city should look at how to get shoppers to the site without increasing traffic on residential roads.
One problem, Arbour said, is that Whitelaw Road connects with Highway 24, while Elmira Road currently doesn’t meet up with this busy highway linking Guelph and Cambridge. Elmira currently stops on its south end at Fife Road.
Armel’s site is “kind of hidden,” Arbour said. “I don’t see why the big box stores would want to go there.”
Before Costco agreed to locate on Armel’s site, there was talk of it going in a new commercial development on the former Lafarge quarry site near Paisley Road, Waterloo Avenue and the Hanlon Expressway.
That site owned by Silvercreek Guelph Developments Ltd., which “is right off the Hanlon,” would be another good place for a Costco, Driskell said, as would Woodlawn Road near the Wal-Mart and Home Depot.
Silvercreek Guelph Developments Ltd. originally wanted to build 450,000 square feet of retail space in its development. However, a December 2008 settlement mediated by the Ontario Municipal Board reduced this to 245,000 square feet.
Armel is asking city council to put no cap on the amount of commercial floor space that could be built on its 32-acre vacant site west of Elmira Road and north of Paisley Road. The Costco would be built at the north end of this site as the first phase of a big development, council was told June 5.
The same council meeting received a letter from a lawyer for Silvercreek Guelph Developments Ltd., saying Armel’s proposed Costco-anchored development could make the Silvercreek development redundant. “Our client is concerned that the large-format uses proposed by Armel would potentially duplicate the planned function of the Silvercreek mixed-use node,” said the letter from lawyer Steven Zakem.
Council hasn’t yet received any recommendations from city planning staff about Armel’s proposed development. The June 5 meeting was the initial public meeting, held so that people could voice their opinions before planning staff give any advice to council.
There were no public delegations at the June 5 meeting.

To Cap or Not Cap Commercial Space: COSTCO

Editorial from Guelph Tribune: June 19th, 2012:

To cap or not to cap?

It was a bit of a surprise to some that there weren’t any delegations opposed to a rezoning application by Armel Corp. for a Costco-anchored commercial development when the proposal came to city council for the first time on June 5. Not surprisingly, though, some opposition is starting to emerge.
Some of the anti-big-box rhetoric in flyers being distributed by two women who live in the Whitelaw Road area seems misplaced. The city’s long Wal-Mart fight proved this. But the two women have understandable concerns about lots more traffic on two-lane Whitelaw Road, which links Highway 24 with the 32-acre site owned by Armel north of Paisley Road and west of Elmira Road.
And there’s another thing they point to that people should note. Namely, Armel’s request that the city not put a cap on the floor space of commercial development at the vacant site, which is next to a commercial development anchored by a big Zehrs. This request – which city planners are considering, but haven’t yet made any recommendations about – seems to go directly against the commercial policy set by council in 2005. That policy set caps on the amount of commercial floor space to go into four mixed-use “nodes” on the western, eastern, northern and southern ends of the city.
Silvercreek Guelph Developments Ltd., which wants to develop the former Lafarge quarry site, was told in 2008 it can’t put more than 245,000 square feet of retail space on its site, down from the 450,000 it originally sought. It has told council it’s concerned about Armel’s no-cap request.
To cap or not to cap? This could be the sleeper issue facing council as it deals with Armel and Costco, which wants to open a store as big as 158,000 square feet in the fall of 2013 on a site bordered on the west by farmers’ fields of Guelph/Eramosa Township.

Terry Bradshaw Video Update:

From STAFF:

As promised, this is to let you know the Guelph Profiles video will be aired nationally on the Business News Network on Saturday June 30, 2012 – reaching 5.5 million households across Canada.

The local airing time will be 1:00 p.m. The Business News Network channels in Guelph are Rogers Cable 186 and Bell Satellite 504.

The segment highlights Guelph’s high rankings among various demographic and quality of life criteria: inclusion of sustainable and environmental standards in growth planning; economic benefits (proximity, diverse industry base, skilled labour); Community Energy Initiative; University of Guelph; and rich arts and culture influences.

This will be the only national Canadian showing, the video will still air once nationally in the United States – date TBD.
The segment has aired 29 times on regional networks in Canada and the US, with 4 remaining regional airings to go – dates TBD. All showings are between the hours of 6 a.m. and 11:00 p.m.

In addition to the television exposure, the video has been showcased in Toronto at business to business tradeshows (2012 Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association Show and the 2012 Bakery Showcase) and is slated to be presented at several real estate events in the fall. Online exposure includes guelph.ca/biz, YouTube and the City’s Facebook and Twitter pages. To date, the video has been viewed over 11,500 times on YouTube and been shared on Facebook 400 times. Economic Development has also responded to a number of tourism and business development requests to use the video for promotional purposes.

The broadcast airing notification page (link) is consistently updated with new airing times. There have been a few instances where airing times have changed last minute. If this happens, you will be notified of any new airing information.
This video will continue to be part of the City’s economic development marketing activities during the next three to five years.

Thank you and have a great day.

Christine Chapman | Marketing Coordinator
Economic Development | Finance and Enterprise Services
City of Guelph

Local Immigration Info:

Workshops to improve local services for new Canadians Local Immigration Partnership hosts networking sessions in June

GUELPH, ON, May 31, 2012 – The Guelph-Wellington Local Immigration Partnership (GWLIP) is hosting a series of workshops designed to help agencies and service providers learn more about local services for new Canadians.
“People working or volunteering for organizations that serve the public may struggle when referring new Canadians to other local agencies or service providers,” says Ella Henderson, Project Specialist for the Local Immigration Partnership. “So, we’re bringing together a panel of agency representatives to explain the services that are available to immigrants in Guelph and Wellington County.”
People participating in the workshops will improve their understanding of local services for newcomers and immigrants, gain confidence in referring newcomers to appropriate services, meet and connect with agencies that serve immigrants, and network with other agencies in the community. Service providers are invited to register online at guelphwellingtonlip.ca for one of four free workshops.
Monday, June 4
9-11 a.m.
Guelph Public Library
100 Norfolk Street
Guelph ON
(Registration FULL)

Tuesday, June 12
2-4 p.m.
Mount Forest Community Library
118 Main Street North
Mount Forest ON

Wednesday, June 20
2-4 p.m.
ROOM C, City Hall
1 Carden Street
Guelph ON
(Registration FULL)
Thursday, June 28
9-11 a.m.
County of Wellington
Museum and Archives
0536 County Road 18
Township of Centre Wellington
About the Local Immigration Partnership
The Local Immigration Partnership (LIP) is a coalition of more than 60 people representing several community groups and organizations in Guelph and Wellington County including newcomers, ethno-cultural organizations, service providers, and businesses. The LIP is funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and our goal is to create welcoming neighbourhoods and communities where everyone thrives. The work of the LIP focuses on four community-identified priority areas: employment, English language training, community integration and inclusion, and community services and programs.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Ella Henderson
Project Specialist
Local Immigration Partnership
T 519-822-1260 x 2565
E ella.henderson@guelph.ca

OPA 48 Info:

OPA 48 – Official Plan Update Phase 3 – River Systems Issues DATE: June 1, 2012
ISSUE
Some residents, the River Systems Advisory Committee and a new citizen group called Living Rivers and Greenways Action Group are concerned that a proposed update to Guelph’s official plan (OPA 48) does not maintain the vision and objectives for rivers and tributaries and their valley corridors contained in the 1993 River Systems Management Plan.
A request has been made to defer approval of OPA 48 to allow for further public consultation.
BACKGROUND
Since 2007 the City has been conducting a 5-Year Official Plan update. The update was originally to be carried out in two Phases, but Council later split it out into three Phases.
Phase 1
Phase 1, OPA 39, established a growth management framework and brought the Official Plan into conformity with the Provincial Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, building on the City’s earlier growth management strategy and Smart Guelph initiatives. OPA 39 was adopted by Council in 2009 and is in full force and effect.
Phase 2
Phase 2, OPA 42, was initially the remainder of the Official Plan Update. OPA 42 was driven by the 2005 Provincial Policy Statement, the Planning Act, the Ontario Heritage Act and the Clean Water Act, as well as the City’s Urban Design Action Plan, Community Energy Plan, Trails Master Plan, Recreation, Parks and Culture Strategic Plan, Employment Lands Strategy and other infrastructure studies and master plans.The first draft of OPA 42 was released in early 2010 and the City conducted extensive community and stakeholder consultation. This draft contained proposed policy revisions related to the above-noted drivers including the natural heritage and open space, recreation and trail policies. In May 2010, in response to community input and recognizing the critical importance of proceeding with the natural heritage policies, including river protection policies, while allowing more time for public consultation on the remainder of the Update, Council directed staff to proceed with finalizing the Natural Heritage System policies immediately and consult further on the remainder. As a result, OPA 42 was split into two parts; the Natural Heritage System policies were carried forward as OPA 42 and adopted by Council in July 2012 and the remaining policies became Phase 3, eventually numbered OPA 48, the final phase of Guelph’s Official Plan update.
Phase 3
In late 2010 and through 2011 the City analysed all public and stakeholder feedback on the first draft of OPA 42 and focused on issues represented in Phase 3, OPA 48. The City met with stakeholders and individuals to discuss their comments and explore solutions to their concerns. Proposed policies were revised based on these discussions, and were included in a second draft of the OP Update that excluded natural heritage policies addressed in Phase 2 (OPA 42). The draft was released for further public review on January 30, 2012. The City promoted and hosted two formal open houses and a Public Meeting to present information and seek community input, and held further meetings with interested stakeholders and individuals. The final draft of OPA 48 considers this input from the community and will be considered by Council on June 5, 2012.
River Systems Concerns
Members of the River Systems Advisory Committee and a new citizen group called Living Rivers and Greenways Action Group are concerned that OPA 48 does not offer enough protection for Guelph’s rivers, tributaries and related natural spaces.
Their specific concerns are that the proposed policies:
•   do not provide explicit policies for the “protection, maintenance, and, where possible, rehabilitation of all rivers, streams and creeks as environmental corridors”
•   fail to maintain the notion of a Linked Open Space Concept as set out in the 2006 OP and the policies and principles that rely on this notion
•   do not maintain a mandatory 30 metre development setback from the river’s edge and the use of the setback as a vegetated corridor
Concern has also been expressed about a perceived lack of public consultation and clear communications regarding the intent and effect of the proposed policy changes.
City staff feels that OPA 48 complements and supports the excellent protection, preservation and enhancement for rivers, tributaries and natural systems established through OPA 42. OPA 48 addresses how the City will treat parks, trails and active open spaces that abut the City’s Natural Heritage System including the rivers. Refined Open Space, Trails and Parks policies presented in OPA 48 explicitly capture the notion of parks and open space being supportive of, complementary to and interconnected with the Natural Heritage System (NHS). The notion of appropriate naturalization of open space and parks adjacent to the Natural Heritage System has also been reinforced.

KEY MESSAGES
Guelph values its rivers and green spaces, and is committed to protecting, preserving and enhancing our natural assets and ecological systems as the city continues to grow. ’s Official Plan will direct growth and development over the next 20 years and is designed to have a positive effect on Guelph’s social, economic, cultural and natural environment. The plan has been updated in three phases over the past 5 years (OPA 39, 42 and 48). The policies presented in the third and final phase of the Official Plan update, (OPA 48) complement and support the protection, preservation and enhancement of the comprehensive Natural Heritage System established through OPA 42, including Guelph’s river systems and tributaries. This update in no way threatens the health of Guelph’s river systems. If OPA 48 is adopted, parks, trails and active open spaces must continue to support and complement nearby rivers, tributaries and other naturalized areas that are part of Guelph’s Natural Heritage System. In each phase of its Official Plan update, the City invited and responded to written submissions, promoted and hosted several open houses and meetings, and considered all comments and feedback from the community. The City continues to welcome community participation, comments and feedback on its Official Plan and other municipal policies.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
About the Official Plan Update
What is the Official Plan Update?
Guelph’s Official Plan Update – Envision Guelph provides direction for the city’s growth and development over the next 20 years. Envision Guelph focuses on sustainability and sets out policies designed to have a positive effect on Guelph’s social, economic, cultural and natural environment.
Why is it being updated?
The City updates its Official Plan every five years to comply with Provincial legislation and plans, and implement new municipal policies, plans and strategies.
What’s the status of each phase of the Official Plan update?
Phase 1 - Official Plan Amendment 39 (OPA 39) brought the City's Official Plan into conformity with the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe. OPA 39 was adopted by City Council in June 2009 and is in full force and effect.
Phase 2 - Official Plan Amendment 42 (OPA 42) introduced policies for Guelph’s Natural Heritage System and establishes a sustainable greenspace network throughout the city. OPA 42 was adopted by Council in July 2010 is under appeal at the Ontario Municipal Board.
Phase 3 – Official Plan Amendment 48 (OPA 48) will be considered by City Council for approval on June 5, 2012
About OPA 48
What kinds of policies are proposed under OPA 48?
OPA 48 includes new and updated policies addressing the following areas:
•   strategic directions and vision to guide growth to the year 2031;
•   detailed policies to achieve of the city’s growth management framework;
•   watershed planning and water resources;
•   public health and safety including natural and human-made hazards;
•   mineral aggregate resources;
•   climate change and the City’s Community Energy Initiaitve;
•   cultural heritage resources;
•   transportation providing greater focus on transit, walking and cycling;
•   municipal services and infrastructure;
•   affordable housing;
•   parks and trails;
•   urban design consistent with the Urban Design Action Plan;
•   land use designations; and
•   new implementation tools such as height and density bonusing,

What are some of the biggest policy changes included in OPA 48?
OPA 48 includes substantial policy changes which:
   ensure high quality urban design and place-making
   create new neighbourhoods that contain a mix of uses and are walkable and transit supportive
   promote economic vitality and innovation
   support social well-being, including planning for a diversity of housing types, affordability and tenure
   protect what valuable and manage change to ensure compatibility
   incorporate the Community Energy Initiaitve aspirations, targets and strategies

Why were policies included in OPA 48 updated from the versions presented to the community in 2010?
After City Council approved OPA 42 in July 2010, the City reviewed and analyzed all public and stakeholder feedback to focus on policies that would be included in OPA 48.The City met with stakeholders and individuals to discuss their comments and concerns regarding the 2010 draft policies, and refined the proposed policies before presenting them to the community for review in January 2012.
OPA 48 includes updated proposed policies for all planning matters except those Natural Heritage System policies already approved by City Council in OPA 42.
Did the City explain the differences between the draft OP Update policies released in 2010 and the revised OP Update polices released in January 2012?
Yes. The staff report and related material that accompanied the release of the revised draft OP Update in January 2012 comprehensively summarized and analyzed all comments received and identified specific revisions that were incorporated into the revised draft to respond to the submissions.
River Systems Policies in the Official Plan
Does OPA 48 maintain the vision of the city’s 1993 River Systems Management Plan?
Yes. The policies of OPA 48, working in conjunction with the policies of OPA 42, carry forward the elements of the River Systems Management Plan, while reflecting the evolution in approaches to natural heritage systems planning since the mid-1990’s. Land uses abutting the Natural Heritage System (including the river systems) are planned to support and complement the NHS and must be planned to ensure the NHS is protected, maintained and, as feasible, enhanced and restored.
Does OPA 48 provide explicit policies for the “protection, maintenance, and, where possible, rehabilitation of all rivers, streams and creeks as environmental corridors”?
Those explicit policies polices were already approved by Council in July 2010 as part of OPA 42 and, as such, are not appropriate to include in OPA 48.
What is the status of OPA 42?
OPA 42 was approved by Council in July 2010 and has been appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board. A hearing on OPA 42 is not expected to commence until some time in 2013.
Does OPA 48 maintain a mandatory 30 metre development setback from the river’s edge and the use of the setback as a vegetated corridor?
No, because minimum setbacks and buffers for components of the NHS, including river systems, were established through OPA 42.
Does OPA 48 maintain the City’s plans for linked open spaces?
Yes. Open Space, Trails and Parks policies contained in OPA 48 maintain the principles of Guelph’s 2006 Official Plan with respect to the “Linked Open Space Concept” as it pertains to parklands and trails (i.e. non-NHS lands), and are consistent with the 2009 Recreation, Parks and Culture Strategic Master Plan and its vision for a greenways system.
Community Consultation
How did the City gather feedback from the community when updating the Official Plan?
In each phase of its Official Plan update, the City invited and responded to written submissions, promoted and hosted open houses and meetings, and considered all comments and feedback from the community.
Specifically for OPA 48 the City used traditional and social media to promote open houses in February and in March. Staff also met with stakeholders before and after the Public Meeting on April 2.
Was Guelph’s River Systems Advisory Committee given an opportunity to review policies included in OPA 48?
RSAC had the opportunity to review the first draft of the OP Update that was released in early 2010 and did provide comments to the City. The comments related to the natural heritage policies and were considered through the finalization and adoption of OPA 42.
RSAC was notified of the release of the revised OP Update in January 2012 and invited to review the material and submit comments.
How can residents learn more about the Official Plan Update?
All documents relating to the three Phases of the Official Plan Update are available at guelph.ca/envisionguelph. City planning staff can be reached at City Hall 519-822-1260 or email planning@guelph.ca.
Reviewed by
Todd Salter, General Manager, Planning Services

Construction Notice:

FERGUSON STREET SURFACE ASPHALT
Find Out What’s Happening in Your Neighbourhood
What you need to know
As part of the Annual Asphalt program, the City has hired Cox Construction Limited to raise catch basins and manholes and place surface asphalt on Ferguson Street between Huron Street and Stevenson Street starting on or about Monday, June 11, 2012. This work will take approximately two weeks to complete all phases of the work.
Access to your property

During construction the contractor will make every effort to maintain access to all driveways, but at times your driveway may be temporarily blocked by construction equipment and/or operations during working hours. All driveways access will be restored by the end of each working day. If you have concerns about day to day construction or general questions regarding this reconstruction project please contact:

Grant Ferguson
Program Manager, Technical Services
Engineering Services
Planning & Building, Engineering and Environment
City Hall, 1 Carden St, Guelph ON N1H 3A1
T 519-822-1260 x 2251
E grant.ferguson@guelph.ca
F 519-822-6194

Some Comments on Healthy Landscapes Deptartment:

June 4th, 2012:

Dear Mayor Farbridge and Members of Guelph City Council,

For your reference, the following information was shared:

•   The Healthy Landscape program ‘s goals are to educate residents on how to save water, money and time in their landscape. As Guelph relies solely on groundwater supplies, we need to protect it. By using less water outside, this will help to alleviate demand on peak demand days.
•   The Healthy landscape program can help residents with:
•   fun, easy ideas to help you incorporate the latest gardening trends
•   creating a low-maintenance beautiful garden
•   Learn what plants will work best with your garden's conditions
•   Learn about dazzling plant combinations that are easy to grow and maintain
•   watering your lawn and garden for best results
•   identifying pest problems and how to deal with them
•   conserving energy by planting a tree in the right location

Should you have any questions regarding the interview, please feel free to contact me through the information noted below.

Thanks,
Karen McKeown | Outdoor Water Efficiency Technician | Water Services Division |
Planning & Building, Engineering and Environment
City of Guelph
T 519-822-1260 x 2109 | F 519-822-8837
E karen.mckeown@guelph.ca
guelph.ca/ourstoconserve

Road Re-marking in West End of Guelph:

Good afternoon Mayor Farbridge, members of Council and the Executive Team,

This morning, staff spoke with Kenyou Wallace of the Toronto Star about the City’s plan to remarking Fife Road, Elmira Road and Silvercreek Parkway as part of the 2012 AA program from their existing 4-lanes to a new 3-lane cross section including bike lanes. This is in response to a staff report submitted in last week’s information package.

The following comments were provided:

-   Staff confirmed the work is being done as part of the City’s Annual Asphalt program.
-   Staff clarified that a “road diet” involves removing travel lanes and reallocating the space to other uses such as bike lanes or dedicated turn lanes.
-   Staff confirmed that remarking roadways can be a means of promoting alternative modes of transportation such as cycling through the addition of bike lanes.
-   Who does it benefit? Benefits cyclists – by providing a dedicated bike lane; Pedestrians - by reducing the number of lanes they cross and provides a refuge area as well; and Drivers - by providing a dedicated left turn lane helping to improve traffic flow by getting vehicles out of the through lane.
-   Staff commented that “road diets” have been used for a number of years throughout North America and here in Guelph.
-   A question was asked about community support for ‘road diets’ and staff commented that generally where implemented the community has been supportive (e.g. Edinburgh Road South, Downey Road, Elmira Road, Imperial Road). Some comments staff have received from residents over the years include 1/ easier access to/from their properties and 2/ a feeling that vehicle speeds have decreased compared to before the road was remarked.

Sincerely,
Joanne Starr | Supervisor
Operations, Transit and Emergency Services |Public Works Department
Traffic & Parking

Further Info:

-   Staff confirmed the AA program is an annual program involving repaving of City roadways carried out by Engineering Services.
-   Staff were asked if the intent of remarking was to create bike lanes? Staff confirmed adding bike lanes is just one benefit, but that there are other benefits as well since it allows us to allocate space for other uses as well such as dedicated turn lanes.
-   Who does it benefit? Benefits cyclists – by providing a dedicated bike lane; Pedestrians - by reducing the number of lanes they cross and provides a refuge area as well; and Drivers - by providing a dedicated left turn lane helping to improve traffic flow by getting vehicles out of the through lane, and by reducing the severity and number of collisions.
-   Re: Elmira Rd project – Staff confirmed the section being repaved is between Woodlawn Road and Speedvale Avenue. Staff were asked if the existing gravel shoulders would be paved to accommodate the new cross section and staff confirmed that the existing gravel shoulders will remain and the new lane markings will be accommodated within the existing paved portion of the roadway.
-   Timeline on Implementation? Within the next few months as part of the AA program.

How Much Did Bike Lanes & The Bike Boxe Cost?

June 6th, 2012:

Good afternoon,
As the Executive Team and Council will recall, in June of 2011 at the intersection of Stone Road and Chancellor’s Way, Guelph's first bike box, a road marking that identifies where cyclists are to wait in front of cars at a red light was installed.

Some comments:
The bike box was favourably received by the bicycle community as a further step forward in being a bicycle friendly community.

No formal studies were undertaken or performance metrics developed to determine the success of the bike box, but rather just general feedback from Guelph Police Services, staff and bicycle users.There is intent by staff to add bike boxes at more intersections as criteria is developed and opportunities arise.

•    The entire Stone Road project (cycle track and bike box) cost $855,000
•    Bike box was a VERY small part of the contract (just a bit of paint)
•    Promotional items cost less than $5000 (design printed brochures and video)
•    Fun facts about video
Sincerely,
STAFF

1st Application for COSTCO GUELPH:

http://guelph.ca/uploads/Council_and_Committees/Council/council_agenda_060512.pdf

Two Bus Accidents With Guelph Transit:

Guelph Transit Safety June 5, 2012

ISSUE
Guelph Transit was involved in two separate incidents during the week of May 28-June 1.

BACKGROUND
Incident #1
On Wednesday, May 30, a Guelph Transit Operator was taken to Guelph General Hospital for examination following an unfortunate incident at Guelph Central Station. At approximately 3:30 p.m., the bus operator had stepped out of a bus and was temporarily pinned against a pole when the bus unexpectedly moved forward. Emergency Services personnel promptly arrived on the scene and the Ontario Ministry of Labour was immediately contacted to investigate this workplace accident. No passengers or pedestrians were hurt and Guelph Transit bus service was not affected.
Incident #2
On Friday, June 1, at approximately 10:30 a.m., two Guelph Transit buses were involved in a collision near the intersection of Watson Road and York Road in Guelph. Emergency Services personnel promptly arrived on the scene, and three riders and two operators were taken to Guelph General Hospital to be treated for any injuries. The collision occurred when a bus carrying four passengers on the York Road 4 route was rear-ended by an out-of-service bus returning to the Guelph Transit facility on Watson Road.

Guelph Transit :

•   Guelph Transit is committed to the safety of all passengers, operators and people travelling in the city.
•   Guelph Transit extends its sincere regret to bus passengers and operators involved in recent incidents and we are grateful no one was seriously injured.
•   We are fully investigating both incidents to determine what happened and what can be done to prevent such incidents in the future.
•   Moving forward, Guelph Transit will review public transit best practices to ensure that its safety and training methods stay consistent with industry standards.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

About Guelph Transit’s safety record

Is it safe to ride Guelph Transit?
Yes, it is very safe to ride Guelph Transit. Guelph Transit is committed to the safety of all passengers, operators and people travelling in the city. All Transit Operators go through thorough driver training and all buses are routinely checked for safety.
What is Guelph Transit’s safety record?
Guelph Transit buses are routinely checked by transit staff and have always passed Ontario Ministry of Transportation safety audits.
Since January 2012, there have been over 185,000 trips made by Guelph Transit operators and 10 preventable accidents.
(approx. 1,000 trips/day x 31 = 31,000 trips/month x six months = 186,000 trips)
In 2011, Guelph Transit vehicles travelled over 4,500,000 kilometres with eight accidents associated with over $1,000 in damage per incident. There was one personal injury associated with these accidents.
Guelph Transit identifies preventable and non-preventable accidents by determining if a transit operator did everything possible to prevent an accident from happening.
Preventable accidents include minor and non-minor accidents.
Identifying preventable accidents helps Guelph Transit to determine what type of additional training and testing operators may require.
Have the number of transit accidents increased this year?
At this point in time, the accident rate does not appear to be significantly different than 2011. We are continually monitoring our preventable accident rate to identify any issues and areas that require improvement in order to ensure that the necessary steps are taken to prevent future accidents.

About Guelph Transit’s recent accidents
Will the recent accidents affect future transit service?
Guelph Transit service this summer will not be affected by the recent accidents as there is adequate fleet when the University is not in full session. Staff are currently assessing whether there may be a requirement for replacement vehicles in the Fall when full service goes back into effect.
Is there a reason for two potentially serious accidents occurring within one week?
We will be fully investigating both incidents to determine what happened and what can be done to prevent such incidents in the future. All Guelph Transit operators go through extensive training and testing before they are allowed to operate a bus.
Does Guelph Transit release the findings of its investigations and recommended next steps?
Guelph Transit does not release the findings of internal investigations however it will announce any recommended next steps that are identified as a result of the investigation.

About Guelph Transit Operator Training
What kind of training does Guelph Transit provide to operators?
All new transit operators must go through a nine-week training course before they may drive a Guelph Transit bus. Training includes:
-   10 days of in-class training
-   four weeks of on-street training
-   two and one-half weeks of shadowing experienced transit operators
-   one-half week of parking training
New operators are also evaluated by management and their peers during training.
If an operator is away from work for more than 30 days, they are required to be retrained to ensure they are comfortable behind the wheel before they go back to work.
Do operators go through recurrent testing/training?
Yes. Guelph Transit operators must reapply for their license every five years as required by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. Additionally, Guelph Transit will routinely inspect operators to ensure they are following proper protocol.
How are buses maintained to ensure they are safe to ride?
Guelph Transit does preventative maintenance every 15,000 km. If an issue is safety related, the vehicle is taken off the road immediately and brought in for service.
All vehicles have a defect book for minor issues. If an operator identifies a vehicle defect (i.e. interior light not working, gauge inoperable, etc.), a defect sheet describing the problem is filled in by the operator and collected by Fleet Maintenance every night and the problem is resolved before the vehicle goes back into service.

Reviewed by:
Mike Anders, General Manager, Guelph Transit
Heather Roseveare, Corporate Manager, Corporate Communications
Prepared by:
Jessica Voin, Communications Coordinator, Corporate Communications

Environment First Planning in Guelph:

INFORMATION BULLETIN

Guelph uses “environment-first” approach to city planning
Updated Official Plan to direct growth over 20 years
GUELPH, ON, Thursday, June 7 – City Council has approved the third and final phase of Guelph’s Official Plan update. Official Plan Amendment 48 (OPA 48) includes several policies to enhance Guelph’s social, economic, cultural and natural environment.

Guelph’s Official Plan - Envision Guelph - will direct growth and development over the next 20 years. Updates to the policies included in the plan will encourage well-designed, walkable, transit-friendly neighbourhoods; promote economic vitality and innovation; support social well-being; and incorporate goals of Guelph’s Community Energy Initiative.

Specifically, OPA 48 includes new and updated policies to address growth to the year 2031 including:
•   watershed planning and water resources
•   climate change and the City’s Community Energy Initiative
•   greater focus on transit, walking and cycling
•   parks and trails
•   cultural heritage resources
•   municipal services and infrastructure
•   mineral aggregate resources
•   affordable housing
•   urban design and implementation tools (e.g. height and density bonusing)
•   land use designations
“The plan has been updated in three phases over the past five years,” said Todd Salter, General Manager of Planning Services. “City Council has already approved the first two phases which brought Guelph’s plan into conformity with the Provincial Growth Plan, and articulated specific policies to protect, preserve and enhance Guelph’s River systems and natural spaces that make up our Natural Heritage System.”

Guelph values its rivers and green spaces, and the City’s Official Plan continues to put the environment first - protecting, preserving and enhancing the city’s natural assets and ecological systems as the city continues to grow.

Updating Guelph’s Official Plan

Since 2007 the City has been conducting a five-year Official Plan update.

Phase 1 (OPA 39) established a growth management framework and brought the Official Plan into conformity with the Provincial Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe. OPA 39 was adopted by Council in 2009 and is in full force and effect.

Phase 2 (OPA 42) was the remainder of the Official Plan update and was driven by the 2005 Provincial Policy Statement, the Planning Act, the Ontario Heritage Act and the Clean Water Act, as well as the City’s Urban Design Action Plan, Community Energy Plan, Trails Master Plan, Recreation, Parks and Culture Strategic Plan, Employment Lands Strategy and other infrastructure studies and master plans.

The first draft of OPA 42 was released in early 2010 and the City conducted extensive community and stakeholder consultation. In May 2010, in response to community input and recognizing the importance of proceeding with the natural heritage policies while allowing time for public consultation on the update, Council directed staff to proceed with finalizing the Natural Heritage System policies.

OPA 42 was split into two parts; the Natural Heritage System policies were carried forward as OPA 42 and adopted by Council in July 2010 while the remaining policies became Phase 3 - eventually numbered OPA 48.

Phase 3 (OPA 48) began in late 2010 as the City analysed all public and stakeholder feedback on the first draft of OPA 42 and focused on policy matters that remained part of OPA 48. The City met with stakeholders and individuals to discuss their comments and explore solutions to their concerns. The proposed policies were revised based on these discussions, and were included in a second draft that excluded natural heritage policies addressed and approved in Phase 2 (OPA 42).

OPA 48 was released for further public review on January 30, 2012. The City promoted and hosted two formal open houses and a public meeting seeking community input. OPA 48 was approved by City Council on June 5, 2012.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Todd Salter, General Manager
Planning Services
T 519-822-1260 x 2395
E todd.salter@guelph.ca

Q&A on Guelph Waste Centre:

June 12th, 2012:

Q. Why does your facility require an additional 900 tonnes of organic material (SSO) from the City of Hamilton for processing?
R. The contract between the City and Maple Reinders has a substantial completion clause in the contract that requires the facility to be operated under maximum capacity for a period of 3 consecutive weeks without any environmental or operational issues. The facility is approved to process 30,000 tonnes of SSO per year and currently the facility is only receiving approximately 20,000 tonnes so in order to get to full capacity to meet the substantial completion clause in the contract an additional 900 tonnes of SSO during a 6 week period was required to be sourced.

Q. How much SSO is Waterloo currently sending to this facility and what tonnage have they committed to sending here for processing?
R. Currently they are sending approximately 10,000 tonnes per year on average and they have committed to sending 20,000 tonnes per year.

Q. Is this a concern for the City?
R. Not at all, the City will resume processing all SSO generated by the City of Guelph and the Region of Waterloo once the additional 900 tonnes is processed.

Q. Will there be any additional cost to the City to process this extra 900 tonnes of Hamilton SSO is sent here for processing?
A. There will be additional costs associated to the transportation of the SSO from Hamilton to Guelph and the cost difference between the amount of processing costs that Aim Environmental receives from the generator of the SSO and the cost charged by Wellington Organix to the City for processing the material here. I do not know at this time what the exact additional costs will be.

Q. Is the City confident that the issues that caused the odours in November are corrected i.e. the negative air pressure and sensors that caused the odours?
R. Any odours that were being discharged from the facility were never a result of loss of negative air pressure as the City has in fact maintained negative air pressure at all times. The odours were a result of faulty ammonia sensors that were affected by contaminants other than ammonia in an organic processing environment. The City is very confident that facility is operating as designed and is not creating any impacts to our neighbours.

Q. Is the City confident that the ammonia sensor issue has been corrected?
R. Yes, the acid system is now designed to be triggered by a pH factor and it is working very effectively to control odours.

Bill Shields | Supervisor, Governance & Compliance
Planning, Building, Engineering and Environment | Solid Waste Resources
City of Guelph
T 519-822 -1260 x 2058 | F 519-767-1660
E bill.shields@guelph.ca

Professional Planner Responds to Adobe Devlopment:

From Mayfield Park Group:

PARTNERS IN COMMUNITY BUILDING
BEATE BOWRON ETCETERA INC. & THE DAVIDSON GROUP INC.

MEMORANDUM

TO:   KATE MACDONALD, MPCA
FROM:   BEATE BOWRON & GARY DAVIDSON
DATE:   JUNE 5, 2012
SUBJECT:   REVISED APPLICATION BY ABODE VARSITY LIVING FOR 716 GORDON ST.

Below, please find a summary of our professional planning opinion regarding the revised application, dated April 12, 2012, by Abode Varsity Living for the site at 716 Gordon Street.

1.   The revised proposal for two apartment buildings of 12 storeys (Phase 1) and 10 storeys (Phase 2) accommodating some 1200 students still constitutes over-development of the site and is not in conformity with the in force City of Guelph Official Plan nor with the policies in Envision Guelph (OPA 48), which are currently before Guelph City Council.

2.   The in force Guelph Official Plan designates 716 Gordon Street as a General Residential Area permitting low-rise housing forms of up to 3 storeys and up to 35 units per hectare. This may be increased to up to 4 storeys and 100 units per hectare, if a site is located on an arterial road. The density of the proposed development is 156 units per hectare, far in excess of that permitted, and slightly higher that the maximum permitted in a High Density Residential Area. At 12 and 10 storeys it virtually triples the maximum heights.

3.   General residential policies for multiple unit residential buildings require, among other items, “that the building form, massing, appearance and siting are compatible in design, character and orientation with buildings in the immediate vicinity”, when evaluating a development proposal.

716 Gordon Street is surrounded by a stable low-density residential area directly to the east and south. All other higher intensity uses in the vicinity of the site are separated from it by arterial roads.

The proposed 12 and 10 storey buildings are massive and overwhelm the adjacent single-family neighbourhood. In reviewing the Artists Concepts submitted with the revised application, the view of the single-family houses on Evergreen Drive appears to be quite out of scale, as do the trees, which seem to hide the new building (Building 2) almost entirely and seem the exceed its 10 storey height.

4.   716 Gordon Street is located in an ‘Intensification Corridor’. Existing Official Plan policies envision generally higher densities than the surrounding areas, provided there is an appropriate transition of built form to adjacent areas. As mentioned above, the proposed development does not provide for such a ‘transition’. Existing policies for ‘Intensification Corridors’ also suggest a mix of uses, including a range of local services. The proposed development is single-use only. All amenities in the proposed buildings are for the sole use of the anticipated 1200 students.

While more detailed policies may be developed for other ‘Intensification Corridors’ in Guelph, this portion of Gordon Street has been examined during the recent Official Plan Review (OPA 48), which proposes to designate the area in which the site is located as Low Density Residential. The area of Gordon Street south of Kortright Road is already subject to the South Gordon Community Plan.

5.   Since the proposed development does not meet the objectives of Guelph’s current and proposed Official Plan policies, the proposed rezoning of 716 Gordon Street from “Specialized Service Commercial 1-11” to “”High Density (R.4B) Apartment Zone” runs counter to the same planning principles.

6.   It is our professional opinion that Abode’s revised development proposal presents an over-concentration of purpose-built student housing on this site and does not transition appropriately to the adjacent low-density residential neighbourhood. The proposed development contravenes current and proposed City of Guelph planning regulations and does not respect the principles of sound land use planning.

Mayfield Park Group Reasons Against Adobe Development:

June 9th, 2012:

ON BEHALF OF THE MEMBERS OF THE MAYFIELD PARK COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK-YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO YOU REGARDING ABODE’S AMENDED PROPOSAL.

ALTHOUGH COUNCIL WILL NO LONGER BE MAKING THE DECISION ON WHETHER THIS APPLICATION WILL BE APPROVED, WE BELIEVE THE POSITION TAKEN BY THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT AND THE CITY COUNCIL IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE TO ALL OF THE CITIZENS OF GUELPH.   IN ADDITION, THE PLANNING ACT NOW REQUIRES THE OMB TO CONSIDER THE DECISION OF THE LOCAL COUNCIL. WE HAVE ALREADY MADE LENGTHY SUBMISSIONS TO COUNCIL IN JANUARY OF 2011 AND PROVIDED EXPERT PLANNING REPORTS. WE WILL NOT REPEAT ALL OF OUR SUBMISSIONS BUT WE URGE YOU TO REVIEW THE INFORMATION WE’VE PROVIDED TO DATE. WE DO NOT FEEL THE AMENDED APPLICATION ADEQUATELY ADDRESSES ANY OF THE CONCERNS RAISED INITIALLY. TONIGHT WE ARE PROVIDING YOU WITH A WRITTEN SUMMARY OF THE PROFESSIONAL OPINION OF OUR PLANNERS BEATE BOWRON AND GARY DAVIDSON IN RELATION TO THE AMENDED PROPOSAL AND I WILL HIGHLIGHT SOME OF OUR MAJOR CONCERNS WITH MY COMMENTS. THE REVISED APPLICATION DOES NOT MEET THE REQUIRED CRITERIA IN SECTIONS 7.2.7 a) c) or d) THE OFFICIAL PLAN RELATING TO MULTIPLE UNIT RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS.

FIVE MAJOR AREAS OF CONCERN WE WANT TO HIGHLIGHT TONIGHT ARE AS FOLLOWS :

1. OVERDEVELOPMENT OF THE SITE
2. A COMPLETELY INADEQUATE TRANSITION TO THE EXISTING NEIGHBOURHOOD.
3. SINGLE USE DEVELOPMENT
4. INADEQUATE PROVISION FOR PARKING
5. DETRIMENTAL EFFECT ON STABILITY AND THE USE AND ENJOYMENT, SAFETY AND SECURITY OF THE EXISTING NEIGHBOURHOOD and the SAFETY AND SECURITY OF PEDESTRIANS, CYCLISTS AND MOTORISTS.

1. OVERDEVELOPMENT OF THE SITE

WITH OVER 1200 BEDROOMS AND AT LEAST THAT MANY RESIDENTS IT IS SIMPLY TOO MANY PEOPLE FOR THE SIZE AND LOCATION OF THE PROPERTY. THIS IS EVIDENCED BY THE SIGNIFICANT CONCESSIONS BEING SOUGHT BY WAY OF AMENDMENT TO THE OFFICIAL PLAN AND THE BY-LAWS. THE AMENDED PLAN INDICATES THERE WILL BE 2-5 BEDROOMS PER UNIT. PLEASE NOTE THAT OVER 93% OF THE UNITS WILL HAVE 4-5 BEDROOMS. THE PROPOSED BUILDING VIRTUALLY TRIPLES THE MAXIMUM HEIGHTS ALLOWED UNDER THE CURRENT OP AND OP AMENDMENT 48 WHICH WAS ADOPTED BY COUNCIL YESTERDAY. THE PROPOSAL ALMOST QUADRUPLES THE CURRENT MAXIMUM OCCUPANCY OF THE HOTEL.

2. INADEQUATE TRANSITION TO EXISTING NEIGHBOURHOOD

THE BUILDINGS OVERWHELM THE NEIGHBOURING PROPERTIES. IT IS MASSIVE AND OUT OF CHARACTER WITH THE NEIGHBOURHOOD. IT IS NOT COMPATIBLE IN DESIGN CHARACTER AND ORIENTATION TO THE STABLE LOW RISE HOMES IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY. THE PROPERTY IS IN AN INTESIFICATION CORRIDOR WHERE OFFICIAL PLAN POLICIES ENVISION HIGHER DENSITIES THAN THE SURROUNDING AREAS BUT THIS IS ONLY PROVIDED THERE IS AN APPROPRIATE TRANSITION TO THE EXISTING NEIGHBOURHOOD. THE BUILDINGS WILL CAST THE PROPERTIES ON EVERGREEN AND FURTHER INTO THE NEIGHBOURHOOD INTO SHADE FOR UNACCEPTABLE PERIODS OF TIME AND WILL DETRIMENTALLY AFFECT THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE PEOPLE LIVING IN THE EXISTING NEIGHBOURHOOD. OTHER HIGHER DENSITY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE AREA, SUCH AS THE SOUTH RESIDENCE, ARE NOT MORE THAN 4-5 STOREYS ARE SEPARATED BY EXTENSIVE GREEN SPACE AND AN ARTERIAL ROAD. THERE NEEDS TO BE AN APPROPRIATE TRANSITION BETWEEN THE EXISITING STABLE LOW DENSITY NEIGHBOURHOOD AND THIS PROPOSAL SIMPLY DOES NOT PROVIDE ONE.

3. THE AMENDED PROPOSAL IS SINGLE USE

INTENSIFICATION PRINCIPLES IN THE OFFICIAL PLAN AND OPA 48 SUPPORT MIXED USE. THIS PROPOSAL IS SINGLE USE / STUDENT PURPOSE BUILT HOUSING WITH SERVICES FOR THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF THE RESIDENTS LIVING WITHIN IT.
THIS IS NOT SUPPORTED BY THE BASIC GOALS AND GUIDELINES FOR INTENSIFICATION AS SET OUT IN OUR NEWLY AMENDED OFFICIAL PLAN. IT IS SIMPLY PUT AND OVER CONCENTRATION OF STUDENT PURPOSE BUILT HOUSING

4. PARKING

IF BASED ON THE NUMBER OF UNITS ONLY, AN APARTMENT BUILDING OF THIS SIZE WOULD BE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE 344 PARKING SPACES AVAILABLE FOR IT’S RESIDENTS. THE APPLICANT IS ASKING THAT ONLY 279 PARKING SPACES BE PROVIDED. THIS IS DEFFICENT BY 65 PARKING SPACES. WHERE WILL THESE RESIDENTS PARK ? IT WON’T BE ON GORDON STREET OR STONE ROAD. THE NOTICE CIRCULATED BY THE CITY ACKNOWLDGES THAT THE PROPOSED UNITS MEET THE DEFINITION OF A LODGING HOUSE. THEREFORE, 264 LODGING HOUSES ARE PROPOSED ON THIS PROPERTY. THIS IS NOT AN UNACCEPTABLE IMPACT TO OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD. IF THE LODGING HOUSE PARKING RATIO IS APPLIED 408 PARKING SPACES WOULD BE REQUIRED. THIS IS A DEFFICIENCY OF 129 PARKING SPACES. AGAIN WHERE WILL THESE RESIDENTS PARK GIVEN THAT THE IS ONLY ONE PARKING SPACE PER UNIT. IF YOU DRIVE AROUD OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD YOU CAN SEE THAT THE HOUSES IN OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD WHICH ARE SHARED BY STUDENTS HAVE 3-4 CARS IN PARKED THEIR DRIVEWAYS GIVEN THE NUMBER OF PROPOSED RESIDENTS AND THE UNUSALLY HIGH NUMBER OF BEDROOMS PER UNIT, IF ANYTHING, ALLOCATION FOR PARKING SHOULD BE HIGHER THAN THE BY-LAW REQUIRES TO ACCOMODATE OVER 1,200 RESIDENTS, EMPLOYEES AND VISITORS.

5. THE AMENDED PROPOSAL WILL DETRIMENTALLY AFFECT THE USE AND ENJOYMENT AND SAFETY AND SECURITY OF THE EXISTING NEIGHBOURHOOD, PEDESTRIAN’S AND CYCLISTS AND MOTORISTS

THE PROPERTIES ON EVERGREEN AND BEYOND WILL BE SUBJECTED TO UNREASONABLE BLOCKAGE OF SUN INTO THEIR BACK GARDENS. I ENJOY THE WINTER SUN IN MY BACK YARD AND I DO NOT WELCOME THE PROSPECT THAT IN WINTER MY BACKYARD WILL BE PLUNGED INTO SHADE FROM 2.00 pm ONWARD. MANY PEOPLE ON EVERGREEN HAVE BEAUTIFUL SUNROOMS THAT WILL FACE THIS COMPLEX , WE ALREADY PROVIDED PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE GARDENS IN THE WINTER. THE SHADE FROM THE BUILDINGS IS NOT THE SAME AND THE SUN DAPPLIING THROUGH THE TREES. THE NEIGHBOURING PROPERTIES WILL LOSE PRIVACY. THE PRIVATE STUDENT HOUSING DEVELOPMENT ON EDINBURGH AT CHANCELLOR’S WAY HAS THE HIGHEST INCIDENTS OF NOISE COMPLAINTS IN THE CITY AND IT IS NOT NEXT TO A LOW DENSITY RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBOURHOOD. THEN CHIEF OF POLICE ROB DAVIS PROVIDED WRITTEN COMMENTS TO THE CITY PLANNING DEPARTMENT INDICATING THAT, « IF APPROVED, THE PROJECT IS LIKELY TO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE VEHICLE AND PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC IN AN AREA WHICH IS BUSY NOW AND WILL LIKELY RESULT IN AN INCREASE IN CALLS FOR POLICE INTERVENTION TO NOISE, PARTIES AND NEIGHBOURS CONCERNS. » WE THINK WE SHOULD TAKES THE COMMENTS MADE BY THE CHIEF OF POLICE VERY SERIOUSLY. THE TRAFFIC STUDIES PREPARED BY THE DEVELOPER CONFIRM THAT THE CRITERIA IN THE OFFICIAL PLAN AND THE INCREASE IN TRAFFIC WILL NOT BE ACCOMODATED WITH MINIMAL IMPACT ON THE RESIDENTIAL STREETS AND INTERSECTION AROUND IT. THE TRAFFIC STUDY PROVIDED BY THE DEVELOPER SHOULD BE PEER REVIEWED BY THE CITY AS THEY ARE INADEQUATE AND DO NOT ADDRESS SAFETY CONCERNS RAISED. THE FINDINGS* OF THE STUDY DO NOT MATCH THE CONCLUSIONS. THERE IS IN ADEQUATE INFORMATION REGARDING PEDESTRIAN SAFETY. THE APPLICANTS STUDIES MAKE UNREALISTIC ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT USE OF INTERSECTION CROSS WALKS . ANYONE WHO LIVES IN THIS NEIGHBOURHOOD HAS OBSERVED STUDENTS LIVING AT THE BEST WESTERN THIS YEAR CUTTING ACROSS THE STREET MID BLOCK MULTPLE TIMES A DAY. THERE WERE ONLY 65 STUDENT LIVING THERE THIS YEAR WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THAT INCREASES TO OVER 1200? THE CURRENT TRAFFIC WOES AT THIS INTERSECTION GIVE US A SNAP SHOT OF WHAT DIFFICULTIES ENSUE WITH INCREASED TRAFFIC FLOW AT THIS INTERSECTION AND IN THIS NEIGHBOURHOOD.   DRIVERS, INCLUDING EMERGENCY RESPONSE VEHICLES SUCH AS FIRE TRUCKS ARE ALREADY TAKING SHORTCUTS THROUGH OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD OUT OF FRUSTRATION WITH THE CONGESTION. DRIVERS WAITING TO TURN LEFT FROM COLBORN ON TO STONE IN THE MORNING EITHER HAVE TO GIVE UP AND TURN RIGHT AND CUT THROUGH THE UNIVESITY OR HOPE FOR A SHORT GAP AND THEN TRY TO MAKE A BREAK FOR IT. THIS POSES SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARDS. IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO PROCEED SAFELY AT A GREEN LIGHT AT STONE AND GORDON UNTIL YOU WAIT FOR THE INTERSECTION TO CLEAR . THIS POSES SAFETY ISSUES FOR PEDESTRIANS AND OTHER MOTORISTS.
EVEN BEFORE THE CLOSURE OF VICTORIA IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN SAFELY FROM MONTICELLO TO PROCEED SAFELY ON PROCEED SOUTH ON GORDON STREET. WE HAVE SAFETY CONCERNS ABOUT THE PROPOSED DRIVE WAYS FOR THE PROPERTY AND THE SAFTETY ISSUES RAISED BY THEIR PROXIMITY TO THIS MAJOR INTERSECTION OF STONE AND GORDON. AT THIS POINT THE WAIT LINE TO TURN LEFT ONTO STONE FROM NORTHBOUND GORDON EXTENDS PAST WHERE THE PROPOSED DRIVEWAY WOULD BE LOCATED. IT WILL OFTEN BE UNSAFE FOR VEHICLES EXITING FROM THE PROPOSED STONE RD DRIVEWAY TO TURN LEFT . IF CAN’T WAIT FOR A GAP THEY WILL NO DOUBT TURN RIGHT AND THEN CUT THROUGH THE NEIGHBOURHOOD SIDESTREETS. IN THE CONTEXT OF THE ALREADY APPROVED DEVELOPMENTS TO THE EAST AND SOUTH OF THE PROPERTY WE FEEL THESE CONCERNS HAVE NOT BEEN PROPERLY ADDRESSED BY THE STUDIES PROVIDED.   A COMPREHENSIVE TRAFFIC STUDY SHOULD BE PRODUCED BY THE CITY FOR THE GORDON STREET CORRIDOR.

* THE GORDON AND STONE INTERSECTION IS ALREADY OPERATING AT LEVEL OF SERVICE E DURING PEAK TIMES.
•   THE INCREASE IN SITE TRAFFIC WILL INCREASE THE LEFT TURN DELAY IN THE PM PEAK.
•   DURING THE PEAK HOURS DELAYS CAN BE EXPECTED FOR VEHICLES TURNING LEFT ONTO STONE ROAD DUE TO    HEAVY EAST/WEST TRAFFIC VOLUME.
•   THE NORTHBOUND LEFT LANE ON GORDON IS BLOCKED BY CARS TURING LEFT ONTO STONE 2 TO 4 TIMES IN THE AM AND PM.

CONCLUSION

THE APPLICATION AND PROPOSED REZONING IS CONTRARY TO THE PROVISIONS AND THE SPIRIT, INTENT and OBJECTIVES OF THE OFFICIAL PLAN AND OP 48 AND DOES NOT RESPECT SOUND PLANNING PRINCIPLES.

WE ASK YOU TO RECOMMEND AGAINST THE PROPOSAL AND JOIN US IN PURSUING A VISION FOR RESPONSIBLE DEVELOPMENT FOR OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD AND OUR CITY.

Flood Protection on Lafarge Lands:

Good afternoon,

The City of Guelph is hosting a Construction Open House in advance of building a flood protection facility and re-naturalizing Howitt Creek within the former Lafarge lands (currently owned by Silvercreek Guelph Developments Limited). The flood protection facility is required before reconstruction and re-alignment of Silvercreek Parkway through the Silvercreek Guelph Development Limited lands.

The open house will be held on June 19th from 6pm to 8pm at the Guelph Optimist Club at 89 Beechwood Ave.

The full notice is available on the City’s website via the following link:

http://www.guelph.ca/cityhall.cfm?itemid=81174&smocid=1594

The project area and location of the Guelph Optimist Club are shown on the attached map.

Background information including OMB Minutes of Settlement and supporting documentation are available via the following link:

http://guelph.ca/living.cfm?itemid=74597&smocid=1646

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Regards,
Colin Baker, P.Eng. | Environmental Engineer
Engineering Services | Planning & Building, Engineering and Environment
City of Guelph

City of Guelph Accountability Page:

Good day, please be advised that an accountability and transparency webpage has now been posted to guelph.ca. This page provides an easy reference point for the measures currently in place as well as all related materials. At present, it contains information related to the Municipal Act and City policies, the closed meeting investigation process, Council Code of Conduct, Procedural By-law, Closed Meeting Protocol and Governance Manual. Staff will continue to maintain and update this information when necessary.
Regards,
Blair Labelle | City Clerk
City Clerk’s Department | Corporate and Human Resources
City of Guelph

Water Feature Open at City Hall!

City opens interactive water fountain in Market Square
Residents encouraged to visit downtown and enjoy the fountain

GUELPH, ON, Friday, June 8 – The interactive water fountain in Market Square will begin operating today.
“City staff has been busy testing the fountain, training staff and ensuring the proper operating procedures are in place,” said Mario Petricevic, General Manager of Corporate Building Maintenance. “The water fountain has received approval by the local health department and is officially open for people to use and enjoy.”
Initially, the water fountain, washrooms and changing area in the Pavilion building will be open to the public from 9 a.m until 10 p.m., seven days a week. The schedules may be adjusted throughout the summer if necessary.

“We are very excited about the opening of Market Square’s interactive water fountain,” said Colleen Clack, General Manager of Culture and Tourism. “There are a number of events planned for Market Square throughout the summer that we expect will attract people downtown.”
For more information about the operating schedule of the interactive water fountain and schedule of events, visit guelph.ca/marketsquare.

Farmers Market Open Wednesday's?

June 9th, 2012

Mayor, Councillors and Executive team:

Public Works staff are undertaking an 8 week “Pilot Project” to host a Wednesday Farmers’ Market, in the Farmers Market building, at the request of our vendors and customers. The pilot project would start on Wednesday, June 20th, 2012 and run once weekly from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm for the 8 week period.
Vendors would be both inside the building and in the rear parking lot. We would be able to accommodate new vendors that are currently on a waiting list for an opening on Saturdays as well as some of our current vendors. Advertising would be part of the pilot project and revenue and operational costs have been taken into consideration and would offset. We will establish a number of performance metrics to help us determine the success of the pilot project and review the results with the Guelph Farmers’ Market Executive Committee.
We, the vendors and staff, believe that this is a great opportunity to give this mid week market a try. In addition, if successful, there is opportunity to align with other special events that would be occurring in the Market Square and throughout the downtown in the future .
If you have any concerns or questions, please contact me directly.
Best regards,

Allister McILveen | Manager
Operations & Transit |Public Works Department
Traffic and Parking
City of Guelph
T 519-822-1260 x 2275| F 519-822-1751
E allister.mcilveen@guelph.ca

Waiting for a Sign for this City:

I’ve always admired the willingness and ability of my daughter Sophie to tell it like it is, and on Wednesday she once again demonstrated this ability.

She was sitting on the couch while I looked at our city hall blog on the computer nearby. Sophie, who recently purchased a new bike, noticed a photo of a ‘bike route’ sign which accompanied a post about the city installing such signs on Grange Road.

When she inquired about the sign, I explained a city committee had recently opted not to install bicycle lanes on Grange east of Victoria Road, and instead would be spending approximately $5,000 to install the bike route signs.

“That’s pretty stupid,” she replied. “If I saw that sign I would think there’s bike lanes there.”

I explained the purpose of the signs is to encourage people to ride their bicycles on Grange.

“You can ride on Grange all the time,” Sophie replied. “Me and Megan used to ride our bikes on there all the time.”

Indeed, when we lived in that neighbourhood a couple of years ago both of my daughters used to ride on Grange to access local parks or go to the store.

“You can ride on any street, can’t you?” Sophie asked.

Well yes. Yes you can.

But now when you ride on Grange you will do so knowing the city is encouraging you to do so.

A staff report before the committee noted bicycle use on Grange is “very low,” and noted installing bicycle lanes would require the removal of on-street parking which would not be well received by homeowners in the area.

One such homeowner attended the committee meeting to ensure members this was so.

I kind of understand staff’s rationale for not recommending bicycle lanes at this time. It’s the installation of the signs — and the $5,000 price tag for doing so — that bothers me.

Some commenters have challenged me on the blog, suggesting five grand to install 14 bike route signs is likely not that different than the cost of installing 14 other street signs. True enough, but it would be difficult to argue we don’t need “STOP” or speed-limit signs, whatever the cost.

My issue with the Bike Route signs is simply that we don’t need them. Riding bicycles on Grange Road — and indeed, as Sophie noted, every other street in the city — is already permitted, and the fact the city would like people to use Grange will likely hold no sway to the pedalling public.

The issue raised the ire of Coun. Cam Guthrie, who is a known watcher of the city’s pennies.

“If the intent is to “encourage” something that’s already widely known is legally allowed everywhere on our streets, then it’s a “warm and fuzzy do nothing make work project,” ” Guthrie wrote in an email Thursday. “If we have to put up signs telling people it’s a bike route, then we shouldn’t stop there, we should put up sidewalk signs on sidewalks to let people know that they are sidewalks.”

Indeed, if the city wants to encourage people to cycle on Grange Road they should stop subsidizing residents’ overflow parking and install bike lanes.

Interestingly, a staff report from last September notes remarking Grange with bicycle lanes “would be in keeping with the objectives of the Bicycle Policy adopted by council.”

There could be legal reasons to pursue this option as well.

That report from last fall notes bicycle lanes “are considered to be safer than unmarked on-street bicycle routes.”

So the city acknowledges bicycle lanes are safer places for cyclists to ride, but with this latest recommendation is encouraging more cyclists onto Grange which is an unmarked on-street bicycle route?

If the city really wants to make an impact with signs, Guthrie has a suggestion.

“If the city wants to “encourage” people with signs then how about signs that say “Don’t lie to your parents?” ” the councillor wrote.

I’m awaiting Sophie’s take on that one.

Scott Tracey is a Mercury staff writer. His Jury of One column appears Fridays. He can be reached at stracey@guelphmercury.com

Councillors Request F.O.I for Report from M.O.E:

April 20th, 2012: GUELPH – Five city councillors have chipped in $1 each to seek from the province information city staff has refused to release to them.

Coun. Cam Guthrie submitted a Freedom of Information request to the provincial Environment Ministry in an attempt to access a report sent to the city earlier this month about air quality at the Waste Resource Innovation Centre on Dunlop Drive.

Guthrie said councillors received an email from city staff on April 5 indicating the report had been received, but that staff felt there were inaccuracies in the document which would be taken up with the ministry.

Guthrie said he emailed two staff members and asked to see the report, and after the holiday weekend went to see one of them to make the request in person. He said he was told he could not see the report.

Guthrie said immediately after that exchange he encountered some other councillors while waiting for a committee meeting to start “and I was sort of venting and someone suggested putting in an FOI, so I decided that’s what I would do.”

Guthrie and councillors Gloria Kovach, Andy Van Hellemond, Jim Furfaro and Bob Bell each shared the $5 cost of submitting the application, Kovach said in an interview Friday.

“It’s information councillors wanted to see, but we were being told we’re not allowed to see it,” Kovach said.

Guthrie said he has been told his request has been discussed with the city’s legal staff “and it could be coming back at an in-camera meeting.”

However, City of Guelph Chief Administrative Officer Ann Pappert wrote in an email Friday “once a report is finalized all members of Council will be provided with a copy and at present, I do not believe this matter is a closed session report item.”

Guthrie said he is frustrated he felt the need to go over the city’s head to get such information.

“It shouldn’t have come to this,” he said. “I want to be fully informed on issues before I hit the Yes or No button.

“Some have said I tend to ask too many questions … but I need to be accountable to taxpayers and how can I be accountable if I don’t have all the information?” he added.

Kovach said having difficulty getting information from city staff is not new.

She is still awaiting a response to a question posed in February, for example, about the cost of holding off-site meetings at Cutten Fields. Kovach said the city used to have a lot of meetings at the facility on College Avenue, but since the new city hall and Clair Road Emergency Services Centre were built there is ample city-owned meeting space.

Instead of an answer to her question, Kovach received from Pappert a lengthy email outlining city protocols for dealing with councillor inquiries.

Pappert wrote the request would fall under a section of the city’s Governance Manual dealing with “new projects and initiatives” because it would “cause the re-allocation of staff resources away from existing priorities.

“Individual members of council do not have authority to direct staff work,” Pappert wrote, quoting the Governance Manual.

Kovach isn’t buying it.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this,” she said Friday. “This (information) should be easy to get. The time it took to write the email they probably could have provided the information I was looking for.”

In an email Friday, Pappert said there is a mechanism in place for requesting information such as that for which Kovach was looking.

“(Councillors) would raise it in open transparent forum – a standing committee or Council meeting,” the CAO wrote. “They would be asked to describe their request and seek the support of their colleagues as part of the democratic process.”

stracey@guelphmercury.com

Yeah, I Stopped a Fight. No Big Deal:

Politicians earned their stripes

The members of the large Guelph community of retired and still-serving NHL linesmen and referees might want to offer honorary inductions to the club to Guelph city councillor Cam Guthrie and its MP Frank Valeriote.

The two politicians earned at least consideration for honorary referee’s or linesmen’s stripes in quickly entering a downtown sidewalk fray Wednesday afternoon.

The two came to be next to a suddenly developed heated confrontation between two other men after arriving separately to that spot.

They stepped at once into the scuffle. They calmly helped to divide the two antagonists. They also respectfully engaged the bellicose men and urged them to desist from fighting and to depart, separately, peacefully. Then, they returned to the scene to help keep things orderly when a member of the crowd nearly came to blows with one of the combatants after the crowd bystander inelegantly and loudly condemned the would-be brawler’s actions and profanity.

Unfortunately, violent portions of the drama aren’t terribly uncommon in that location. This was a point raised with Guthrie by an observer of the fracas a moment after Guthrie’s successful turn as peacemaker. Such would also be well known to Valeriote given that his office was just a block or so away from where the encounter unfolded.

Addressing this is a challenge for the community and for different levels of government. Though a lot of political and police attention is paid to the core and Guelph’s downtown remains one of the most dynamic and charming ones in the province — if not Canada.

In this isolated case, two politicians deserve credit for the leadership and courage they showed without hesitation.

They immediately assumed considerable risk on many levels. They never engaged in an instant of grandstanding or playing to the crowd during or after the flap. They just jumped in and served the public in a manner that was most effective.

It was great citizenship, some heroism and, again, a nice bit of refereeing. Well done gentlemen.

Guelph Mercury Article

Dumping Garbage In Guelph:

April 21st, 2012: GUELPH — Rob Orobono is fed up with walking through the city’s green spaces and seeing piles of garbage.

Over the last two years, the amount of trash ending up along the trails and parks in the south end has increased tremendously, he said, and not just candy wrappers and plastic bags.

“There was a computer one time, there were chairs, there were broken tables,” he said, speaking about Gosling Gardens Park, near his house. “Everyone treats it like it’s their personal dumping zone.”

Orobono said he and his wife would take walks with their dog on the trails near their house and find all kinds of junk, from discarded furniture to other large items resting just off the path.

“It’s absolutely pathetic,” Orobono said. “It’s gotten out of control.”

Murray Cameron, the city’s manager of parks and greenways, said there are a number of hotspots around the city that seem to collect a large amount of garbage, and Gosling Gardens is one of them.

“It’s been a target of ours for the last two or three years,” he said, adding the area is currently being patrolled by bylaw officers. When a dumping of garbage is found, he said city staff are to examine the individual pieces of trash in hopes of identifying who it belongs to.

Larger items such as furniture and electronics, however, are rarely disposed of with an address or postal code.

“Staff are very frustrated with this,” Cameron said. “We can empty a can one morning and it will be overflowing in the afternoon because of illegal disposal of waste.”

In an effort to discourage people from dumping the large items at Gosling Gardens, the city removed the garbage can from the park’s entrance. But people continued to dump their waste, putting it where the bin once was.

Cameron said the city hasn’t received an increase in calls regarding the amount of dumping; the amount seen in the parks has remained consistent over the past five years.

Francesco Leri, a resident living on the north end of Preservation Park, also has concerns with the amount of illegal dumping along the trails. He said while walking his dog, he came across large pieces of old carpet left at the foot of a small pond at in the conservation area.

He said acts like this frustrate him, and make his efforts to do something for the environment seem pointless.

“Why would I go and buy a fuel efficient car, and then in my backyard I have people that dump stuff that is toxic?” he said. “What’s the point?”

Leri, a psychology professor at the University of Guelph, said both the city and residents have to work together to prevent future dumping. He said it is important for people to feel like they are part of a greater community, to realize their individual actions have a ripple affect throughout the city.

Looking at it from a psychological angle, he said he often wonders about the thought process of someone who is able to dump garbage on the ground without concern.

“There must be some psychological issues,” he said. “Nobody will teach you to do that. In fact, they’ll teach you to do the opposite.

“There are too many people who just don’t have the sense to protect their own environment,” he said.

Orobono said the best way to put an end to the illegal dumping is to somehow catch them in the act.

“Rather than spend thousands of dollars on sending people out there to keep cleaning it, set something up and catch these guys,” he said.

He said as soon as someone is caught and made an example of, the dumping will stop.

City councillor Cam Guthrie said he likes the idea of publishing the identity of anyone caught dumping garbage. In a public shaming fashion, he suggested the convicted dumpers should be revealed in the local media.

“If it can be determined and proved that someone is doing that, then it should be public shaming.” he said.

Guthrie said this method of publicly naming the dumpers was inspired by a city in Florida where the rate of illegal dumping has decreased since it began revealing the identity of those caught.

He said he plans to bring up this suggestion with city officials in the near future.

Cameron said the amount of garbage found in public areas is seasonal, and directly relates to students coming and going from the city. He said there is particularly a lot of waste off Arkell Road, heading towards Milton.

He also identified students as a major abuser of the garbage bins in parks.

“If they have a party, and they need to clean up their house, where does the garbage go? In the park down the street,” he said, adding the bins are for the convenience of park patrons, not for the disposal of household items.

Cameron said in order to stop illegal dumping from taking place, residents need to keep watch and report to the city if they witness any wrongdoing.

“It’s imperative that the homeowners take some responsibility and certainly the community at large,” he said. “Report it. It’s sheer abuse.

“We have curbside collection here. There’s a means of disposing of large waste or debris, and yet you choose just to dump it in a park?” Cameron said. “It’s pretty disrespectful.”

Twitter Campaign Starts for Guelph Library:

April 21st, 2012: GUELPH — An effort to save the Guelph Public Library’s free internet service is picking up steam, appropriately enough, on the internet.

City Coun. Cam Guthrie sent an “ask” on Twitter Wednesday night seeking donors to help save the service. The free access is at risk of being cut after Industry Canada announced this week that it’s discontinuing its $6,800 annual grant.

Within 24 hours, Guthrie said, he had collected more than $2,400 in pledges.

“People have been retweeting it like crazy,” the councillor said. “I’m getting contacted by people I don’t even know saying they want to help out.”

The largest donation came from Concourse Media, a downtown-based internet publishing company which hosts a number of food and lifestyle websites and applications. The company pledged $2,000.

“We feel strongly as the owners of an internet-based business we should step up,” said Concourse CEO Ryan Thompson. “The internet has really changed our lives and the lives of those around us.”

Ryan May, Concourse president, saw Guthrie’s tweet first and knew it was something the company should support.

“It’s such a huge information tool and it just didn’t seem right that there wouldn’t be internet service at the library,” May said, adding he knows people who have used the free service for things such as job searches.

“I hope there are others out there who hear about this (fundraising) campaign and want to get behind it,” May added.

Last week Kitty Pope, Guelph Public Library’s chief executive, said approximately 300 people use the free internet service each day — more than 100,000 sessions annually.

On Friday Alan Pickersgill, chair of the library’s board and treasurer of Friends of Guelph Public Library, said it is nice to see stated support for the library “but of course no money has actually come in yet.

“It is encouraging,” Pickersgill said of the Twitter community’s support. “You never look a gift horse in the mouth.”

Pickersgill said when the federal funding is gone, the library board will have to discuss whether to reallocate funds to cover the cost of the internet service.

“There isn’t much slack in the budget,” he said.

Guthrie said while he launched the online campaign to save the service, it also shows there are options “to just going to the collective taxpayer when a need arises.

“When there is a need in the community I don’t think the knee-jerk reaction should always be to go to the taxpayer,” he said. “The community will step up.”

stracey@guelphmercury.com

Mercury Article to be Reviewed?

Guelph council wants review of news article, environmental report to be made public

GUELPH — City councillors have asked their integrity commissioner to review a Guelph Mercury article about one of their own filing a freedom of information request with the province to get a report city staff refused to release.

Meanwhile, the report at the centre of the controversy will be a public document before the end of this week.

Councillors voted 10-2 to have new integrity commissioner Robert Swayze review the article and report back to council with his findings.

Coun. Cam Guthrie told the Mercury last Friday he had filed a freedom of information request with the provincial Ministry of the Environment to obtain a copy of an air inspection report related to the Waste Resource Innovation Centre.

Guthrie took the unusual step after city staff refused to release the document. He was supported in filing the request by four other councillors who split the cost of the $5 fee.

Kate Jordan, a spokesperson for the ministry, said Tuesday staff there has received the request “and will be responding to it shortly.”

However, Jordan also noted the report is scheduled to be discussed Thursday evening during a meeting of the city’s organic waste processing facility public liaison committee “and we want to discuss with the city the possibility of making the report public.

“Obviously some city staff do have the report … and there will be a discussion about making it available,” Jordan said.

Later in the day, city spokesperson Stacey Hare confirmed that will happen.

“I expect everything will end on Thursday and everyone — council, the public, the (liaison committee) — will have access to the report,” Hare said.

She explained the report was not provided earlier to councillors “because we had some concerns with the content in the report. We don’t feel it’s an accurate reflection of some of the things that happened during commissioning.”

City staff is currently working on an “accompanying report” outlining the city’s concerns with the ministry document.

Ken Spira, an outspoken opponent of the organics plant and a member of the liaison committee, said he also submitted a freedom of information request for the air quality report.

“I am not surprised at all that staff want to keep us all in the dark about what is really going on at the facility,” Spira wrote in an email of staff’s reluctance to release the report.

“Transparency is something that the city preaches but obviously does not practice,” Spira wrote.

On Monday night, councillors asked Swayze to review the Mercury article.

It’s not clear specifically what issues they want Swayze to examine.

“I thought it would be a good test case,” said Coun. June Hofland, who made the motion. “I did have a sense that perhaps our (council) code of conduct is not understood very well.”

Hofland said she wants Swayze to comment on the article “to see if we overstepped our code of conduct,” but denied she feels any particular councillor might have done so.

Coun. Bob Bell said he felt Hofland’s motion was tantamount to a complaint under the code of conduct and he didn’t feel there had been a violation, so he voted against it. Coun. Gloria Kovach was the only other councillor opposed to it.

“I had trouble following the logic,” Bell said when asked what the motivation behind Hofland’s motion might be.

Guthrie said he supported Hofland’s motion because there may be areas of the code of conduct or other governance rules that need to be amended.

“Having him look the article over and make a non-biased, objective overview is welcome,” Guthrie said.

Councillors on Monday also supported a special resolution confirming their confidence in CAO Ann Pappert “with respect to the matters raised” in the Mercury article, and approved a second resolution asking Pappert and Farbridge to arrange a “special session of council to discuss the changing culture of council and administration relations.”

Bell would welcome such a session.

“There seems to be some sort of issue where the information is not flowing to us freely,” the councillor said. “I would be happy with any opportunity to advocate for the free flow of information, so if that’s the opportunity for me to do that I’m in favour of it.”

stracey@guelphmercury.com

Why Did Councillors File for Report?

Why did councillors have to file request?

Re: Dear editor:Re: Staff denies access to report — April 21

This story indicates that five members of city council — Gloria Kovach, Cam Guthrie, Bob Bell, Jim Furfaro and Andy Van Hellmond — filed a Freedom of Information request alleging that they were denied access to a draft Ontario Ministry of Environment document.

This report, once finalized, will be provided to all members of council. So why the need to file such a request?

This is political grandstanding, a tactic employed with unfortunate regularity by both federal and provincial politicians. It is not surprising Canadians are becoming increasingly disillusioned with government, no matter what the level.

I would have expected better from our municipal representatives.

Oxanna Adams

Guelph

Free Internet at Guelph Libraries:

Free internet essential at libraries

The public should have free access to the internet at the Guelph Public Library.

It’s too bad that the federal government has pulled funding that was providing that access. The move has attracted criticism of the Industry Canada move. But that feedback won’t lead to this funding coming back.

The city and the Guelph Public Library need to figure out how to continue to offer this service.

Some breathing room in this regard appears to have been purchased by Coun. Cam Guthrie and such locals as Concourse Media, which have helped a drive to privately raise funds to continue this resource. This is a terrific community response to this challenge. It’s also another statement about the value placed on this service.

Community financing may be the key to this program continuing. Perhaps financing it needs to become part of the professional duties of the Guelph Public Library’s officer tasked with doing capital fundraising for the proposed new downtown branch of the library.

If that route is regarded as unreliable, this program should become another core service of the library and be budgeted for as such.

With an estimated 300 people using the internet at the library branches a day, this has become another of its essential services. As such, it must be preserved.

When the federal government first extended funding for this access, connection to the internet was a more exotic thing. That’s no longer the case, but there are many people who still rely on facilities such as public libraries to access the web.

Many users are people who are otherwise without the means to access the internet, according to the library’s chief executive officer. Kitty Pope also said the library program is used daily by many people engaged in job search activities.

Free access to the web and to computers to use to connect to the web needs to continue at the library. It’s worth the return on this investment, even if Ottawa doesn’t take that point of view.

Free Internet at Guelph Libraries:

Free internet essential at libraries

The public should have free access to the internet at the Guelph Public Library.

The city and the Guelph Public Library need to figure out how to continue to offer this service.

If that route is regarded as unreliable, this program should become another core service of the library and be budgeted for as such.

With an estimated 300 people using the internet at the library branches a day, this has become another of its essential services. As such, it must be preserved.

Free access to the web and to computers to use to connect to the web needs to continue at the library. It’s worth the return on this investment, even if Ottawa doesn’t take that point of view.

Councillors Lauded for F.O.I Request:

Councillors lauded for freedom of information request

Dear editor:

Although I’m from British Columbia, I was drawn to the Mercury’s April 21 story “City of Guelph denies Guelph councillors access to environmental report.”

The story described how councillors Cam Guthrie, Gloria Kovach, Andy Van Hellemond, Jim Furfaro and Bob Bell used freedom of information legislation to seek access to an air quality report from the Ontario Ministry of Environment that city staff were unwilling to provide.

I applaud the decision of the five councillors to use freedom of information legislation. The City of Guelph is an assembly of the people, led by councillors elected by the citizens of Guelph. Had the councillors played an unnecessary waiting game, they risked betraying the trust the people invested in them.

Guelph residents might benefit by reminding chief administrative officer Ann Pappert that by providing a right — with limited exceptions — to access records, section 4 of Ontario’s Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act turns city staff into custodians of the city’s records, much like librarians are custodians of books in the library. For staff to refuse councillors — or anyone — access to reports held by the city is as shocking as librarians refusing to let people access certain books held in the public library.

The information commissioner of the United Kingdom produced a funny freedom of information training video for staff of municipal governments in the U.K. Although the Ontario freedom of information law is a little different from the U.K. law, their spirit is the same. It’s definitely worth the watch: www.bit.ly/Funny_FOI

Not only might Guelph residents applaud councillors Guthrie, Kovach, Van Hellemond, Furfaro and Bell for using their access rights, but you might encourage them to use freedom of information legislation more routinely.

Here in B.C., for example, the mayor and council of Port Moody used freedom of information laws to gather from the provincial and federal governments information about funding for a major public transportation project, something of great importance to Port Moody residents. And staff at the City of Burnaby used the federal Access to Information Act to acquire from Environment Canada information about a toxic spill in a local creek, an important issue for Burnaby residents.

Whether or not the most important issue Guelph residents want their councillors to address is air quality at the waste resource innovation centre on Dunlop Drive or something else, such as economic development, affordable housing, or public transportation, is a matter for Guelph’s voters to decide.

Mark Weiler

Burnaby, B.C.

Tried to Help Businesses in Downtown:

Council clears way for highrises

GUELPH — Picture a much more livable downtown, dotted with highrises and better access to the Speed River.

That’s what city councillors had in mind Monday night when they endorsed the Downtown Secondary Plan, a comprehensive Official Plan amendment, which sets the course for development of the core during the next two decades.

Mayor Karen Farbridge noted the document, more than two years in the making, is a marked departure from past downtown planning decisions.

“I’ve certainly felt the weight of this decision around the (council) horseshoe,” the mayor said. “The status quo is not going to bring us the downtown our city deserves.”

The majority of the 15 delegations who addressed council spoke in favour of the plan. Others offered tentative support for the overall goal of the document while expressing concern about particular issues, such as allowing buildings up to 18 storeys and eventually removing a plaza at Gordon and Wellington streets to create riverfront parkland.

“It’s not perfect, but we find it measured, respectful and grounded in reality,” Marty Williams, executive director of the Downtown Guelph Business Association, said of the plan.

Dan Leeming, an urban designer representing Fusion Homes, which will redevelop the former W.C. Woods site on Arthur Street, called the plan “an appropriate road map for Guelph to continue to grow and mature.”

Others weren’t so sure.

Local architect Unto Kihlanki said taller buildings generally lead to a decreased quality of life at the street level. He is concerned allowing 18-storey buildings at certain sites could open the door for such tall buildings at other sites, and that the city would not be able to defend challenges at the Ontario Municipal Board that arise if the city doesn’t allow them.

“We respectfully ask council to step back from the precipice,” Kihlanki said, adding the plan could always be amended to allow taller buildings in the future if appropriate.

Dave Sills, president of the Guelph Civic League, said his organization generally supports the principles of the plan.

But he does not feel 18-storey buildings are appropriate.

That will be tested next Monday when councillors consider a proposal from London developer Tricar to erect an 18-storey condominium tower at Macdonell and Woolwich streets. City staff has recommended approval.

Coun. Bob Bell noted the secondary plan allows “bonusing” in lower height categories, where developers can essentially buy additional storeys in exchange for public benefits such as affordable housing, better energy efficiency or public art.

But Bell noted there is no opportunity for bonusing — and therefore no opportunity for the city to realize those benefits — on the four sites approved for 18 storeys.

He proposed an amendment which would have lowered the maximum height on those four sites, but allow developers to receive additional storeys under the bonusing program.

Councillors voted 10-3 against Bell’s amendment proposal. They later voted 8-5 against a motion from Coun. Cam Guthrie which would have increased the commercial footprint in a park proposed at the corner of Gordon and Wellington streets. The secondary plan envisions setting aside money every year to buy that property — which currently houses a bustling strip mall — in 2022, but includes a term which could see a small complementary commercial development there.

The owners of two businesses near the corner pleaded with councillors not to endorse the park recommendation, which they fear will hurt their businesses and make the future uncertain.

stracey@guelphmercury.com

Am I Anti Union?

Guelph councillor Guthrie’s ‘not union’ comment rankles online

GUELPH — A city councillor caused a bit of an online flap this week with a blog comment some perceived to be anti-union.

But the heads of the two largest groups of unionized municipal workers dismissed the comments.

Coun. Cam Guthrie posted a comment on the 59 Carden St. municipal affairs blog about Costco’s proposal to locate in his west-end ward.

“Costco will bring between 200-250 job opportunities to Guelph,” Guthrie wrote. “They pay the highest wages of almost all “big box” stores and offer benefits to their employees. And they’re not union.

“This is what I would call a “win-win-win-win-win,” Guthrie wrote later in the comment.

Other commenters soon asked why the councillor had mentioned Costco is not unionized, with one suggesting, “Cam is trying to suggest that Guelph is a great place for setting up non-union shops” and another asking point-blank whether Guthrie is “anti-union.”

The councillor later posted a comment explaining he was simply trying to counter “common arguments” that big box stores only offer “underpaid, minimum wage, no benefits jobs and that the only way they can get benefits, better pay etc … is that they should all be unionized.”

In an email Friday, Guthrie wrote unions “have a role to work at all times in the best interest of their members.

“In my role, I need to strike a balance between some unions’ entitlement addictions, and what’s affordable & fair for our taxpayers,” he wrote, adding he is known to frequently ask “why” and unions should not be “immune to the same question.”

The heads of the city’s two largest employee unions shrugged off the councillor’s comments.

“Everyone’s entitled to their comments,” said Dave Peshnak, president of Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 973, which represents approximately office staff. “That’s just one person’s view.”

Brad Kelloway, president of CUPE Local 241 representing approximately 350 outside workers, said with any slate of councillors there will always be some who are not fans of organized labour.

“I don’t know if it’s a big stir if there’s someone who supports unions or someone who doesn’t,” Kelloway said. “Unions were around long before any of these councillors and they’ll be around long after they’re gone.”

editor@guelphmercury.com

Commissioner Only Met With Mayor & City Staff:

Guelph integrity commissioner to meet with mayor and civic staffers this week

May 10th, 2012 GUELPH — The city’s integrity commissioner was to meet this week with municipal staff and the mayor as he continues to investigate a Guelph Mercury article outlining frustration felt by some members of council.

“Obviously I’m going to respond,” Robert Swayze, a Caledon lawyer, said in an interview. “I've been asked to look into it by council so I’m going to do that.”

During their regular meeting in April, councillors voted 10-2 to ask Swayze to review the article and report his findings back to council.

The article in question focused on Coun. Cam Guthrie -- with the support of four other councillors -- filing a freedom of information request with the provincial Environment Ministry in an attempt to get a copy of a ministry report that city staff had refused to release to councillors.

It also touched on Coun. Gloria Kovach’s frustration over her inability to find out the cost of holding off-site council meetings.

City staff explained they disagreed with some elements of the ministry report into air quality issues surrounding the new organics processing plant, and did not want to release it until they had drafted an accompanying report outlining the city's concerns with the ministry report.

Both documents became public five days after the Mercury article -- and three days after the council vote -- during a meeting of the organics processing facility’s public liaison committee.

Coun. June Hofland, who made the motion asking Swayze to investigate the matter, said at the time it would be “a good test case” of council’s new code of conduct, though she stressed she did not believe any of her colleagues had violated the code.

Swayze said this week he has been on vacation, but had several appointments scheduled with municipal staffers this week. He noted Mayor Karen Farbridge had also requested to meet with him to discuss the matter.

Swayze said his report will be a public document once it is complete, though he did not know whether it will be addressed by a council committee or by council as a whole.

Those details are still to be discussed with city clerk Blair Labelle, Swayze said.

He could not comment on when his report will be complete.

stracey@guelphmercury.com

Slate of 10 Guelph Services to Undergo Review:

Slate of 10 city services about to come under closer scrutiny

GUELPH — Ten services are about to come under the microscope, as the city begins the task of determining what services it should be offering and how it should be offering them.

Over the next several months, a staff-led service and operational review team (SORT) will conduct field work before reporting to council in the fall.

About a year ago, councillors began the exercise of determining which services should be subjected to closer scrutiny. From an initial list of 75 — which represents about one-quarter of the city’s services — council selected 10 services for a closer look.

This could take the form of a service review — which considers whether the city should be offering a particular service — or an operational review, which accepts the city will provide the service but seeks more efficient ways to do so.

The six areas selected for service reviews are ServiceGuelph, special events coordination, legal representation, boulevard maintenance, seasonal recreation facilities and corporate communications.

Meanwhile, operational reviews will be performed in the areas of business information systems, traffic flow management, procurement processes and property standards bylaw.

Coun. Cam Guthrie first suggested shortly after being elected in 2010 such reviews should be conducted, and raised the issue again during budget deliberations in February of last year.

“It’s a long time coming, not just for the last 15 months but it should have happened long ago,” Guthrie said of a comprehensive review of all city services. “I definitely wish we had been attacking it a bit sooner but it is a positive thing going forward.”

However Michael Psotka, director of the service review project, said in a news release such reviews “are not new to the City of Guelph and are an ongoing part of the city’s fiscal sustainability and continuous improvement of the delivery of services to the public and business community.”

The city’s plan is to examine each of the approximately 300 municipal services during the next four years, though most will not be subjected to the in-depth reviews contemplated for this initial group of 10.

“I’m really hoping the outcomes can be always to the positive, either by identifying services outside providers should be offering instead or by finding more efficient ways for the city to offer them,” Guthrie said.

Reports on the ongoing reviews will be presented to city council in the fall.

stracey@guelphmercury.com

East Side Fires Unsolved:

GUELPH — For weeks late last summer, several streets on Guelph’s east side were lit up like a baseball stadium at night. Every porch light, every backyard light, every garden spotlight burning brightly throughout the night.

“We were scared for quite a while. Everyone on the street kept their lights on at night,” remembers Cecilia Smith.

In late July, over the course of six days, a suspected arsonist or arsonists set three fires within a small radius on Grange Road, just east of Victoria Road.

In total the fires caused $750,000 to five homes and a trailer. To date no one has been arrested.

• July 20: At around 3 a.m. fire destroyed a camping trailer and damaged vinyl siding on two homes at 309 and 311 Grange Rd., causing $21,000 damage.

• July 23: At around 4 a.m. neighbours backing on to 309 Grange Rd. notice fire spreading up the outside of a detached two-storey house, then quickly spread up the side of the home before jumping to the adjacent house, where it caused extensive damage. A woman and three children were home at the time the fire broke out but got out safely. Damage was tagged at $700,000.

• July 26: In the most brazen incident, mopheads and cleaning supplies inside a Trailbrook Lane garage were set on fire around 4 p.m. Damage was estimated at $25,000.

“I just heard the doorbell going a hundred miles an hour and the two ladies yelling, ‘your home is on fire! Your home is on fire!’” homeowner Sev Franchetto said last July.

“It was a scary time,” remembers Smith, whose Trailbrook Lane home backed on to the Grange Road home where the most serious fire took place. “Everybody made sure their doors were locked at night.

Police increased patrols. There was talk of a special task force. Ward 4 councillor Cam Guthrie Tweeted a $500 reward was available for information leading to the arrest of the culprit or culprits.

“That investigation remains open and we follow up with any leads as we get them,” said Guelph Police Staff Sgt. Patt Milligan.

“We encourage people to call us if they have information, but as of yet we haven’t been able to identify who was responsible in any of those fires.”

Milligan said timing and geographical location tied the fires together.

“That leads us to believe there is that possibility,” Milligan said when asked if the fires were related, “but we don’t have any other information that ties them together at this point.”

It was more by luck than by design that nobody was injured in the fires. Particularly the early morning blaze on Grange that was only spotted because a neighbour was coming home late from a social event.

“That one was the most serious of the three. That one causes us a lot of concern,” Milligan said.

Neighbours were confused and scared.

“You just don’t expect that type of thing in Guelph,” said a young woman walking with her two children in the area on the weekend who asked that her name not be used.

“I remember it was all everyone was talking about. People were scared.”

These days Smith says things have returned to normal on Trailbrook Lane. The lights go off at a decent hour and rarely are the fires discussed.

“We’re just glad they ended,” she says. “It was a scary time.”

Anyone with any information regarding the fires is asked to call Guelph Police at 824-1212 or contact Crime Stoppers.

Commissioner Report:

Rift between some councillors and Guelph city staffers, report suggests

GUELPH — The first report of the City of Guelph’s new integrity commissioner suggests Guelph city council and senior municipal staffers need to play nice with each other.

The need for the two sides to get along better is a recurring theme in Integrity Commissioner Robert Swayze’s look into issues created by an April 20 Guelph Mercury article.

That article centred around Coun. Cam Guthrie, who, with the support of four other councillors, made a Freedom of Information request to obtain a copy of a provincial government report on the city’s composting plant that municipal staff had but declined to release to them.

The newspaper article also touched on concerns Coun. Gloria Kovach had with civic staff regarding her frustrations about obtaining information about an unrelated manner.

Swayze’s report suggested that a series of “team building meetings” could be set up with a private professional facilitator to try and help improve the relationship between senior staff and council.

“We don’t need to spend more of the taxpayers’ money on some kind of rah-rah team-building exercises,” said Guthrie, when asked to comment on the report.

“I don’t need a report or a commissioner to tell me I need to make amends with a staff member. My conscience will tell me before that that I need to do that,” the Ward 4 councillor said.

Guthrie said the real problem lies with city policy that prevented an important report from being released to council that he said was already available to the public through the Ministry of the Environment.

Policy, not staff, is the problem, Guthrie said.

Kovach couldn’t be reached for comment Friday. But Coun. Bob Bell, who along with Kovach opposed the decision to have the integrity commissioner review the issue, said he never did see the matter as something in need of the commissioner’s involvement.

“It’s an odd name, ‘integrity,’” said Bell, who declined to expand on his comment.

“I’d better not say too much,” Bell concluded.

Guthrie said that he too would like to say more about the whole ordeal, but he’s “afraid to say things now aloud” now that there’s the “threat of an integrity commissioner over my head.”

One of his options to have the matter aired more thoroughly, he said, is to ask for a full investigation by the same commissioner. But he’s afraid that would waste time and money.

The integrity commissioner is paid yearly retainer and $235 per hour for his work.

Swayze’s report, which goes to council Monday night, points out that he did not do a full investigation into the complaint.

“It seems clear that the relationship between staff and these councilors is not what it should be,” states the report.

In defence of staff, the report said it’s important for councilors to understand that staff “cannot drop what they are doing instantly and devote their time to the councilor.”

However, the report also suggests staff might have been able to release the document sought in this instance to council sooner than it did.

It also said Guthrie should have pursued more “internal remedies” at city hall open to councillors to obtain this report before filing a freedom of information request.

It asserts that if council calls for a full investigation, some councillors are likely to be found to have violated council’s code of conduct. But he urges a different course of action.

“I do not want to recommend sanctions against councillors at this time,” Swayze states in the report. “I feel it is in the best interests of all concerned to move on.”

Some on Council Accept Report:

Lesson learned? Guelph city councillors reluctantly agree to accept integrity report

GUELPH — City councillors agreed Monday night essentially to just get along.

Eventually.

Councillors voted eight to four to accept a report from integrity commissioner Robert Swayze, who had been asked to review a Guelph Mercury article to determine whether councillors quoted in it had violated council’s Code of Conduct.

Swayze told council he determined some councillors violated the code by complaining about staff to the press and by revealing the contents of a confidential email from staff.

“That’s clearly contrary to the Code of Conduct,” Swayze said.

The review involved an April 20 Mercury article about Coun. Cam Guthrie and four other councillors each chipping in $1 to file a Freedom of Information request with the provincial environment ministry in an attempt to get a copy of a report city staff had refused to release.

The same article included comments from Coun. Gloria Kovach expressing frustration about trying to get information from staff about other issues.

Swayze said he believed the Code of Conduct violations were unintentional and would likely not happen again, and suggested no further action be taken.

“I’m suggesting we all move on,” Swayze said.

But before moving on, a few councillors took exception to Swayze’s methodology. He conceded he only conducted in-depth interviews with CAO Ann Pappert and Mayor Karen Farbridge, and also met briefly with Kovach after she expressed concern about responding to his questions by email.

Swayze said at no time during his review did he come to understand the urgency of those councillors who wanted to get a copy of the provincial report.

Kovach suggested he did not understand it “because we weren’t given the opportunity to provide that information to you.”

Kovach noted when she met with Swayze she had prepared extensive comments and is “perplexed” he would not take them and rather limited her to three specific questions.

The integrity commissioner conceded he conducted full interviews with the CAO and mayor “but I had to draw the line somewhere.”

Noting Swayze did not learn who first contacted the Mercury, Coun. Lise Burcher asked whether there should be an “absolute obligation” for that person to come clean.

“I think they should disclose, but I don’t know how I can force that,” Swayze replied.

Burcher’s question raised some concern on its own.

Kovach alleged her colleague had made “false allegations” by suggesting without proof a member of council had approached the Mercury, but Burcher countered she had made no such allegation but rather simply a blanket statement whoever had done so should admit it.

Kovach said she would not vote even to receive Swayze’s report, which she called “slanted” and said contained inaccurate information.

Noting the Ministry of Environment report became a public document days after the Mercury article, Guthrie suggested controversy “seems to be the only thing that gets things done.”

Coun. Jim Furfaro — who was one of the five who chipped in on the FOI request — said the whole controversy could have been avoided if staff had sat down with councillors to discuss the Ministry report in the first place instead of refusing to release it.

“I’m not sure as a corporation we displayed those ideals of transparency and accountability in their truest form,” Furfaro said.

Farbridge noted a series of planned workshops will help council and staff examine the flow of information and learn from the experience.

stracey@guelphmercury.com

Guelph Skateboarders Use Council Funds for Summer:

Guelph skateboarders to get free indoor ride again this summer

GUELPH — For the third consecutive year, local skateboarders will get a free ride this summer.

City councillors voted Monday night to spend up to $10,000 to rent The Ward Skatepark for July and August. It will be the third straight summer the city has rented the facility at York and Victoria roads to provide a temporary place for skaters to ride.

The city first rented the indoor park in 2010, after removing the outdoor skatepark from Deerpath Park amid complaints from neighbours about noise, vandalism and other issues.

The city is in the early planning stages for a new municipal skate park at Silvercreek Park, but it is not expected for a few more years.

Coun. Ian Findlay made a special resolution directing community and social services staff to identify and reallocate monies in the 2012 budget to rent the facility. He noted renting the skate park was included as a line item in the 2012 budget but did not get approved.

“What’s not going to get money so this gets money?” Coun. Cam Guthrie asked.

Colleen Bell, the city’s executive director of community and social services, said the city will use a council contingency fund established to cover unforeseen expenses.

Council heard that fund — which was similarly used to rent The Ward last summer — has a balance of approximately $14,000.

Bell said the owners of the skate park will not be surprised by council’s motion.

“We’ve been in discussion with them for several months,” she told councillors, who voted 12-0 in favour of Findlay’s motion.

stracey@guelphmercury.com

Any Value in Integrity Report?

Jury of One: Value of integrity commissioner report unclear

There is good value for your money, and then there is the value the city appears to have received from its new integrity commissioner.

Back in April, councillors voted to have Robert Swayze, a Caledon lawyer, review an article I wrote outlining concerns two councillors had about obtaining information from city staff.

The article included specific complaints, and also referred to a freedom of information request filed by Coun. Cam Guthrie — with the moral and financial support of four colleagues — in an attempt to get a provincial report city staff was refusing to release.

I didn’t quite understand the rationale for council’s request five weeks ago, and when I asked Coun. June Hofland — who made the motion — to explain it to me, it was clear she didn’t really know what council had asked Swayze to do.

Hofland was clear at the time, however, she did not believe any of her council colleagues had violated their Code of Conduct.

However, in the introduction to his resulting report, Swayze wrote he “interpreted the referral as requiring my comment on the (news) report in the context of the Code of Conduct … and not as a direction to conduct a full investigation.”

This is just as well, because Swayze certainly did not conduct a full investigation.

At Monday’s council meeting, he said he met with chief administrative officer Ann Pappert for about 90 minutes, and spent about half that time speaking with Mayor Karen Farbridge.

He emailed the five councillors who chipped in on the freedom of information request — Guthrie, Bob Bell, Jim Furfaro, Gloria Kovach and Andy Van Hellemond — and asked them three questions: To confirm their participation in the application, the identity of who leaked it to me and why they participated in it.

In his report, Swayze said he would not repeat the position of the mayor or chief administrative officer “because I have not offered a full interview to the other councillors and given them the opportunity to respond.”

With all due respect, that’s weak.

Swayze has no trouble slapping the wrists of Guthrie and Kovach — the two councillors quoted in my story — for making negative comments about staff and, in Guthrie’s case, revealing information from a confidential email from staff.

If the integrity commissioner intended to include in a public report such findings, he should at least have interviewed those two councillors. Indeed, Kovach revealed during the council meeting she requested a meeting with Swayze and attended said meeting armed with a full statement on the matter, which Swayze refused to accept from her.

The commissioner explained he interviewed the chief administrative officer and mayor as the heads of staff and council “but I had to draw the line somewhere.”

I suggest he drew it in the wrong place.

Either way, when all the dust settles, Swayze will have produced a document that basically says not everyone at City Hall gets along, that they should try harder to get along and that they should not air their dirty laundry in public.

We’ll find out in late June or early July, when Swayze submits his quarterly invoice, whether it was worth the cost.

Scott Tracey is a Mercury staff writer. His Jury of One column appears Fridays. He can be reached at stracey@guelphmercury.com

Integrity Report Openly Flawed:

Integrity report openly flawed

It’s surprising that a majority of Guelph city council voted to accept a report offered by the municipality’s integrity commissioner this week.

Granted, the commissioner’s direction from council that led to the document being generated was somewhat ambiguous. But it’s incredible that a majority of council found enough value in this report — and felt satisfied with the methodology that it was built on — to vote to accept it.

This report was interesting reading. But its author was open about what it lacked in the research that went into it. This was largely an interview-based probe. It suggests that at least two councillors — Cam Guthrie and Gloria Kovach — engaged in activities that likely violated council’s code of conduct. But neither Guthrie nor Kovach were interviewed in person for this review.

The commissioner’s report is based on an incredibly incomplete probe related to an April 20 Guelph Mercury story. The article explored the frustrations of some Guelph councillors over their inability to receive information from Guelph civic staff in a timely enough manner, or at all. The commissioner conducted a 90-minute or so interview with Guelph’s chief administrative officer, Ann Pappert, who is quoted in the story. But the only member of council he interviewed was Mayor Karen Farbridge, who was not referenced in the story. She was interviewed because she is the “head of council,” according to the report.

Kovach has revealed that she requested and prepared for an interview in connection with this review but wasn’t permitted a full session. She said even her attempt to offer a written submission to be considered in connection with the process was declined.

And yet, the report asserts unequivocally that the commissioner lacked context to understand the reasons councillors who were the focus of the article acted as they did over efforts to obtain an environmental report from civic staff. It does share assumptions the commissioner made, in lieu of having this seemingly available additional context. But shouldn’t these assumptions and much of the report’s findings be regarded as being of questionable value?

The commissioner suggested he could do a full investigation of this case. But the councillors disappointed at his work on the file can be forgiven for not wanting to invest more over such an effort.

As for the councillors who voted to suggest they endorse the report, is this really input they consider of value and worth the investment of time and money required to produce it?

Guelph Mercury Editors

Ward 4 Road Work Starting Soon!

Even Guelph’s roads will be slimming down this summer

GUELPH — With the first day of summer less than three weeks away, many people are trying to shed their winter weight.

In Guelph, even the roads are on diets.

Portions of Silvercreek Parkway, Fife Road and Elmira Road will soon be feeling the squeeze; seeing their current configuration changed to incorporate bicycle lanes and common left-turn lanes in a method known as “road diets.”

Silvercreek between Willow Road and Speedvale Avenue and Elmira between Speedvale and Woodlawn Road will each see the number of through lanes reduced from two in each direction to one.

The through lanes will be divided by a shared left-turn lane, and bicycle lanes will be added in each direction as well.

On Fife — between Whitelaw and Elmira roads — there will be one driving lane and one bicycle lane in each direction, and a parking lane on the south side.

Joanne Starr, the city’s supervisor of traffic investigations, explained the engineering department resurfaces a number of roads annually, and in so doing looks for ways to make them more efficient.

Where feasible, bicycle lanes are implemented in accordance with the 2009 Bicycle Policy.

Starr said while installing bicycle lanes is “an added benefit” of the road remarking, it is not the primary reason.

She explained road diets are considered appropriate for roads with daily traffic counts of 20,000 or less, which describes these three roads.

While removing a through lane might seem likely to slow the flow of traffic, Starr said adding the shared left-turn lane has the opposite effect.

“It will increase the flow of traffic by having that dedicated lane,” she said, noting on Silvercreek the left lane is often blocked by cars turning “so that affects the capacity anyway.”

The turning lane also offers motorists entering Silvercreek “a refuge” because they will not have to turn directly into driving lanes.

Coun. Cam Guthrie noted that section of Silvercreek Parkway is routinely featured on the Guelph Police Service’s list of most collision-prone intersections.

“As an insurance broker I think anything that can reduce those is a good thing,” he said.

Guthrie noted two of the affected roads are in his west-end ward. He has been speaking to officials from companies in the industrial area along Elmira Road, who will applaud the move.

“When they’re switching their shifts, it can be very difficult to get in and out from Elmira Road,” Guthrie said. “There have been quite a few accidents and close calls.”

Starr said the asphalt replacement and remarking will be completed this summer.

stracey@guelphmercury.com

Wilson Farm House Review Taking Place:

Conservation Review Board hearing appeal on Wilson farmhouse heritage designation

GUELPH — The battle over an old farmhouse in the city’s north end became somewhat more official Monday, with the start of a hearing to determine whether a heritage designation for the Wilson farmhouse should be overturned.

Mike Lackowicz, a resident who lives across the street from the house on Simmonds Drive, filed an appeal of the designation with the province’s Conservation Review Board.

At the beginning of the hearing at city hall on Monday, Lackowicz alleged the city’s rationale for making the designation was “weak and flawed” and suggested there have been major changes to the original farmhouse over the years which make it not worthy of the designation.

Stephen Robinson, a senior heritage planner with the city, said the house and two black walnut trees on the property are the only remaining elements of the farm established by the pioneering Wilson family.

Robinson said the home is a “representative sample” of a style known as vernacular Ontario gothic, and also a good example of late-19th century farmhouse architecture.

He testified the farmhouse has “historical or associative value” given its connection to the Wilson family and that is remains in its original spot. Robinson told the board members the home, which once had a Victoria Road address, would provide people with a good understanding of the size of farms of the day.

The city is arguing most of the exterior of the building — including the roof, walls, wood elements and door and window openings — should be retained. Robinson said the covered porch, while not original, should also be designated as it demonstrates the orientation of the front door and that a porch was part of the home’s design.

Opponents argue the house has fallen into disrepair since the city acquired it as part of the approval process for the surrounding subdivision in 2006 and that the city has neglected it by leaving it empty and unused for six years.

Robinson conceded the home shows signs resulting from neglect, but said the condition “does not impact the built heritage elements in a way that diminishes their cultural heritage value.”

Under cross-examination, the planner conceded that contextually the house does not fit with the surrounding neighbourhood.

“It doesn’t relate to (Victoria) road any more,” Robinson said. “It doesn’t relate to the subdivision.”

Rob Reynen, the city’s manager of inspection services, said he has inspected the house four times, including twice this year.

“I believe it is generally sound from a structural standpoint,” Reynen testified. “I believe structurally it’s in good shape still.”

Reynen told the board the home needs some “cosmetic” work and the foundation needs repair “but it’s not in terrible, terrible shape.”

Derrick Higdon, a neighbourhood resident and stonemason with more than 25 years’ experience, said he has witnessed deterioration in the condition of the house since moving into the neighbourhood three years ago.

“There seems to be quite a bit of foundation movement” resulting in cracks to exterior walls, said Higdon, who was Lackowicz’s first witness.

He told the board that repairing the foundation is likely not feasible given the level of deterioration. He noted his investigation suggests the basement joists are “punky” and there is evidence of mould in the walls of the home.

Outside the hearing, Lackowicz said he filed the appeal in an effort to cut off a proposal by city staff to sever the house property and sell it. Councillors voted last summer to revisit the “sever and sell” idea, but refused by a 7-6 margin to also revisit pursuing the heritage designation.

Lackowicz is concerned council could still opt to sell the house, arguing that will be less likely if the heritage designation is overturned.

The Conservation Review Board’s decision is not, however, binding on council.

The hearing was expected to continue Tuesday morning.

stracey@guelphmercury.com

OPA 48 & Guelph River Systems?

June 4th, 2012

Since Friday I've been getting many many emails from people concerned about the upcoming council meeting regarding OPA 48 and how it relates to the river systems. Almost 99% of the letters recieved have been "canned" letters, meaning they're all exaclty the same just being sent off to city staff and councillors to make a splash about this issue. And it's worked.

So, we received this email from staff to inform the public a bit more about this issue and of course I welcome all the input from these letter writers and anyone else that wants to comment on this at the council meeting Tuesday night. Here's the info:

Hello Mayor Farbridge and Councillors,

Please find attached an Issues Note relating to River Systems concerns that have recently arisen in the community. Staff felt it was important to provide you with this information to assist in communicating on this issue.

Also, due to certain circumstances, the staff presentation was not finished in time to be included in your Council agenda package as per normal procedure and we apologize for this. The presentation is now complete and we felt it was important to provide it to you and make it available to the public before the weekend. The presentation is attached below, and can also be accessed on the City’s website at the following link:

http://guelph.ca/uploads/Council_and_Committees/Council/OPA%2048%20Presentation.pdf

Given the complexity and scope of the subject matter, the presentation will be approximately a half hour in length and will be presented by me, and Melissa Aldunate, Senior Policy Planner.

STAFF

Here are some further details along with some Questions & Answers:ITLE

OPA 48 – Official Plan Update Phase 3 – River Systems Issues
DATE: June 1, 2012
ISSUE
Some residents, the River Systems Advisory Committee and a new citizen group called Living Rivers and Greenways Action Group are concerned that a proposed update to Guelph’s official plan (OPA 48) does not maintain the vision and objectives for rivers and tributaries and their valley corridors contained in the 1993 River Systems Management Plan.
A request has been made to defer approval of OPA 48 to allow for further public consultation.
BACKGROUND
Since 2007 the City has been conducting a 5-Year Official Plan update. The update was originally to be carried out in two Phases, but Council later split it out into three Phases.
Phase 1
Phase 1, OPA 39, established a growth management framework and brought the Official Plan into conformity with the Provincial Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, building on the City’s earlier growth management strategy and Smart Guelph initiatives. OPA 39 was adopted by Council in 2009 and is in full force and effect.
Phase 2
Phase 2, OPA 42, was initially the remainder of the Official Plan Update. OPA 42 was driven by the 2005 Provincial Policy Statement, the Planning Act, the Ontario Heritage Act and the Clean Water Act, as well as the City’s Urban Design Action Plan, Community Energy Plan, Trails Master Plan, Recreation, Parks and Culture Strategic Plan, Employment Lands Strategy and other infrastructure studies and master plans.
The first draft of OPA 42 was released in early 2010 and the City conducted extensive community and stakeholder consultation. This draft contained proposed policy revisions related to the above-noted drivers including the natural heritage and open space, recreation and trail policies.
In May 2010, in response to community input and recognizing the critical importance of proceeding with the natural heritage policies, including river protection policies, while allowing more time for public consultation on the remainder of the Update, Council directed staff to proceed with finalizing the Natural Heritage System policies immediately and consult further on the remainder.
As a result, OPA 42 was split into two parts; the Natural Heritage System policies were carried forward as OPA 42 and adopted by Council in July 2012 and the remaining policies became Phase 3, eventually numbered OPA 48, the final phase of Guelph’s Official Plan update.
Phase 3
In late 2010 and through 2011 the City analysed all public and stakeholder feedback on the first draft of OPA 42 and focused on issues represented in Phase 3, OPA 48. The City met with stakeholders and individuals to discuss their comments and explore solutions to their concerns.
Proposed policies were revised based on these discussions, and were included in a second draft of the OP Update that excluded natural heritage policies addressed in Phase 2 (OPA 42).
The draft was released for further public review on January 30, 2012. The City promoted and hosted two formal open houses and a Public Meeting to present information and seek community input, and held further meetings with interested stakeholders and individuals.
The final draft of OPA 48 considers this input from the community and will be considered by Council on June 5, 2012.
River Systems Concerns
Members of the River Systems Advisory Committee and a new citizen group called Living Rivers and Greenways Action Group are concerned that OPA 48 does not offer enough protection for Guelph’s rivers, tributaries and related natural spaces.
Their specific concerns are that the proposed policies:
•   do not provide explicit policies for the “protection, maintenance, and, where possible, rehabilitation of all rivers, streams and creeks as environmental corridors”
•   fail to maintain the notion of a Linked Open Space Concept as set out in the 2006 OP and the policies and principles that rely on this notion
•   do not maintain a mandatory 30 metre development setback from the river’s edge and the use of the setback as a vegetated corridor
Concern has also been expressed about a perceived lack of public consultation and clear communications regarding the intent and effect of the proposed policy changes.
City staff feels that OPA 48 complements and supports the excellent protection, preservation and enhancement for rivers, tributaries and natural systems established through OPA 42. OPA 48 addresses how the City will treat parks, trails and active open spaces that abut the City’s Natural Heritage System including the rivers.
Refined Open Space, Trails and Parks policies presented in OPA 48 explicitly capture the notion of parks and open space being supportive of, complementary to and interconnected with the Natural Heritage System (NHS). The notion of appropriate naturalization of open space and parks adjacent to the Natural Heritage System has also been reinforced.
Todd Salter, General Manager, Planning Services
T 519-822-1260 x 2395
E todd.salter@guelph.ca
Melissa Aldunate, Senior Policy Planner
T 519-822-1260 x 2099
E melissa.aldunate@guelph.ca

KEY MESSAGES
Guelph values its rivers and green spaces, and is committed to protecting, preserving and enhancing our natural assets and ecological systems as the city continues to grow.
Guelph’s Official Plan will direct growth and development over the next 20 years and is designed to have a positive effect on Guelph’s social, economic, cultural and natural environment. The plan has been updated in three phases over the past 5 years (OPA 39, 42 and 48).
The policies presented in the third and final phase of the Official Plan update, (OPA 48) complement and support the protection, preservation and enhancement of the comprehensive Natural Heritage System established through OPA 42, including Guelph’s river systems and tributaries.
This update in no way threatens the health of Guelph’s river systems. If OPA 48 is adopted, parks, trails and active open spaces must continue to support and complement nearby rivers, tributaries and other naturalized areas that are part of Guelph’s Natural Heritage System.
In each phase of its Official Plan update, the City invited and responded to written submissions, promoted and hosted several open houses and meetings, and considered all comments and feedback from the community. The City continues to welcome community participation, comments and feedback on its Official Plan and other municipal policies.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

About the Official Plan Update
What is the Official Plan Update?
Guelph’s Official Plan Update – Envision Guelph provides direction for the city’s growth and development over the next 20 years. Envision Guelph focuses on sustainability and sets out policies designed to have a positive effect on Guelph’s social, economic, cultural and natural environment.
Why is it being updated?
The City updates its Official Plan every five years to comply with Provincial legislation and plans, and implement new municipal policies, plans and strategies.
What’s the status of each phase of the Official Plan update?
Phase 1 - Official Plan Amendment 39 (OPA 39) brought the City's Official Plan into conformity with the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe. OPA 39 was adopted by City Council in June 2009 and is in full force and effect.
Phase 2 - Official Plan Amendment 42 (OPA 42) introduced policies for Guelph’s Natural Heritage System and establishes a sustainable greenspace network throughout the city. OPA 42 was adopted by Council in July 2010 is under appeal at the Ontario Municipal Board.
Phase 3 – Official Plan Amendment 48 (OPA 48) will be considered by City Council for approval on June 5, 2012
About OPA 48
What kinds of policies are proposed under OPA 48?
OPA 48 includes new and updated policies addressing the following areas:
•   strategic directions and vision to guide growth to the year 2031;
•   detailed policies to achieve of the city’s growth management framework;
•   watershed planning and water resources;
•   public health and safety including natural and human-made hazards;
•   mineral aggregate resources;
•   climate change and the City’s Community Energy Initiaitve;
•   cultural heritage resources;
•   transportation providing greater focus on transit, walking and cycling;
•   municipal services and infrastructure;
•   affordable housing;
•   parks and trails;
•   urban design consistent with the Urban Design Action Plan;
•   land use designations; and
•   new implementation tools such as height and density bonusing,

What are some of the biggest policy changes included in OPA 48?
OPA 48 includes substantial policy changes which:
   ensure high quality urban design and place-making
   create new neighbourhoods that contain a mix of uses and are walkable and transit supportive
   promote economic vitality and innovation
   support social well-being, including planning for a diversity of housing types, affordability and tenure
   protect what valuable and manage change to ensure compatibility
   incorporate the Community Energy Initiaitve aspirations, targets and strategies

Why were policies included in OPA 48 updated from the versions presented to the community in 2010?
After City Council approved OPA 42 in July 2010, the City reviewed and analyzed all public and stakeholder feedback to focus on policies that would be included in OPA 48.
The City met with stakeholders and individuals to discuss their comments and concerns regarding the 2010 draft policies, and refined the proposed policies before presenting them to the community for review in January 2012.
OPA 48 includes updated proposed policies for all planning matters except those Natural Heritage System policies already approved by City Council in OPA 42.
Did the City explain the differences between the draft OP Update policies released in 2010 and the revised OP Update polices released in January 2012?
Yes. The staff report and related material that accompanied the release of the revised draft OP Update in January 2012 comprehensively summarized and analyzed all comments received and identified specific revisions that were incorporated into the revised draft to respond to the submissions.
River Systems Policies in the Official Plan
Does OPA 48 maintain the vision of the city’s 1993 River Systems Management Plan?
Yes. The policies of OPA 48, working in conjunction with the policies of OPA 42, carry forward the elements of the River Systems Management Plan, while reflecting the evolution in approaches to natural heritage systems planning since the mid-1990’s. Land uses abutting the Natural Heritage System (including the river systems) are planned to support and complement the NHS and must be planned to ensure the NHS is protected, maintained and, as feasible, enhanced and restored.
Does OPA 48 provide explicit policies for the “protection, maintenance, and, where possible, rehabilitation of all rivers, streams and creeks as environmental corridors”?
Those explicit policies polices were already approved by Council in July 2010 as part of OPA 42 and, as such, are not appropriate to include in OPA 48.
What is the status of OPA 42?
OPA 42 was approved by Council in July 2010 and has been appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board. A hearing on OPA 42 is not expected to commence until some time in 2013.
Does OPA 48 maintain a mandatory 30 metre development setback from the river’s edge and the use of the setback as a vegetated corridor?
No, because minimum setbacks and buffers for components of the NHS, including river systems, were established through OPA 42.
Does OPA 48 maintain the City’s plans for linked open spaces?
Yes. Open Space, Trails and Parks policies contained in OPA 48 maintain the principles of Guelph’s 2006 Official Plan with respect to the “Linked Open Space Concept” as it pertains to parklands and trails (i.e. non-NHS lands), and are consistent with the 2009 Recreation, Parks and Culture Strategic Master Plan and its vision for a greenways system.
Community Consultation
How did the City gather feedback from the community when updating the Official Plan?
In each phase of its Official Plan update, the City invited and responded to written submissions, promoted and hosted open houses and meetings, and considered all comments and feedback from the community.
Specifically for OPA 48 the City used traditional and social media to promote open houses in February and in March. Staff also met with stakeholders before and after the Public Meeting on April 2.
Was Guelph’s River Systems Advisory Committee given an opportunity to review policies included in OPA 48?
RSAC had the opportunity to review the first draft of the OP Update that was released in early 2010 and did provide comments to the City. The comments related to the natural heritage policies and were considered through the finalization and adoption of OPA 42.
RSAC was notified of the release of the revised OP Update in January 2012 and invited to review the material and submit comments.
How can residents learn more about the Official Plan Update?
All documents relating to the three Phases of the Official Plan Update are available at guelph.ca/envisionguelph. City planning staff can be reached at City Hall 519-822-1260 or email planning@guelph.ca.
Reviewed by
Todd Salter, General Manager, Planning Services

Wilson Farm House Letter to Council:

We are writing to you as concerned citizens of the City of Guelph and as concerned residents of the Northern Heights subdivision. A little over a year ago we moved to the Northern Heights area in what we can only describe as our dream home; the home in which we planned to start and raise a family. This home is across from the Wilson Farmhouse on 80 Simmonds Drive – a building we assumed would be torn down based on its location and condition. We were excited to learn that a park would be constructed across from our home and that our future children would be able to play so close to home. You can imagine our surprise, when, within a month of moving in, we were asked to read some literature regarding the dilapidated structure across the street and sign a petition. A fight that we didn’t even know existed, soon became dear to our hearts.

In the months following, we have attended several meetings, commented on several postings on line and have even added our names to the petition that saw 100 residents from the area be in favour of demolishing the farmhouse and erecting a ruins site with a plaque instead. We’re not sure why Councillor Ian Findlay keeps trying to save this structure when the community has already spoken – tear it down.

In the past year, through summer storms and gusty fall and winter winds, we have found many shingles from the farmhouse on our road and on our property, either blown up against our garage, our cars, or our lawn. We have concerns regarding the deterioration of the farmhouse’s roof because we do not want to see damage come to our property, house or car, due to the neglected property on 80 Simmonds Drive.

It seems the City wants to designate this farmhouse as heritage. Well, I come from one of the oldest cities in North America and I can guarantee that heritage does not have to exist because of a structure. It exists in so many other ways, such as a plaque with a garden commemorating the existence of a structure and the people who inhabited it, through festivals celebrating those who came before, stories passed down through generations, and community spirit. We’ve also read the Presentation to the Conservation Review Board and are appalled at the deterioration inside the farmhouse and the damage to the parts of the house that are supposed to be giving it heritage value. I’m shocked that the City feels this structure warrants a heritage designation. If the windows in the Wilson Farmhouse mean that much to the City, then donate them to the Guelph Civic Museum, although I’m sure they won’t look very good now that they’ve been boarded up.

Councillor Ian Findlay is trying to save this structure, for reasons we still cannot fathom. He wants to turn this farmhouse into a demonstration centre for energy-efficient products and technologies aimed at older homes. This means, even if the structure was deemed to have heritage significance and reconstructed, it still would not benefit the immediate community it sits in – a community with modern homes. Do the councillors who voted 7-6 last summer to see this building designated under the Ontario Heritage Act actually know the state the structure is in, the total disrepair? Findlay commented that “some of the neighbours are obviously concerned about the ongoing inactivity and neglect of the house” (Guelph Mercury). This is an understatement. Just last week we had to yell at some kids from the neighbourhood because they were trespassing and trying to beat down the front door to gain access.

Findlay sees three options: 1. demolish the property and leave a “ruins” with signage 2. sell the property 3. find community use that is affordable (Guelph Mercury). As we see it, there is only one option, the first one. A ruins site with benches, flowers, the remaining trees and a plaque would be such a beautiful place for residents to sit, reflect and gather to chat. Option 2 – Sell it, to whom? Have someone living across from us in a house that sits at a higher elevation than the rest of the community? That would look great. Option 3 – Find a community use that’s affordable? Sure, with corporate donations. And what will happen when the donations dry up? Use city money for it? That is not how we want our tax dollars used. The residents living in Guelph before we moved here did not vote for this! Use the City money to keep libraries up to date, with Wi-Fi. Use the money to repair some of the roads around this city. Use the money to fund programs for the residents. Anything else would be better.

As we see it, the option of a “REEP” House is selfish to even suggest. If the farmhouse is used for community use, we’re concerned about the level of traffic increasing on Simmonds Drive and Webster Street. Where would the visitors park? On the street? Across from our house? If the structure does indeed turn into a “REEP” House will this change the zoning of this corner, this 1/3 of the park? Especially if rooms in the house are leased or rented out for “community use” or to “agencies or others to offset the annual operating costs” (Guelph Mercury)? How many other residents is this going to attract to our quiet neighbourhood? We have major concerns about this as we start our family. Findlay says that “whether it’s formally designated or not doesn’t change what we would like to do with this particular property” (Guelph Mercury), well, Mr. Findlay, listen to your constituents in this neighbourhood. We do not want this farmhouse anymore. We want it to be demolished.

Many people do not like change, which could explain Findlay’s opposition to tearing down the farmhouse, but change is the only thing that is constant. Removing the deteriorated house will not create a “Mississaugafication of Guelph” as stated by Ms. Susan Ratcliffe, but rather a modernizing of a community that contains a structure that is very out of place, that is falling apart, and that doesn’t belong.

If this structure on 80 Simmonds Drive is reconstructed, visually, it will hold no significance to it’s residents and we would also loose 10% of our proposed park if it is severed and sold. Please listen to the residents of the Northern Heights Subdivision and put an end to this lengthy fight. Tear down the house, leave a ruins site, erect a plaque, and build the park. This is what we want. This is what the residents have voted for in our supposed democratic society. MS

COSTCO Development Update:

June 3rd, 2012 - Guelph Mercury Article:

Councillor Hails Costco Plans

GUELPH — At least one city councillor is ecstatic that the city is moving closer to allowing a Costco big box store in the city’s west end.

Ward 4 Coun. Cam Guthrie said “it’s about time” the megastore was allowed in Guelph.

“There’s a tonne of good news things about this whole thing and I have not gotten one email, had one phone call or run into one person on the street who is against it,” Guthrie said.

On Tuesday council will learn more about an application for a rezoning bylaw amendment to allow a 28,000-square-metre commercial development on the west side that would include a Costco.

It would be located on a 13-hectare parcel of land behind the current development at the intersection of Imperial Road and Paisley Road that includes a large Zehrs supermarket.

The site is the former Mitchell Farm property and is bordered by Elmira Road to the east, Paisley Road to the south, rail tracks just south of Curzon Crescent to the north and agricultural property in Guelph Township to the west.

The public is also being given a chance to comment on the proposal, which includes other retail development, a gas station and possibly a “home improvement retail warehouse.”

Council is not making any decisions at Tuesday’s meeting, but Guthrie’s mind is certainly made up.

“I’ve been told (by Costco officials) that there are 13,000 people in Guelph who are Costco members,” Guthrie said.

He said a Costco on Guelph’s west side gives consumers a choice and stops them from travelling to Costco stores in Cambridge or Kitchener, will create between 100 and 150 full-time jobs and a similar number of part-time jobs, brings tax revenue into the city and will attract more development to the location.

“If everything goes smoothly, people should be able to park and shop at a Costco in Guelph in fall of 2013,” said Guthrie, who has had several meetings with store officials.

One was hard-pressed to find anyone opposed to the plan Saturday.

“I think it would be awesome,” said Nigel Greene as he headed into the nearby Zehrs on Sunday. “I’ve been to the one in Cambridge before and I like it. When you have a big family, you can get some good deals.”

“I’d rather spend my money in Guelph than Cambridge,” said Randy Bell.

Even those not totally in favour didn’t seem to mind the idea.

“I don’t really shop at them, but if it creates jobs then it would be a good thing,” Brenda Miller said.

Tuesday’s meeting is a chance for councillors to become more informed and ask questions of staff and the people representing the applicant, Armel Corporation.

Staff will return to council at a future date with a recommendation.

Armel Corp. made the application last December and there has been talk of a Costco going into that location for several years.

Part of the earlier discussion centred on the fact a historically significant building in the form of the old Mitchell Farmhouse was located on the land.

Armel wants the current zoning of the lands changed from urban reserve and rural zone to a specialized community shopping centre zone and a number of small amendments made.

tsaxon@guelphmercury.com

Free Tree Tour?

June 1st, 2012

Over the past week, a few people have emailed me asking about the “Free Tree Bus Tour” that’s currently being promoted by the city. When it was brought to my attention I too was interested. First question I tend to ask myself when any level of government says the word “FREE”, is that it’s often forgotten that nothing in government is free, it’s paid for by hard working taxpayers money.

So, I called the city and received some more details that I’ll share here:

Costs:    $300 for bus
      $60 for the speaker
$300 for newspaper ads
   Staff time: “In-Kind as they are volunteering”.

This is being run through the water department, under the “Healthy Landscapes” service team as the city says they didn’t want to create another department for this service. It is for increasing education on the city’s urban forest and to let people know the strategic focus of increasing our urban canopy to 40% etc…

Thank you,

Cam

Q&A on the Tricar Site:

May 4, 2012

A few community members have questioned the City’s decision to start infrastructure work related to a development site on the corner of Macdonell and Woolwich Streets.

Background:
Tricar developments purchased a brownfield site at the corner of Macdonell and Woolwich Streets, removed the existing buildings, is remediating the site, and has applied to the City to build an 18-storey condominium on the site.
On March 26, Council approved the relocation of underground water and sewer services from Tricar’s property into the Woolwich Street right-of-way to allow remediation activities to take place.
The City and Tricar are sharing the $875,000 cost of relocating the water and sewer infrastructure.
On Monday, April 2, City Council approved a brownfield grant to support Tricar’s plans to remediate the site.
City Council is scheduled to vote on Tricar’s proposed 18-storey development for the site on Monday, May 7.
Regardless of City Council’s consideration of Tricar’s application to build the 18-storey condominium, the infrastructure work is necessary to prepare the site for any potential development.

Spokesperson:
Ian Panabaker, Corporate Manager Downtown Renewal

Key messages:
City Council approved a grant for the remediation of a brownfield site at the corner of Macdonell and Woolwich Streets to make the property suitable for potential development.
Remediation of the site requires the City to move underground water and sewer infrastructure off the property.
Completing this infrastructure work does not oblige the city to approve a particular development; the City is helping to prepare the property and municipal water and sewer infrastructure for any potential development.
City Council has not yet considered a proposal from Tricar Developments Inc. to build an 18-storey residential condominium on the site. City Council is scheduled to vote on the matter on Monday, May 7.

Questions and answers:
Q. Who is cleaning up the site for residential development?
A. Tricar Developments Inc.
Q. Who is paying to relocate the underground water and sewers?
A. The total cost is $875,000. Tricar is paying $420,000 to have the water and sewer infrastructure removed from the property to the Woolwich Street right-of-way. The City is paying $455,000 to upgrade aging water and sewer infrastructure on Woolwich and Macdonell Streets and modify the road.
Q. If Tricar is remediating the site and helping to pay for moving the water and sewer services, does the City have to approve their condominium development?
A. No. City Council supported the remediation of the site, but has not yet considered the proposed condominium development.
Q. Is Tricar expecting the City to approve the condominium development?
A. Tricar invested in the property and has applied to the City to build on the site. They, like any developer, assume a certain amount of risk when investing in a property for development - that includes receiving the necessary regulatory approvals. City Council approved a brownfield grant to support remediation of the site, but has not yet considered the proposed condominium development.
Q. When will City Council vote on Tricar’s proposed condominium development?
A. City Council will discuss and vote on the proposal during a public meeting on Monday, May 7. Community members and all interested parties are welcome to attend. To address City Council on this matter, please contact the City Clerk’s Office at 519-837-5603 or at clerks@guelph.ca by 12 noon on Monday, May 7.
Q. Where can I find more information about the proposed development?
A. guelph.ca > quicklinks > active development files

Reviewed by:
Janet Laird, Executive Director, Planning, Building, Engineering, and Environmental Services
Colin Baker, Environmental Engineer, Engineering Services
Ian Panabaker, Corporate Manager, Downtown Renewal
Kate Sullivan, Mayor’s Communications Assistant
Heather Roseveare, Manager, Corporate Communications

Contact:

Ian Panabaker
Corporate Manager
Downtown Renewal
T 519-822-1260 x 2475
E ian.panabaker@guelph.ca
Prepared by:

Stacey Hare, Senior Communications and Issues Management Coordinator
Corporate Communications
T 519-822-1260 x 2611
E stacey.hare@guelph.ca

CN Rail Bridge Re-opens!

INFORMATION BULLETIN

Guelph crews put finishing touches on downtown CN Rail bridge
One-day traffic disruption Sunday, May 6

GUELPH, ON, May 4, 2012 – The City is preparing to complete some finishing touches on the new CN railway bridge arching over Wyndham Street in downtown Guelph.

The work will require a one-day traffic interruption on Sunday, May 6 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. when Guelph Police will control traffic on Wyndham Street between Carden and Farquhar Streets. Emergency and Guelph Transit vehicles will be permitted to travel through the work zone.

Earlier this week the City opened this section of Wyndham Street after more than two years of construction. The road now includes new sidewalks and bike lanes on both sides, new lighting and landscaping, and a completely renewed railway bridge arching over the street. Minor landscaping and utility work will continue over the next few weeks.

This year, construction in the area continues as the City works with its partners to bring local, regional and national transportation together in downtown Guelph. The City is hoping to start renovations inside Guelph’s VIA Rail station in summer 2012 pending approval from the federal government.

With those renovations complete VIA Rail, Greyhound, GO Transit and Guelph Transit will operate out of Guelph Central Station on Carden Street.

Guelph Transit service is scheduled to move into Guelph Central Station on Sunday, May 13.

About the Wyndham Street construction project

The City hoped to replace the CN rail bridge, renew the road and re-open the street by the March 31, 2011.

Wyndham Street was closed to traffic between Carden and Wellington Streets when the City began replacing watermains and sewers and other underground utilities in fall 2009. The road was open from winter 2009 to spring 2010 when the City began replacing the 100 year-old CN railway bridge.

In 2010 the City found it difficult to obtain the necessary approvals to continue construction according to the original schedule. The City faced a number of challenges that delayed construction:

•   Obtaining construction approvals from CN Rail, Metrolinx, Rail America, VIA Rail took at least six months longer than expected.
•   At times, construction activity along Carden Street - Guelph Central Station and Market Square - created scheduling conflicts between these projects.
•   Creating a rail diversion to maintain VIA and GO train traffic made the project very complex.
•   Arrival of GO train service and Metrolinx’s plans to continue work in the area (completing railway track and platform, building a pedestrian tunnel and passenger drop off area) impacted the City’s original construction schedules and plans.

The federal, provincial and municipal government shared equally in the $ 8,400,000 cost of replacing the CN Rail bridge and completely renew Wyndham Street.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Stacey Hare
Senior Communications and Issues Management Co-ordinator
Corporate Communications
T 519-822-1260 x 2611
E stacey.hare@guelph.ca

Guelph Library Twitter Fundraiser!

Come on Guelph!

Get in touch with me and donate. $10 - $20 - $50 - $350 or more! Just let me know! The library needs $6800 and we'ver raised $2500 so far. Will you help?

Here's a video for you to share: http://watch.ctv.ca/news/#clip664066

Thanks,

Cam

Condo Owners ?'s on Property Taxes!

In response to many requests as of late on condo owners, and the share of taxes that they pay to the city, a response has been provided here:

16-Apr-12
Property taxes and condominiums
The municipal property tax system is based on the principle that all property owners share the cost of providing municipal services for our entire community – regardless of whether or not an individual taxpayer makes use of a certain City service Ontario’s property tax system is not a user pay system. Municipal programs, services, and facilities are funded collectively by residential, business, commercial, and industrial property owners.

Questions and answers:

Why should property owners pay taxes to cover the cost of services they don’t use?
It’s a way for everyone to share the cost of delivering essential public programs, facilities and services. Even if we choose not to use a particular service, it’s important that everyone contributes to police, fire, and emergency services, libraries, recreation centres and other valuable community assets. For example, businesses don’t have children but a portion of their property taxes is used to cover the cost of public education; public education is an essential and valuable part of life in our community.

Why do some condo owners pay property taxes for municipal services & then pay private companies additional fees for snow removal?
Property taxes cover the cost of winter control activities for all public roads, making it safer for everyone to travel throughout the community. Property owners are responsible for removing snow from their properties. Snow removed from private properties still ends up in municipal stormwater drains and sewers which are maintained and repaired using property taxes.
Why do some condo owners pay property taxes for municipal services and then pay private companies additional fees for waste removal?

Our property tax system is not a user-pay system; we all contribute to the municipal waste management system regardless of whether we use municipal waste collection. Condominium corporations make use of private waste collection companies for various reasons. Some prefer not to leave waste at the curb for collection. Some properties may not be accessible in Guelph’s waste collection vehicles. The City works with property owners to determine the best way to collect and manage waste for each property. To learn more call 519-767-0598 or email waste@guelph.ca.
Can the City refund property taxes for condominiums?
No. The property tax system in Ontario is determined by the Provincial government. The City has no legal authority to change how properties are assessed or alter the property tax structure.

How are property taxes calculated?

The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) assesses the value of all properties in Ontario based on several factors including location, age, size, lot size, and property type (single-detached home, townhouse, multi-residential, commercial, industrial, retails etc.) to determine their market value. The City of Guelph sets a tax rate for municipal services, and the Province of Ontario sets a rate for public education. The tax rate is applied to the assessed value of the property.

For more information:
Gail Nisbet
Manager, Taxation and Revenue
Finance
T 519-822-1260 x 2316
E gail.nisbet@guelph.ca

I Could not Agree More! Well Said!

Paul Smith was a former chair of the City of Guelph Environmental Advisory Committee. He recently offered a guest column to the Mercury related to the protest of the development of the Hanlon Creek Business Park. He revised the submission but the original version was published. Below is the edition he sought to have published.

Matt Soltys' Feburary 17th piece "Hanlon Creek sacrificed in the name of progress" and other recent letters and columns attempt to perpetuate the mythology the occupiers sought to create that the Hanlon Business Park was "pristine wilderness", "old growth forest" or some unique environmental jewel.

Environmental activism is an important and positive force in Canada and across the globe. Environmental advocacy has transformed our policy discourse.

But that important role does not give environmental activists a free ticket to advocate for issues that have no substance. Rational debate is required. Facts and science are important, not just emotion.
Environmental advocates are not saints with an inside track to the truth. They make errors in judgement like all of us.

The campaign against the Hanlon Creek Business park was an error in judgement by environmental advocates. The issue had no substance, except as general opposition to all development of any sort. Population and economic growth leads to development. Sustainable approaches to development must build and balance social, environmental and economic goals--not halt all development.

In fact, the occupiers failed to engage on the real issues of urban growth, population growth and the need to move toward a slow growth economy. York University professor Peter Victor advocates for a realistic future that is based on slow population and economic growth that includes prosperity. That kind of discussion never happened in relation to the Hanlon Business park.

I was chair of the city's Environmental Advisory Committee at the time of the controversy. We were fully immersed in the substance of the issue. We spent many hours reviewing the City's environmental impact reports and walking the site.

The occupiers used exaggerated and inaccurate language in creating the myth about the Hanlon Creek Business Park. "Pristine wetlands", "wilderness", and "old growth forest" were the inappropriate phrases applied to the site. None of that is true.

The lands of the Hanlon Creek Business Park are similar to many undeveloped lands across the city and surrounding Wellington County:
farmland, corn fields, streams with many impacts, wetlands affected by artificial drainage and invasive species, young regenerating forests.
Far from unique, pristine or wilderness. And the key natural features have been protected, wetlands woodlands and streams.

But the activists went on to occupy the site, engage in civil disobedience, confront the construction businesses and try to harass the Mayor at her home. They swore, intimidated, threatened, spit and pounded on buses at the sod-turning. All based on their myth about the site. Is this ethical behaviour? Is this media manipulation?

The activists used excellent media tactics and strategy, they constructed their cause with seemingly cynical political saavy. Their errors in judgement reflect their humanity, just like the rest of us.
But we all have responsibilities too.

The Hanlon Creek Business Park went through a lengthy, democratic public consultation process. Compromise was reached, the nature of the democratic process. The activists ignored the democratic process and sought to overthrow it.

The Hanlon Creek Business Park is an excellent case study in the perils of ideological approaches to activism. Facts matter. Emotion and ideology are important motivators. But if activism is not rooted in facts, ethics can easily be sacrificed.

We do need public discussion about population and economic growth and and how we develop our communities. We cannot grow forever. But sadly, an opportunity was lost to have a real, substantive discussion about the underlying issues. Guelph was captured by the drama of an occupation by activists acting on a myth they themselves created.

2012 Clean & Green Cleanup Help!

~City seeks volunteers for annual Clean and Green Cleanup
Register by April 13 to participate in this year’s city-wide cleanup

GUELPH, ON, March 26, 2012 – The City of Guelph is looking for volunteers to cleanup Guelph roadways during the ninth annual Clean and Green Community Cleanup, taking place Saturday, April 21.

Residents have until Friday, April 13 to register in this year’s event. Volunteers can register by calling 519-837-5628, extension 2047 or visiting guelph.ca/cleanandgreen. Clean-up crews will be provided supplies and information about safely collecting litter.

The City of Guelph, together with Tim Hortons, Bag Ladies, Guelph & Wellington Development Association, Terra View Homes and Guelph Downtown Business Association, is hosting the city-wide cleanup to reduce litter in our community.

On Saturday, April 21 the cleanup starts at 8:30 a.m. and runs through 11:30 a.m. Cleanup crews will pickup litter along predetermined roadways and boulevards that need a spring cleaning.

Litter will be collected in brightly coloured garbage bags so passersby can easily see the amount of litter throughout the city.

All volunteers will be invited to attend an appreciation barbecue following the cleanup.

The Clean and Green Community Cleanup is one of Guelph’s largest community cleanups. Last year, over 900 bags or 11,000 kilograms of garbage was removed from neighbourhood streets, green spaces and community parks, by over 1,000 volunteers helping to ensure more enjoyable common spaces for everyone.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Katherine Gray
Service Performance & Development Coordinator
Operations & Transit
T 519-822-1260 x 2006
E katherine.gray@guelph.ca

Marketing Guelph Outside of Guelph:

This is something LOOOOOOOOONG overdue and very well done!

Cam

March 26th, 2012

Good afternoon,
In your City Hall mailbox you will find a copy of Perspective Guelph 2012.
Tomorrow morning this insert will be going out across Southern Ontario in The Globe and Mail. The 16 page insert highlights Guelph’s amazing capacity for collaboration and innovation, unique business opportunities and good news stories in order to promote the city to potential new businesses and residents. Although coordinated through Economic Development, this was a co-operative project with contributions from across City departments as well as from business community partners. We hope to continue to work with our fellow business service organizations on successful projects like Perspective Guelph as part of ongoing integrated marketing practices.

Editorial contributors include:
Community Energy Initiative
Community and Social Services
Corporate Communications
Downtown Guelph Business Association
Downtown Renewal
Economic Development
Guelph Chamber of Commerce
Guelph Hydro
Guelph Wellington Business Enterprise Centre
Innovation Guelph
Ontario Co-operative Association
University of Guelph

Additionally ~4,000 copies will be distributed to businesses in and around Guelph.
It is hard capture all the amazing work being done in Guelph’s business community in only 16 pages, we did our best. Enjoy.

Christine Chapman | Marketing Coordinator
Economic Development | Finance and Enterprise Services
City of Guelph
T 519-822-1260 x 2823 | F 519-837-5636
E christine.chapman@guelph.ca

2012 Winter Control Info for City of Guelph:

Good afternoon;

Status of Public Works Winter Control budget.

Changes to the residential plowing threshold of 8cm to 10cm and the overall benefits of the milder winter this season as well as timing on the transition from winter shifts for our employees back to regular shift hours.

Q; When will winter shifts end.
A; We are in transition into our Spring sweeping program. We will transition from 3 @ 8 hour shifts 7 days per week to 2 at 8 hour shifts 5 days per weeks, (cutting out the weekend coverage) starting Sunday April 1, 2012. This is about one week sooner than previous years.

Q; Tell me about the spring sweeping program;
A; The program provides a city wide sweeping blitz to collect all the winter sand and grit used throughout the winter. The program will utilize two outside contractors to compliment our Public Works forces. The program will run Monday through Friday, (no weekend work) beginning Monday April 2, 2012 and ending Friday April 13, 2012.

Q; Have we had the need to plow residential roads this winter and if not what have been the savings realized.
A; Although we have experienced a less than severe winter so far, we must keep in mind that we budget on a fiscal year basis and we still have November and December 2012 to consider into the equation before we can say we have saved money on our budget. When the plowing threshold was 8cm we would budget for 8 city wide plowouts at approx $50,000 per plow out per year. Now at 10cm we only budget for 5 such plow outs. Although we have not technically reached the 10cm threshold so far this winter season, we have been very close on two occations. In those two instances, because temperatures at the time of the precipitation were slightly above zero celcius, and because a flash freeze was forecasted to occur thereafter, a decision was made to perform a “housekeeping” type cleanup of the residential roads using city forces. This work was done to mitigate the impact of the re-freeze which would create significant problems for our forces if we had to treat such re-freeze conditions and for the travelling public to navigate through.

Q; Since contractors were not used this season, will that create a hardship in acquiring contractors for next season.
A; The contractors in general have not had many winter related working hours this season. This hour shortage was typical throughout Southern Ontario and not just with us. Many contractors have a number of winter contracts including some that pay a set fee per month whether they mobilize or not. This balances out their monthly revenues. In our case, the city pays a standby fee (daily rate) and only pays for the contracted service (hourly) when the contractor actually mobilizes to perform plowing work.

Q; How many events do we typically budget for?
A; We budget for 23 events yearly, (January to December). An event is defined as the mobilization of winter control equipment. It starts when the first truck goes out and ends when the last truck is washed and back in the garage. An event can last anywhere from one to four days. So far this season we have experienced 16 such events or varying duration. In general, the only significant difference with this winter compared to a typical winter is the low volume of snow fall experienced. The number of events experienced so far, requiring winter control activities this season is relatively typical to other years.

Update Memo on Uban Forest Update:

DATE: March 28, 2012
TO: Planning, Building, Engineering & Environment Committee
FROM: Rory Barr Templeton
SERVICE: Planning Services
SUBJECT: Status of the Green Infrastructure Fund
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
During the Planning, Building, Engineering and Environment Committee meeting held February 21, 2012, Mayor Farbridge requested staff confirm the status of the Green Infrastructure Fund and if it could be used to support/mitigate the financial implications of the Urban Forest Management Plan.
The following is a response from our Finance Department:
As part of the 2011 budget, we did receive approval for a $100,000 contribution to a Greening Reserve. This was included in the budget at the direction of Council who requested "that staff review the potential of including an envelope in the capital budget for green infrastructure and the implications of doing this" (Dec 15, 2009 meeting). The $100,000 is being used in the 2011, 2012 and subsequent budgets to fund capital project PO0008 Trees for Guelph Greening, which was considered to meet the criteria that the funding be used to pay for green infrastructure. There have been no further contributions to this reserve. The $100,000 will provide the required funding for PO0008 until 2014. After 2014, additional contributions will need to be approved through the budget process to continue to fund this project. Therefore, unless we eliminate or consider PO0008 to be part of the Urban Forestry Management Plan, there is no funding in this reserve to offset the cost of the plan. Therefore it will be a continued recommendation of staff that the $100,000.00 outlined in the UFMP for New Rooting Technology as part of Recommendation #14 be part of the overall financial impact of the Plan.
Sincerely;
Rory Barr Templeton
Landscape Planner
Planning Services
Cc: City Council

Info on Transit Issues for Downtown Square:

Further Info for St. George's Square Transit Changes:

I would like to provide you some background and context on the development of the new transit terminal. The concept of an inter-modal transit hub has been discussed and analyzed since 2000. Various options and locations have been discussed over the years. The location on Carden St was first endorsed by the City in 2004. Further assessment and refinement occurred between 2004 and 2008. When ISF funding was announced in 2009, consultants were retained to confirm that the Carden Street location was still the preferred location. Analysis completed by the consultant confirmed that this location was still the optimal site. Since 2010, the terminal design was finalized and the facility constructed. There have been regular public communications detailing progress on the construction of the facility.

In terms of comparing the level of bus service pre and post the move of Guelph Transit operations to Carden St (comparing 706 to 113 daily trips through the Square), I would like to make a number of points for your consideration:

•   Downtown is not losing any service – the transit hub is only moving 250m from its current location. Although some individuals may consider this an additional walk a burden, I would contend that for many people this is not onerous enough to stop them from visiting establishments on Wyndam St. The Square will certainly be more “people friendly” after the buses are relocated.
•   The City for a long period of time has endorsed the concept of an inter-modal transportation hub (Guelph Transit, GO bus Go rail, Greyhound and VIA) to promote the use of non-auto alternatives for local and commuter trips – this is not possible operating out of St. Georges Square.
•   Downtown businesses have known for a long period of time that the terminal was being developed on Carden St, and since I have been at Guelph Transit starting in 2009, I have not had nor seen strong opposition from downtown businesses on the move of Guelph from the Square to Carden St.
•   When our operations move from the Square, additional public parking spots will be made available in the Square which should be a stimulus for businesses around Wyndam and Quebec.

Please find listed below the data regarding the number of transit trips to specific areas of the City both prior to and after the opening of the new transit terminal. I have also provided distance data to put some context on the information.

Distance From New Transit Terminal to MacDonnell St: 86m
Distance From New Transit Terminal to Cork St: 182m
Distance From New Transit Terminal to Quebec St: 264m
Distance From New Transit Terminal to Woolwich/Wyndam: 486m
Distance From New Transit Terminal Exit on MacDonnell to MacDonnell/Wyndam: 240m
Distance From Wal-Mart Bus Bays to Wal-Mart Front Door: 205m
Distance From Stone Road Mall Bus Stop (on Stone Road) to Stone Road Mall Front Door: 94m (There is also a bus stop on-site at the back of the mall)

Current service coverage at St. George’s Square: 702 daily passenger trips
Service coverage at St. George’s Square after terminal opening: 113 daily passenger trips
Service coverage at Wal-Mart: 208 daily passenger trips
Service coverage at Stone Road Mall: 99 daily passenger trips on-site drop off, 336 daily passenger trips road drop off (this declines to 61 and 260 when express buses don’t run during the summer)

Best wishes,
Michael Anders | General Manager, Community Connectivity and Transit
Transit Services | Operations & Transit
City of Guelph

City & County Reach Agreement on Wellington Terrace:

County and City reach an agreement on Wellington Terrace funding

GUELPH, ON, March 29, 2012 – The County of Wellington and the City of Guelph have reached an agreement on the Wellington Terrace cost-sharing dispute.

All outstanding matters before the court, including future contributions from the City towards the operating costs of Wellington Terrace, have been resolved.

The County and City have been involved in litigation over the funding of Wellington Terrace dating back to 2004.

“County Council is pleased that a lengthy and expensive court proceeding has been avoided,” said Warden Chris White. “The agreement reached with the City provides for an appropriate level of funding by the City towards the operation of the Terrace, which is used by both
County and Guelph residents. We look forward to a constructive relationship with the City on long-term care going forward.”

“Working together to successfully resolve the funding parameters of Wellington Terrace to the mutual benefit of both municipalities has created an opportunity for the City and County to work collaboratively in more areas of social services,” said Mayor Karen Farbridge.

All upper- and single-tier municipalities in Ontario are required by provincial legislation to support a long-term care home.

About Wellington Terrace
Wellington Terrace is owned and operated by The County and is home to 176 residents.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Andrea Ravensdale
Communications Manager
The County of Wellington
T 519-546-7578
E andrear@wellington.ca

Mayor Karen Farbridge
City of Guelph
T 519-837-5643
E mayor@guelph.ca
Donna Jaques
General Manager of Legal Services/City Solicitor
City of Guelph
T 519-822-1260 x 2288
E donna.jaques@guelph.ca

Ann Pappert
Chief Administrative Officer
City of Guelph
T 519-837-5602
E ann.pappert@guelph.ca

City of Guelph Energy Usage on the Decline:

Report shows Guelph's energy usage on the decline
City encourages residents to continue conservation during Earth Hour this Saturday

GUELPH, ON, March 29, 2012 – As Earth Hour 2012 nears, Guelph residents have something to be proud of as numbers in a new report released by the Community Energy Initiative (CEI) show that energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions per capita are on a five-year decline.
“Urban areas like Guelph use 75 per cent of all energy and generate 80 per cent of all greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change,” said Glynis Logue, Executive Director of Guelph Environmental Leadership and member of the Mayor’s Task Force on Community Energy. “We are all in this together,” continued Logue, “so every person who turned down their air conditioning last summer, took public transit or walked instead of driving, turned the furnace down when they went to bed, or changed to energy efficient lighting in their home contributed to the energy reductions we have seen.”
The CEI report is a summary of data collected and analyzed by Guelph Hydro Inc. and formally presented to the Mayor’s Task Force on Community Energy. Based on internationally recognized measurement processes published by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), the data measures consumption of electricity, gas and natural gas in the city and greenhouse gas emissions from various sectors including transportation, residential and industrial.
The report highlights a number of important trends from 2005-2010, including:
•   Energy usage per capita has decreased by 13.3 per cent
•   GHG Emissions per capita have decreased by 18.8 per cent
•   Population increased by nearly 16 per cent
"Guelph residents should be very proud of the steps they have made to use less energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions," said Mayor Karen Farbridge. “By turning off non-essential lights during Earth Hour this Saturday, Guelph residents have an opportunity to express their continued support for energy conservation.”
The City of Guelph’s commitment to energy conservation has led to a number of initiatives and goals such as changing the way citizens, businesses and the city government think about and use energy, promoting local renewable energy generation and building and maintaining a reliable sustainable energy supply. The Mayor’s Task Force on Community Energy was developed to help the city meet its target of reducing energy usage by 50 per cent per capita by 2031.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Rob Kerr
Corporate Manager
Community Energy Initiative
Finance and Enterprise
T 519-519-822-1260 x 2079
E rob.kerr@guelph.ca

Spring Sweeping Starting!

Good afternoon Mayor Farbridge and Councillors,

As April approaches, Public Works is gearing up for the Annual Spring Sweeping Program. This program is designed to blitz city streets in order to clean up accumulated sand from winter control operations. In conjunction with the implementation of the sweeping program, Public Works Road staff will transition from a three shift rotational pattern, (7/24), which has been in place since late November 2011, to a two shift rotational pattern, (5/16), thereby eliminating the night and weekend shifts coverage.

Sweeping operations will begin on Monday, April 2 and continue for approximately two weeks, (weather permitting) until Friday, April 13. The program will utilize one city crew and 3 contractor crews operating simultaneously. A media campaign including radio ads, newspaper ads, web content, social media and recent newspaper interviews (Guelph Tribune) serve to get the message out to the public. In addition, local residents are being notified by door leaflets of interim material holding sites in their areas, which are being implemented to reduce program operating costs.

City Staff

City Watermains get Spring Cleaning!

City watermains to get spring cleaning, beginning April 2
Guelph Water Services to clean 94 kilometres of watermain pipe during overnight hours to minimize customer inconvenience.

GUELPH, ON, March 30, 2012 – Guelph Water Services will begin the spring phase of its Watermain Cleaning Program on Monday night. Watermain cleaning in the affected areas will be completed between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. to minimize impact on customers. This maintenance work is scheduled for completion by May 4.
Customers in the affected neighbourhoods will receive hand-delivered notices before watermain cleaning begins on their street. During the cleaning process, customers in the affected area may experience discoloured water during the cleaning process and are advised to limit water use. While ingesting small quantities of discoloured water is unlikely to create a health risk, it is recommended that customers wait until water clarity returns to normal before consuming water.
The City has about 600 kilometres of buried watermain pipe to get water to its residents and businesses. Watermain cleaning ensures that customers receive the freshest water possible by removing accumulated material from the watermain and minimizing the occurrence of discoloured water. Two cleaning methods are used during the Watermain Cleaning Program. To swab a watermain, a soft, pellet-shaped material is inserted into the watermain and pushed along by water pressure. The swab scours the watermain as it travels through the watermain. To flush a watermain, high-velocity water flowing from hydrants is used to remove loose sediment.
For more information about the Watermain Cleaning Program or discoloured water, contact Water Services at 519-837-5627 or visit guelph.ca/water.
To view the areas to be cleaned during the program, click here.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Peter Busatto
General Manager
Water Services
T 519-822-1260 x 2165
E peter.busatto@guelph.ca

Funding Recieved For Emergency Services in Guelph:

City and Guelph Fire Department receive funding for emergency preparedness

GUELPH, ON, March 30, 2012 – The City of Guelph and the Guelph Fire Department have received $14,531.19 in funding from two grants through the Joint Emergency Preparedness Program (JEPP) for the purchase of new software, hazardous materials suits and calibration testing gas.

"We appreciate the support of Emergency Management Ontario and Public Safety Canada," said Harry Dunning, Manager, Administration and Emergency Preparedness. "These two grants will help the City to support its emergency management initiatives including upgrading its fire safety equipment.”

The Joint Emergency Preparedness Program, administered by Public Safety Canada and Emergency Management Ontario, contributes to emergency preparedness and critical infrastructure protection projects and initiatives.

The funding allowed the Guelph Fire Department to purchase new software to operate mobile data computers in fire trucks. It also allowed the hazardous materials team to purchase replacement hazmat suits which protect firefighters in dangerous situations. Lastly it allowed the purchase of calibration gas for use in the department’s multi gas detectors. The total cost of the projects was $35,430.56.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Harry Dunning, Manager, Administration and Emergency Preparedness
Emergency Services
T 519-822-1260 x 2127
E harry.dunning@guelph.ca

Your Website is Great! (Well Thank you Sir!)

Hi Mr. Guthrie,
My name is G and I am a Political Science student at the UofG. I'm graduating this year, and in the midst of writing final papers, so naturally, I was procrastinating a bit. Reading the 59 Carden St. blog, I came across a comment you made, which led me to your website.
I'd like to commend you for its ease-of-use. The Accountability Benchmark System is very interesting to me, as it is a simple and clear way to be transparent. Upon graduation, I have considered the possibility of running for elected office at some level, and the way that you seem to operate (after 10 mins or so of clicking around your website) is inspiring to someone who's spent 5 years learning about the evils of our political system - corruption, cronyism and the like.
If you have time in the next little while (after the middle of April, once school is done with) I'd love to be able to sit down and chat about how you came to develop such a system, and how it's been working out for you so far.
Thanks for reading, and I look forward to hearing from you.
-G

City of Guelph Social Media Info:

April 3rd, 2012:

I thought I'd share this info with you on the use of social media from the city. As many of you know, there are only a few councillors that use social media, let alone a webiste, to inform and engage the residents they represent. I frequently find Twitter to be a fantastic tool to have conversations with people, and even to help people with city issues. I'l aways remember helping a Ward 4 resident with a huge sink hole in the middle of Paisley Rd & Imperial through Twitter. We communicated only through Twitter in connection with the @cityofguelph twitter to fix the issue. This website recieves many thanks from residents that they find it easy to use and enables them to stay somewhat up to date on our city. Here are some points to consider regarding the city use of social media:

How the City uses social networks like Facebook and Twitter:
•   to promote City services, events and programs; let people know what’s coming up and refer them to the website for further information

•   as a customer service tool; e.g. people inquire about road construction, potholes, yard waste collection and the City responds with accurate timely information.

•   during emergencies; during recent power outage and gas leak/evacuation we worked with Guelph Police and emergency services to inform public with real time information.

•   to compliment other kinds of media when appropriate; print, broadcast advertising and media relations activities will continue, and social media is one more communications tool in our toolbox.

How long have we been using it?

•   Guelph was a pioneer – Guelph was among the first municipalities to participate and allow people to ask questions and post comments. Our IT department was the driving force behind our participation and we’ve been using social media for about three years.
•   Some cities may have been hesitant to participate fearing the number of public criticisms or complaints that may be posted on their pages, but we feel it’s better to listen and hear this feedback so we can act on it. It’s not always an easy conversation, but it’s a genuine two-way communication.
•   A good example of how we can use social media to engage and inform the community is the City’s Guelph Remastered campaign in 2010. We upgraded a lot of the city’s roads and underground infrastructure and used Facebook, twitter RSS feeds and blogs to regularly update the community about traffic and transit disruptions, and we answered questions questions about road construction projects online as well.

Other Resources:

City’s Communications Plan
http://www.guelph.ca/cityhall.cfm?subCatID=2303&smocid=2872
List of social media properties
http://www.guelph.ca/cityhall.cfm?subCatID=2220&smocid=2793
Examples of online conversations we had during the Guelph Remastered campaign
http://guelph.ca/living.cfm?itemid=80302&smocid=2529

Libraries Snapshot for the Future:

April 2nd, 2012:

Many of you may know that I am a councillor that asks many questions about the overall value we get for our hard earned tax dollars within our city. There are no sacred cows when it comes to these questions and the library is one of them.

I have issues regarding the business case for building a new library and I have had issues with the way our library was being managed until Kitty Pope arrived on the scene.

She is one that has embraced, almost immediately, technology within our libraries. Using ipads and creating a very good e-book collection that is growing is exactly what I have been concerned about in the past. She deserves praise for this and I encourage her and the library board to continue in this direction.

This attached report is from the US but crosses the border to look at what libraries should be focused on in the future. Hat-tip to councillor Ian Findlay from Ward 2 for posting this on his blog:

Report on Future of Libraries.pdf

Thank you,

Cam

FCM President Weighs In on 20l Budget:12 Federa

Statement by FCM president Berry Vrbanovic on the federal government’s 2012 budget on behalf of Canada’s municipalities (29/03/2012)

OTTAWA - The following statement was released today by FCM president Berry Vrbanovic on the federal government's 2012 budget on behalf of Canada's municipalities:

"Canada's municipal leaders welcome today's commitment by the federal government to continue working with cities and communities to rebuild the local roads, water systems, community centres and public transit that our families, businesses, and economy depend on.

By committing today to have its new long-term infrastructure plan in place before current funding programs end, the government has promised Canadians that their communities can look forward to stable, secure federal funding for safe roads and bridges, clean drinking water, and fast, reliable public transit.

We welcome today's $150 million commitment to the new Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund which will again see all orders of government working shoulder-to-shoulder to create jobs and invest in communities in a time of global economic uncertainty.

The budget fails to deliver on fixing Canada's rental housing market. The budget does nothing new to support the affordable, rental housing that communities need to attract new workers and Canadians need as they pay off record-high household debts. The federal government must encourage private sector investors to expand Canada's slow growing rental housing supply. Today's budget misses this opportunity, however FCM will continue to work to address this growing problem with Minister Diane Finley, the Canada Housing and Mortgage Corporation, and all parties in the House of Commons.

We are encouraged by the government's commitment to reduce duplication between federal and provincial regulations, especially in the case of smaller community projects.

Today's budget continues building a new infrastructure partnership that creates jobs and strengthens Canada's future economic foundations. The government must expand this partnership in the future to fix growing holes in a high-priced housing market; support front-line policing; and build safe, sustainable communities at the heart of a strong and prosperous country."

Transit Update March 2012:

Mayor Farbridge and Councillors,

I would like to provide you a brief update on the TGS and Guelph Central Station (GCS). The base route system is operating smoothly now and supervisory efforts are being directed towards monitoring performance and maximizing service levels. There are still some missed connections in the Square and at the UC but we are doing our best to address the issues as they arise.

We are still working on alternatives for areas of the City with ridership levels that do not support regular service. Our new Service Planner has just started and this position will be dedicated to assessing demand profiles, route performance and route adjustments – minor revisions will continue to be made as required. When the new board period starts May 6, the routing will essentially be the same as today with a number of customer service improvements – the amount of interlining at the UC will be reduced (i.e. more buses will come in and go out as the same route) and there will be a platform reallocation at the UC to minimize walking distance for riders who have to transfer.

We are in the process of developing the communication plan for the opening of GCS, and will be releasing the material to the public shortly. We are also preparing the training material for our operators (updated driver’s handbook, platform allocations, driving directions in/out of GCS, FAQ booklet). We are planning to start the in-field driver training by the middle of April.

Completion of GCS is moving ahead at full speed. The canopy frame is fully installed and the glass panels for the roof are in the process of being erected. Installation of the wind screens/shelters located within the canopy structure will be starting very shortly. Installation of platform lighting is underway and the remaining platform infrastructure (CCTV and PA) will occur in the middle of April. Site and platform signage should be finished by the end of April. Except for the VIA Station, GCS will be ready for transit operations by May 6th as planned.

I appreciate all support you have provided.

Michael Anders | General Manager, Community Connectivity and Transit
Transit Services | Operations & Transit
City of Guelph

Participatory Budgeting! What role does Guelph Have in This?

Kelly Guthrie, one of our City of Guelph staff members (awesome last name by the way), Was just on the CBC Radio explaining what Guelph does through this process & engaging the community to be directly involved with allocating money. It's a good listen and here's the link for you:

http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/episode/2012/03/29/participatory-budget/

Also transcript info found here:

Questions and Answers were as follows:
•   Q. How is the process in Guelph different from the process in Puerto Alrgre and New York City?
•   A. The process is quite a bit different because we have a much smaller amount of money designated for PB, $225,000 and in our case a delegate from each neighbourhood group, of which there are 11, comes to a table to deliberate and come to a consensus decision, there isn’t voting.

•   Q. Jim asked a clarifying question about the money being spent on projects.
•   A. The money used by neighbourhood groups is not project based but is spent on a variety of recreational and social service type programs in each neighbourhood and all of these activities are deliberated at the table.

•   Q. This must be a difficult thing for the Neighbourhood delegate to do to report back to their neighbourhood if they have to go back without the money?
•   A. Yes, it is very hard. This is one of the hardest things about this process.

•   Q. It must take a long time to reach consensus about this.
•   A. It can take a long time it depends on the year. There can be some divisive behavior. We have been tweaking the process since 1999, 2000 and it has come to the point where the process takes the full year and the programs are described to each other in discussions and on paper, using allocation tools to tell their story before they even come to the table.

•   Q. What is the greatest positive impact?
•   A. As described by the other guests on the panel the greatest impact is that the people from the neighbourhoods have a voice and their voice is heard this is active democracy and how the money is spent in the neighbourhood is decided by the people who know their neighbourhoods best.

•   Q. Should the Municipality use the Participatory Process for more of its spending?
•   A. This is an interesting process and can be contentious. It think it would be best if it were project based spending and done very carefully.

•   Q. Do I think Jim Flaherty should use PB?
•   A. (With a laugh) He can give it a try.

My Thoughts on Michael Chong:

I was fortunate enough on Thursday night to join several students from the Political Science program at the University of Guelph where an event was hosted by The Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee. A range of topics were discussed from youth engagement, decorum within the House of Commons and low voter turnout within younger demographics. Joining Michael Chong was Mark Sholdice from the Young Liberal Group and the youngest MP to ever be elected from Sherbrooke, Quebec Pierre-Luc Dusseault from the New Democratic Party. Elected at only 19 years old.

What struck me immediately at this event was the instant respect that Michael showed all people in the room, including his colleague from across the isle in opposition to his government. When the opening statements were made, Pierre-Luc went first saying "Michael Chong is a great example of what someone should be like in politics. He wants to reform question period and to make changes that will make our government better".

When the question was posed about low voter turnout, Michael explained that Stats Can has released information indicating that the lowest voter turnout is between the ages of 18-34. And why is that? 30% said they weren't interested and that their vote wouldn't make a difference. Another 23% said they were just too busy. Michael offered his observations that "parliament should reflect our diversity more". He stated that "parliament is too controlled by leaders which create a sense that local representatives can't properly represent their constituents". "Restoring autonomy to how local representatives can have a real voice at parliament is vital". He also blamed increasing negative advertising, the current political culture and hyper partisanship that "confuses voters to the point of not being able to determine who's right and who's wrong".

Potential solutions to address the "I'm too busy to vote crowd" were to look at Australia. However, Michael was not in favour of mandatory voting where an individual would be fined if they didn't vote, but rather making voting day a national holiday. "Voting day becomes a family outing. He said. "With everything closed down, there is nothing more to do other then to vote". Part of Australia's high voter turnout of above 90% is due to this holiday. He agreed that the business community will cry foul about this option due to productivity ceasing, but countered that "our democracy should be more important to allow one day off every 4 years".

Michael also talked about the controlling nature of government. He advocates for more free votes and taking away the fear of repercussions and disciplinary measures imposed by party leaders if MP's don't vote the way they're told to. "Parliament sits 27 weeks a year with about 5 votes a week. Only 15 votes out of 135 are free votes".

Lastly, he encouraged those in attendance to get involved with the political process. "Too often, many get involved in other ways that don't directly impact decision makers. He said. "40% of every dollar is used by government and the remaining 60% is influenced in someway through policy. If you want to make a difference, get involved."

While driving home from the event, I couldn't help but look at what's wrong with politicians today. I came to several conclusions. Politicians should radiate respect for others when they walk into a room. They should identify and understand the problems faced by those they represent; they should provide thoughtful solutions after listening to those in need. Politicians need to engage in respectful dialogue to find common ground for the greater good. And, they should feel free to truly represent those that elect them.

Michael embodies these traits and Canada is fortunate to have someone like him making a difference for us all. We need to support other like-minded politicians that push for these positive changes.

Many years ago there was an old Nike advertising and marketing campaign that became a pop-culture phenomenon. It stated "Be Like Mike". I for one can't think of anyone else who inspires me like Michael Chong does. I too want to "Be Like Mike".

Cam Guthrie

What about those Guelph Robo-calls?

March 9th, 2012

Some people are telling me not to get involved with commenting on this issue, but it directly affects Guelph. And Guelph is the best city EVER! So especially since Guelph is the epicenter of a national story, a terrible national story of voter suppression, I want to comment.

So let me be clear:

Whoever did this, I hope they're caught quickly, dragged out to the street and made known to all. To mislead and take people's opportunity away to vote is disgusting.

There's a big difference between "voter suppression phone calls" and "nuisance" calls by all political parties. Yet the opposition, most far-left groups and even some of the hyper-media are grouping all calls into the same pile. And that's wrong.

I too received many "nuisance" calls throughout the Federal election last year. In fact three days before the election, my wife and I arrived home to this message on my machine:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2522494/April30anti-cpcRobocall.wav

This message wasn't really what I wanted to hear when I arrived home that night. I didn't like it, but I didn't start crying in a corner about it either.

I was interviewed today by the Guelph Mercury to comment on these types of calls and how best to address the situation about Guelph now being in the spotlight. While I listened to the message a few times today, I gathered some thoughts on the issue:

Although the message doesn’t say who authorized it, or who they were trying to promote, (although certainly not Marty Burke), I find it interesting that the woman specifically says to make sure you “vote strategically”. This is the most common Liberal statement throughout any campaign. They have the same typical game-plan, or recipe, no matter what election it is:

The Four Step Process:

Step 1. Right near the end of a campaign instill fear into all voters telling them “how close of a race it is”, between the Liberals and Conservatives.

Step 2. Extend an olive branch out to the Green Party and The NDP Party campaign managers and their supporters to make them understand that they need to be martyrs to their own ideals and that they need to tell their voters to switch to the Liberal Candidate, or the evil Conservatives will reign. “And you wouldn’t want that would you?”

Step 3. Send out media releases to all outlets telling them of the “urgency” to vote strategically or the Conservatives will become more evil then they already are. And don't worry the media will promote this message for you.

Step 4. Make sure the centre left – to far left voters understand that if election reform had happened by now, or proportional representation, that they wouldn’t have to vote strategically and leave the party they’ve just worked so hard for over the last 5 weeks, and now vote for the Liberal candidate.

So although this voicemail doesn’t say that it was endorsed by Frank Valeriote, or came from Frank Valeriote, it screams "Liberal Red" to me.

Either way, no matter who sent it, it's an annoying call to me, but not one I'm going to call Elections Canada about.

Thank you,

Cam Guthrie

***Update March 9th, 2012 at 8:06pm***

UPDATE: Frank Valeriotte, Liberal MP for Guelph, has responded to the National Post Newspaper:

“This was an issue based call, not a voter suppression call. It was paid for by our campaign.”

He said the fact it was not identified as coming from the Liberal Party was an “oversight” and that his office had been “completely open” with Elections Canada.

How much are we Paid?

This info was taken from the Guelph Mercury March 9th, 2012:

Council has also just received a report related to the state of remuneration of council members in 2011. That was prepared by the municipality’s finance department.

According to the report, Guelph Mayor Karen Farbridge received $103,089 in remuneration last year. The breakdown of that payment was: $90,361.52 for her honorarium; $4,915.82 in benefits payments; and $4,811.72 in coverage of expenses.

Guelph’s councillors all received at least $33,000 last year, according to the report. All received honorariums of at least $28,796.82. That was what Cam Guthrie received. He refused an increase in the honorarium that took the payment to $29,934.99 for all the other councillors.

The finance department shows that expenses paid to councillors varied widely. June Hofland, Maggie Laidlaw and Karl Wettstein all received in excess of $2,500 in payment related to expenses. Ian Findlay, Karl Wettstein, Guthrie, Andy Van Hellemond and Todd Dennis received no remuneration related to expenses.

According to the report, expenses are only reimbursed based on actual costs with the submission of appropriate receipts. The maximum annual amount that a councillor can be reimbursed for is $3,250. The maximum for the mayor is $10,600 per year.

Council sets its own remuneration rate. It uses a citizen review committee to assist it in this area. The committee conducts a market review of like payments in like municipalities to make recommendations in this regard every four years.

The present council remuneration rates are to remain in force through the 2014 budget year.

Thank you,

Cam Guthrie

Questions & Answers for New Guelph Garbage Bin System:

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

What is a fully automated cart collection system?
A fully automated collection system uses a mechanical arm on the waste collection truck to empty plastic carts into the correct compartment of the collection truck. This is different than a manual system where a City employee empties the container into the truck.

Why is the City of Guelph changing from the existing manual collection to fully automated collection?
A cart-based waste collection system for all three waste streams will increase the City’s waste diversion rate, create operational efficiencies, reduce waste collection fleet operating costs and reduce the City’s carbon footprint. The City has researched the benefits, municipal waste collection best practices, and feasibility of a cart-based waste collection system to satisfy a recommendation of the 2008 Solid Waste Management Master Plan. Based on this research, Council has endorsed the adoption of this new system.

What will I need to participate in the program?
The City of Guelph will provide residents with an information package about the automated cart collection program, an indoor kitchen food scrap collection container and three easy-to-use wheeled carts: one green cart for organics, one blue cart for recyclables and one grey cart for garbage. Only the carts provided by the City of Guelph will be collected at the curb.

Will residents be able to choose the size of their waste collection carts?
Residents will receive a small (80-litre) green cart for their organics stream. Residents can choose from four cart sizes for the recycling and waste streams: depending on their individual needs (e.g. size of their household, waste generation rates, available storage space and ease of mobility): small (80-litre), medium (120-litre), large (240-litre) and extra large (360-litre).

When will the carts be available to residents?
Converting to a cart-based collection system will be phased in over a three-year period, starting in fall 2012. This approach will help keep the cost manageable. One-third of Guelph homes will receive their carts in 2012, the second phase in 2013 and the third and final phase in 2014.

Will the items I currently separate into green, blue and clear bags now go into green, blue and grey waste carts?
The acceptable items for each stream are essentially the same as in the current waste collection system: organics, recyclables and garbage. Residents will have the option of lining the organics cart with paper liners. Residents are asked to keep the recyclables loose in the blue cart. No need to bag or bundle them. Shredded paper is the only material that needs to be bundled in transparent blue plastic bags and placed inside the cart.

Note: The City’s preference for the disposal of shredded paper is stated above. However, shredded paper may be placed in the green (organics) cart or the blue (recyclables) cart. Other municipalities have found that residents like to use shredded paper at the bottom of the green (organics) cart to absorb any liquids.

Where will I store my carts?
Keep your carts in a convenient location. Your carts can be stored wherever you currently keep your waste bags: in the garage, in the backyard, in an outdoor storage unit, or the side of your home. City staff will also be available to assist residents identify suitable locations where storage space is extremely limited.

What if I live in a multi-residential property and there is no space for carts?
The City recognizes that certain areas of Guelph such as multi-residential properties (e.g. no driveways, no garages) have space limitations. Multi-residential properties on City collection may be provided with organics kitchen food scrap collection containers and an in-unit recyclable container that residents can use to bring their waste to a central cart location. Centralized collection areas will need to be addressed on a case-by-case basis. Solid Waste Resources staff have already met with several Property Managers to find site-specific solutions. Please have your Superintendent and/or Property Manager contact Solid Waste Resources at 519-767-0598 or waste@guelph.ca to speak to a staff member about any questions or concerns regarding a specific property.

How difficult are the carts to manoeuvre?
The carts have been designed for easy mobility with large wheels under a stable base to accommodate manoeuvring in difficult conditions such as snow. Different sizes of carts are available to best fit resident needs. In snow, it is recommended that the cart be pulled like a sled in order to glide over the snow rather than pushing the snow like a plough.

Where will I place the carts for weekly collection?
Place your carts at the curb or in the mouth of your driveway. Orient your carts such that the lid opens toward the street. Carts must be placed one metre apart and one metre in front of or beside fences/retaining walls.
Do I need to buy these carts?
No. The City of Guelph will provide your home with three carts: one green cart for organics, one blue cart for recyclables and one grey cart for garbage. The carts belong to the City of Guelph. They will be registered to your property address and will remain at that address if you move.

What if I have more garbage, recycling or organic waste than space in the carts?
Additional containers can be purchased at cost from the Waste Resource Innovation Center at 110 Dunlop Drive. You may also bring additional waste to the Waste Resource Innovation Center for a disposal fee.
For oversized items (e.g. furniture), residents can continue to use the Bulky Item Collection program.

If my cart breaks or is damaged, do I have to pay to replace it?
The carts have an extended manufacturer’s warranty. If your cart breaks or is damaged, the City will replace it for free. Visit guelph.ca/waste or call 519-767-0598 for information on exchanging your cart.

Why isn't the City converting all residents to cart-based collection at one time?
Due to the City’s budget, staff recommended that any conversion to carts and the associated purchase of capital equipment be phased in over a minimum three-year period.

When will the City receive fully automated cart collection vehicles?
The City will phase-in the replacement of the current manual waste collection vehicles with fully automated cart collection vehicles over three years starting in 2012. We expect to have the first fully automated cart collection vehicle on the road this fall.

Why doesn't the City allow residents to use blue boxes or carts with our current collection equipment?
The current challenge with these containers is that they must be manually collected and returned to the curb since the City does not possess any automated equipment. Introduction of carts without transitioning to fully automated collection equipment would increase the amount of time and labour spent and would require additional trucks, resulting in increased costs.

What is the tax-supported cost of carts and converting the collection fleet?

Although the cost associated with fully automated waste collection for all three waste streams has a capital cost of $10- $12 million, there is an approximate operating savings of $460,000 per year. Funding for the curbside carts is set at a maximum of $6.2 million less $960,000 grant for 5.2 million. Internal borrowing from the Vehicle and Equipment Replacement Reserve Fund is set at a maximum of $4.6 million less $375,000 grant (and less $197,000 salvage value) for $4 million for the purchase of 15 waste packer trucks.

Did the City receive any third-party funding?
The City received a Continuous Improvement Fund (CIF) grant in the amount of $1,335,519 from Waste Diversion Ontario, approximately $960,000 allocated to carts and $375,000 allocated to trucks.

If the City moves to automated tipping and opaque carts, how will the collection drivers know if the contents in the cart are properly sorted?
Cameras will be installed inside the hopper of the trucks to view the material being tipped. A notice will be left on the cart explaining any concerns. Education and by-law staff will be available to address any concerns.

Why aren’t compostable bags allowed in Guelph’s organic waste stream?
The Ministry of Environment determines the Environmental Compliance Approval conditions for each municipal waste facility. Guelph’s Environmental Compliance Approval states that the Organic Waste Processing Facility cannot accept any organic waste collected through a program that allows the use of plastic or certified compostable plastic bags. Paper liners readily break down in the composting process, whereas the compostable liners may not break down. Plastic bag liners, biodegradable and compostable bag liners are not an option for Guelph.

Will the green cart attract pests?
The green cart design includes a tight-fitting lid to keep pests out.
Tips for preventing pests:
•   Keep the lids closed on your kitchen food scrap collection container and green cart.
•   Empty your kitchen food scrap collection container into your green cart on a regular basis.
•   Wipe out your green cart as needed.
•   The kitchen food scrap collection container can be washed in the dishwasher.
•   Avoid insects and other pests by sprinkling a handful of salt, garden lime or powdered ginger in the kitchen food scrap collection container or green cart. Use white vinegar as an effective, environmentally-friendly disinfectant.
•   Do not store the cart in direct sunlight.

How can I keep my green cart and kitchen food scrap collection container clean and minimize odour?
The green cart is designed for housing organic waste and is easy to clean.
Tips for minimizing odours:
•   Line the cart with shredded paper, newspaper, paper bags, flour or sugar bags, paper shopping bags or cereal box.
•   Paper bag liners are available at local retailers.
•   Use shredded paper, soiled facial tissues and soiled paper towels to absorb liquids at the bottom of the cart.
•   Wrap food scraps in newspaper or soiled paper towels. You may consider adding paper to the green cart each time you empty your kitchen food scrap collection container.
•   Empty your kitchen food scrap collection container into your green cart regularly.
•   Wipe your green cart as needed.
•   The kitchen food scrap collection container can be washed in the dishwasher.
•   Use white vinegar as an effective, environmentally-friendly disinfectant.
•   Do not store the containers in direct sunlight.

Can I continue to use my backyard composter?
Yes. The City encourages the use of backyard composters. Organic waste that you would not place in your backyard composter, such as meat, fats, oils and dairy products can be included in your green cart.

Can I place leaves and yard waste in my green cart?
Yes. Leaves and yard waste can be placed in your green cart each week.

Will scheduled spring and fall yard waste collection continue?
Yard waste collection will no longer be required because residents can top up their green cart each week all year.

If I have more yard waste than will fit in my green cart, can I place kraft yard waste bags at the curb?
No. Residents are encouraged to use backyard composters or can bring additional yard waste to the Waste Resource Innovation Center, 110 Dunlop Drive.

Want To See Those Garbage Bins Guelph?

Good afternoon Your Worship and Members of Council,

In preparation for Guelph’s move to a fully automated cart collection system over the next three years beginning in the fall of 2012, we have set up an information display in City Hall. Residents can now come to the City Hall Galleria to see a display of all four cart sizes and the kitchen catcher container. Information boards have also been set up explaining the program.

With the cart delivery, residents will receive:
• an information package about automated cart collection plus a kitchen catcher and a 80-litre green cart for organics.
This cart size will allow residents to conveniently top up their green (organic) waste cart with leaves and yard waste each week, all year.

Residents will choose:
• the size of the blue cart for recyclables and the size of grey cart for garbage that best meets their household needs.

Regards,

Dean F. Wyman | General Manager
Solid Waste Resources
City of Guelph

Weather Update!

Good afternoon Mayor Farbridge and Councillors,

Just a quick note to update everyone on this weekend’s anticipated weather event. No, we are not expecting the “big one”… but we are expecting some “weather” to occur. Since it is March…and as we know anything can happen in March, I am providing you this update.

Temperatures reached 6 degrees celcius today, a possible record for this date. Temperatures are expected to rise even further overnight, with rain expected to begin around 6:00pm. The rain and increasing temperatures will bring high winds and possible thunderstorms overnight. The temperature will max out at 7 degrees by 3:00am then begin to drop to 1 degree by morning. The high winds and rain will cause hazardous conditions and caution is advised if out travelling tonight. The rain is expected to change to snow flurries by 5:00am with total expected snow accumulation of 1.9cm by 8:00pm Saturday night.

Public Works crews are on standby and ready to respond to the weather conditions as they materialize.

You can expect further updates as/if the situation changes.

Sincerely,

Sam Mattina | Manager
Operations & Transit |Public Works Department
Roads & Right of Ways

Congrats to City of Guelph from United Way!

Subject: Congratulations to City of Guelph employees - winners of a United Way spirit award!

This week, the City of Guelph was honoured with a Spirit Award for our 2011 United Way campaign. The award goes to workplaces that demonstrate outstanding United Way support and spirit, bringing enthusiasm, creativity, and innovation to the campaign.

Congratulations to the City’s campaign team and to every employee who played a role in our 2011 campaign! This award belongs to you. Volunteers made the difference in our campaign – baking treats, carving pumpkins, flipping pancakes, planning pirate games, organizing garage sales... and the list goes on. City employees organized more than 35 fundraising events in just four weeks. Your enthusiasm and creativity not only raised money for the United Way, it brought teams together and helped us all have a lot of fun in our workplace.

Thanks to your efforts, we exceeded our $50,000 goal – helping the local United Way campaign raise an astounding $3.14 million, 10 per cent above its goal. Well done, and congratulations on being recognized by the United Way!

Transit Growth Routes Update:

Mayor Farbridge and Councillors,

I would like to provide you an update on the route changes that were implemented on Monday this week. As you will recall, the length of Route 2 A/B was adjusted to provide a shorter run time and Route 15 was implemented which covers portions of the original Route 2 A/B and provides additional capacity in the area of College Avenue and Stone Road.

The changes have had the desired effect – the issue of buses running late on Route 2 A/B has been essentially eliminated and riders are making their transfer at Wal-Mart and St. George’s Square on a regular basis. Operators are indicating to us that the new Route 2 A/B is working and the level of frustration for both operators and passengers has been reduced significantly. Route 15 has been well received and riders on College Avenue west of the Hanlon are very happy with the enhanced service. We implemented this new route with an A.M. schedule that allows riders to connect with buses at the University Centre/St. George’s Square to get to the industrial areas of the City first thing in the morning.

We are currently in the process of completing revisions to Route 20 and Route 21 which serve the industrial areas of the City. We are planning to announce changes to Route 21 on Wednesday next week and implement the improvements on February 17. Revisions to Route 20 are more comprehensive in nature and we anticipate being able to announce the changes by February 21 and implement the changes by February 27.

Efforts are also currently being focused on addressing the capacity issue in the south end through the acquisition of additional conventional buses. An announcement on this matter will be made shortly.

We are making steady progress on the issues associated with the new system that have been highlighted to us by operators and riders. We continue to encourage feedback on performance and we are confident that our changes will provide a satisfactory solution.

Thank you for your continued support in this matter.

Michael Anders | General Manager, Community Connectivity and Transit
Transit Services | Operations & Transit
City of Guelph

T 519-822-1260 x 2795 | F 519-822-1322
E michael.anders@guelph.ca

Winter Control Update: Feb 12th, 2012

Good morning Mayor Farbridge, Councillors and Executive Team,

The abnormal winter of 2011/12 continues, welcome to week 14 of 20, we are on the downward slope….and can see the light at the end of the tunnel folks!!!;

I would like to provide all with a follow-up to the General Manager of Public Works, Rod Keller’s email to you of late regarding this weather system and our activities to address it.

Our detailed weather forecast states (and radar confirms) that this system has basically concluded. We expect another cm or so later today and perhaps another cm or so tomorrow as a result of lingering flurries. The kicker will be the falling temperatures and the sustained winds (30 to 35km/hr) and wind gusts (45 to 50 km/hr)we are expecting in the wake of the system passing. Temperatures are expected to fall to a low of minus 12 celcius tonight with wind chills in the range of minus 22 celcius. Blowing and drifting will occur and will require our extended attention.

Staff have been out since the storm began and are diligently working to treat all areas.
Below is a brief synopsis of activity and anticipated completion times, (please keep in mind that winds will affect these anticipated end times).

ROADS;

We currently have all salter/plow units out on our main arterial roads, collector roads and bus routes. This road network work will be complete by mid afternoon. The operation will shift to the residential roads (curves, stop signs) in order to ensure sufficient traction is present for maneuverability later this evening and overnight, (all hills within residential routes have already been addressed). Again we did not achieve the threshold accumulation depth of 10cm to date to warrant a residential plow-out.

SIDEWALKS, CITY OWNED STEPS AND BUS STOPS, including DOWNTOWN

Sidewalk plowing activity commenced at 5;00am on the high pedestrian traffic arterial, collector and bus routes. That task should be complete by 3:00pm. Bus stops will be cleared simultaneously with the sidewalk operation.
Staff have completed working on the downtown sidewalks and will return to clean up the residual on downtown parking lots. That activity will be completed in the next 3 hours.

City wide clearing and sanding of all city owned steps began this morning at 5:00am and should also be completed by 3;00pm today.

FACILITIES;

Winter control activities to all city owned facility parking lots, access roads and entrance ways began overnight and will continue until 5;00pm when all should be completed.

An update to this information will not be provided unless unforeseen circumstances develop.
Trusting you will find this update useful.

As always, your patience, co-operation and understanding is very much appreciated.
Best regards to all;

Sam Mattina | Manager
Operations & Transit |Public Works Department
Roads & Right of Ways

City of Guelph
T 519-822-1260 x 2017 | F 519-821-0839
E sam.mattina@guelph.ca

Anti-Idle Potential By-Law

January 24th, 2012

What do you think of this Guelph? Important? Waste of time? 3 minutes is not enough time or too much?

Anti Idle By-law Proposal.pdf

Thank you,

Cam

New Transit Update! Please Read!

January 18th, 2012

Good afternoon all,

The following is an update provided by Michael Anders on operational improvements Guelph Transit has or intends to make to address on-going implementation issues. I have added the bold/italic for emphasis of key points.

•   Community Bus – A stop at the Elliott has been added to the North Route. This was implemented yesterday. Brochures were sent to the Elliott.
•   Route 55 – This was an express route historically serving the College/Stone corridors travelling to the UC. It will be put into service again starting tomorrow to address volume issues in that area and provide relief to the 1 A/B and 2 A/B. This should assist in buses running on schedule and transfers being made at the UC. University students should already be familiar with this route. It will run from 7:15 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. The service will be 15 minute frequency at all times. Info will be updated on our website and temporary stops will be put out tomorrow.
•   Route 2 A/B – We have had Guelph Transit’s Planning Committee driving (on street) a number of options to reduce running time while maintaining the current service level. We will have a recommended alternative by the end of this week. In order to have the time to communicate the revisions appropriately, the changes would be implemented the last week of January. The option chosen will also address the issue of providing service to the front door of ARC Industries.
•   Route 5 – There is a extremely heavy volume of traffic during very specific time periods going north in the morning and coming south in afternoon. As a result, a number of buses on regular service are filling up and going “out of service” and doing drop offs only. The core issue is not with the route structure but with available capacity. To address the capacity issue I am sending out extras during certain periods of the day to the hot spots. This is helping but there are instances when students are not able to get on the first bus that goes by.
•   Route 20 – We will be looking at the route and bus stop structure when revisions to the 2 A/B are finished. This route will be updated no later than the 3rd week of February
•   Legion Stop – A new resource has been assigned by the Legion to deal with this issue on their behalf. We have spoken with them and outlined the simple infrastructure fix that is needed for accessible off-loading on their property. We have agreed to meet in the spring to discuss how to move forward.
•   Out of Service Stops – We are doing an audit of all old routes to ensure that where a stop has been taken out of service, all bus stop signs, info posts, and shelters and benches (where installed) have been removed or will be marked for removal in the next week.

Michael has conveyed these improvements will wrap up the tweaking he believes can be done to improve the new service model. There is concern that these efforts may not be enough to fully address the demand placed on the system by students in the Gordon Street South corridor. I was reminded that Transit’s carrying capacity in this corridor was exceeded on a somewhat regular basis with the previous routes. That this problem continues has only exacerbated our riders negative opinion of the new routes and service model. We are providing more extra buses as indicated above, but this is being accomplished by reducing our spare ratio. The consequence of this is it reduces our ability to maintain the fleet. This is clearly not a long term solution. I have asked staff to make queries on quickly acquiring an additional four buses, the quantity believed necessary to address the Gordon corridor. We will pursue this course of action depending on the information received. I will advise as more information becomes available.

Regards,

Derek J. McCaughan
Executive Director
Operations & Transit Service Area
The Corporation of the City of Guelph
1 Carden Street
Guelph, ON
N1H 3A1

T: 519-822-1260 x 2018
F: 519-822-1751

Update on Student Orientation Summit:

I recieved this emai yesterday: January 17th, 2012:

Dear Councillors and Mayor:
Just to provide you a brief update on one of the action items from the Student Orientation Summit, through collaboration with Community Engagement staff, neighbourhood meetings will be set up to review citizen concerns and to provide information on the various initiatives that Police, City and University staff are using to address unwanted behaviour.
Initially, four meetings will be set up in areas of the City where past concerns have been received. I will forward the dates and locations of these meetings once they are confirmed. If these meetings are successful, we will consider holding meetings in other areas of the City.
Please note that police, City and University staff are continuing to review other action items identified during the Summit and are preparing for St. Patrick’s day.
Yours truly,
Doug Godfrey | Manager
Operations & Transit |Bylaw Compliance and Security Department
City of Guelph
T 519-822-1260 x 2520 | F 519-822-1751
E doug.godfrey@guelph.ca

Bus Service Restored to Elliot:

January 17th, 2012

Starting today, the Community Bus North Route has been updated to include a stop at the Elliott in front of the Ellington Building (168 Metcalfe). The Community Bus connects in St. George’s Square every hour and is fully integrated with the rest of the Guelph Transit conventional route system. The stop at the Elliott occurs at 0:47 after the hour from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Saturday (i.e. the first Community Bus trip leaves the Elliot at 8:47 and arrives in the Square at 8:57 and the last trip leaves the Elliott at 3:47 and arrives in the Square at 3:57)

We will arrange to have brochures delivered to the Elliott for distribution to the residents.

Further information on the Community Bus routes (north and south) is available at guelphtransit.ca.

Please contact me if you have any questions on this route change.

Thanks.
Michael Anders | General Manager, Community Connectivity and Transit
Transit Services | Operations & Transit
City of Guelph
T 519-822-1260 x 2795 | F 519-822-1322
E michael.anders@guelph.ca

Roll Out of Garbage Bins Start in 2012:

Article from today's Guelph Mercury:

Roll out of waste carts will largely depend on where you live

cart map Map of Guelph showing plan for garbarge carts rollout

GUELPH — Whether you will need to implement a wholesale change to how you handle waste might depend on which side of the street you live.

The city has released a map on its website indicating how it will implement the three-year phase-in of the new waste collection system. In many cases, residents on one side of a given street will be switched to a cart-based system in 2012 while those on the other will continue to use three different colours of bags.

“I’m going to feel somewhat sorry for people on one side of a street who have to look across at a neighbour who isn’t making the switch until 2013 or ’14,” said Coun. Cam Guthrie, who will be among those rolling carts out to the curb before the end of this year.

More than half of council members will find themselves in the first wave of cart-users.

“To tell the truth, I’m kind of excited to be going first,” Coun. Todd Dennis said.

The carts will be introduced in phases across the city, with several areas coming on stream in each of the three years.

“They’ve spread it out across all six wards so we’re all going to take a bit of abuse as it rolls out over the next three years,” Dennis said.

Guthrie said it has already begun.

“People are ticked,” he said Tuesday. “People are really ticked about this.”

Guthrie said he has already had one resident say he will “absolutely refuse” the carts and take his waste instead to the Waste Resource Innovation Centre on Dunlop Drive.

“He said if he can get 10,000 people to do the same thing the city would have to pay attention,” the councillor said.

City councillors voted in December to affirm an earlier decision to switch all three waste streams to carts; a move which will see the city spend $5.2 million on the wheeled receptacles and replace the current fleet of collection trucks with automated trucks.

An exhaustive public education campaign will soon get underway, with residents to begin receiving their wheeled carts in mid-September.

“Collection using automated trucks and carts will begin first Monday in October,” Dean Wyman, the city’s general manager of solid waste resources, wrote in an email.

Wyman said the map found on the city’s website is “generally accurate,” with staff finalizing precise streets and addresses to be included in the various phases.

Guthrie was one of two councillors to vote against making the switch at that December meeting – along with wardmate Coun. Gloria Kovach – and said as a resident he’s still not happy with it.

“These things are going to take up a lot of space and I’m still very frustrated that we had to go with this system,” Guthrie said, adding there were other options for council to explore which might not have cost millions of dollars. “We were given brand-new information that night and I don’t think (the rest of council) made an informed decision.”

stracey@guelphmercury.com

Someone Sent Me This as it Reminded Them of Me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuOS97_hPoU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

This email is in refrence to my comment about "Unicorns and Rainbows".

Cam

How Did Christmas Tree Collection Go This Year?

January 18th, 2012:

Good morning, you may recall our conversation regarding xmas tree collection at Committee meeting at the end of last year. At the time we acknowledged sub-performance of the delivery of this service last year and committed to performing it better for the current year. I have received the following email from Rod Keller advising that he and his staff have fulfilled this commitment.

Regards,
Derek

From: Rodney Keller
Sent: January 17, 2012 2:11 PM
To: Derek McCaughan

Derek,

Having spoken to Sam Mattina, I can confirm that the Christmas Tree Collection Program is now complete, as designed. In other words, every residential street has seen PW work crews go down them collecting trees starting on 9 Jan and completed on 13 Jan. Over 4100 trees have been collected and chipped. There have been minimal complaints (ie. 50-75% less than last 2 yrs) about trees not being picked up. The mild weather has been in our favour as the work crews (collection and chipping) have been able to work full out on this task.

Of note, we are still getting spot reports of trees showing up on the boulevards, after the fact. I conclude that this is a result of residents not following our advertised guidelines. We are dealing with this issue on a case by case basis.

All in all, it is my staff opinion that the program worked very well this year, with timeliness being the critical factor. This was a direct result of mild temperatures and good planning beforehand. It is my opinion that this program still needs to be evaluated in the “off season” with a view to confirming the status quo or changing the service.

A more detailed internal report is forthcoming.

Rod

Rod Keller | General Manager
Operations & Transit |Public Works Department
City of Guelph
T 519-822-1260 x 2949 | F 519-821-0839
E rodney.keller@guelph.ca

COSTCO - YES - COSTCO !

Ward 4 has a great commercial node that's been waiting and waiting and waiting for the right anchor tenant to spur on the rest of the development for sometime.

I'm honoured to announce that Armel Corporation, who owns the land, has brought forward a complete application and request for re-zoning of the lands at the corner of Paisley & Elmira Rd so that COSTCO and other commercial opportunities can build there.

This is a very good thing for the West end of Guelph, and all of Guelph.

The article in the Guelph Mercury today speaks to the 7 year old decision of removing the old Mitchell Farm house. That was two council terms ago. What's done is done. We need to move on and embrace this development as it has many great opportunities for jobs, reduction of tax burden on home-owners and presents more shopping convienence to Guelph.

I hope council sees this the same way and moves this development opportunity forward.

It's all around GOOD!

Thanks,

Cam

Here's the Mercury article:

Costco eyes Mitchell farmhouse property for Guelph store

GUELPH — Costco is interested in setting up shop on the site of the former lands of the Mitchell farmhouse.

An application is before the city’s planning and building, engineering and environment department to set up the 143,000-square-foot membership warehouse store on a 13-hectare site on the northwest corner of Paisley Road West and Elmira Road North.

In 2005, city council approved the demolition permit for the 1912 farmhouse, which sat on top of the Paisley Road hill, despite public opposition. The granite fieldstone house sat on land operated by the Mitchell family since 1834.

Now, six years later, Armel Corp., which owns the land, has found an interested big-box store to locate on that property.

“Once this site is built, there won’t be a reminder that there once was a pioneering farming family in the community,” said city councillor Leanne Piper, who was chair of Heritage Guelph when the demolition permit was approved.

The 13-hectare site Armel is seeking to develop is bounded by Paisley Road to the south, Elmira Road to the east, the Canadian National Railway tracks to the north and the city boundary to the west. The plan would see the store located on the old Mitchell farm property but not directly over the site of the old farm house.

Piper said that although a link to the past is now lost, there is not much point lamenting over buildings we have lost. She added at least now there is a proposed development in place, which was what was sorely lacking in 2005.

There was verbal discussion of a shopping centre, but no rezoning application put forward, she said.

Al Hearne, the city’s senior development planner, said apart from Costco, further plans for the site have not been discussed with the city.

“Their focus right now is the one client (Costco),” he said, adding Costco representatives were present at preliminary meetings between Armel and the city, held in the fall.

The application requests rezoning approval from the existing urban reserve, service commercial and agricultural zone to the community shopping centre zone, which will allow for retail, office and service uses, including restaurants.

City Coun. Cam Guthrie, who represents Ward 4, said Costco is exactly the type of development Guelph needs. He said he’s received several favourable community responses from people happy they no longer need to drive to other cities.

Guthrie said the development will bring in more taxes, jobs and shopping convenience.

“This is really exciting for the west end of Guelph,” he said. “A store like Costco is what you would consider an anchor development. That type of development would spur on other development in that area.”

Guthrie added that he wants jobs to come to the city and money to be spent in Guelph.

Piper said standalone box stores, surrounded by mid-sized stores and parking, is not pedestrian-friendly, but the west end is in need of commercial opportunities. She hoped the east end will also see further commercial development.

City staff is still awaiting public comment from the neighbourhood, boards and agencies before the matter heads to city council. The notice of application was recently mailed out.

Following Through Again.

Dec 29th, 2011

As I promised during the election, I will not accept any pay increase to the salary of being on council. I refused the raise last term, that many councillours voted in for themselves, and this year I am refusing the agreed yearly rate increase. This is the form I've signed, and will continue to sign, declining increases.

The people of Guelph elected me to look for savings, if it starts with me - so be it.

2011 Salary Increase decline form.pdf

Thank you,

Cam

Leaked Documents from Guelph City Hall

Draft_Operational_Review_.pdf

The Above link will take you to a draft report that has been sent out to all media outlets within Guelph by an employee that resigned late last night. Along with his letter of resignation, he forwarded this draft copy of an operational review.

First, as your councillor, I was not in reciept of this, nor did I know I was to be expecting this report. I'm gald that this type of review was being done. Judging by the content within the report, the residents of this city should be glad as well.

This is a bombshell and it needs to be public. I have been saying most of what is contained in this document for many years. Other's have also been saying these things for a long time.

There is change that is desperatley needed and I'm glad that I'm at the city during this time so I can help as best I can, to steer this organization back onto it's right course.

Enjoy the read.

Cam Guthrie

To Bin or not to Bin?

Please click on this link below and go to page 114 for the report coming before council on Dec 5th. Feel free to leave me comments regarding this issue as well.

Thank you,

Cam

http://guelph.ca/uploads/Council_and_Committees/Council/2006/council_agenda_120511.pdf

State of the City 2011:

Annual State of the City explores themes of collaboration, innovation

GUELPH, ON, November 10, 2011 – In her annual State of the City address this morning, Mayor Karen Farbridge asserted that Guelph is a "charismatic city" because of its capacity for collaboration and innovation.
The mayor told two stories to illustrate this capacity. The first involves a local company called Enpar, which is developing new technologies to treat water and waste water. The projects, which the Ontario government has said "have the potential to transform water treatment around the world," will be tested at the City's Waste Water Treatment Plant and a City-owned well, leveraging the City's significant expertise in this area. A number of local organizations, including Innovation Guelph, the Chamber of Commerce, and the University of Guelph, have been involved as well.
As the mayor noted, the Enpar projects illustrate how Guelph is creating a more diversified and resilient economy through collaboration and innovation - key directions of the City's economic development strategy, Prosperity 2020.
The second story involves the re-development of the former WC Wood plant in the St. Patrick's Ward neighbourhood. The mayor noted the re-development of brownfield sites in established neighbourhoods are always challenging for municipalities, with concerns about whether the neighbourhood's character will be maintained. In this case, thanks to an engaged Residents' Association, owners who are committed to respecting the local culture, and the leadership of City staff, the planning process to date has been highly collaborative.
The mayor said, "We must replicate this new approach to meet the goals of our growth strategy and the downtown secondary plan...As Guelph continues to grow, some worry that our community will lose its character. The Woods project is an example of people determined to make sure that doesn't happen."
In her conclusion, the mayor stated that "the days of municipal government acting alone to drive the city's future from inside the walls of City Hall are long over - if they ever existed. In today's complex, interlinked and fast-changing world, municipalities need to work collaboratively across the public, private and non-profit sectors to jointly produce public value. At City Hall we are redesigning our structures and processes to do just that."
Noting that this is a fundamental change to the way governments have traditionally done business, the mayor remarked that this is not an easy or comfortable process, but it is one worth undertaking in order to position Guelph for continued success.
As part of her remarks, Mayor Farbridge also referenced the City's Making a Difference Community and Financial Report, which contains more details of the City’s progress and financial position. Some of the highlights include:
•   A growth management strategy to accommodate 50,000 more people and 30,000 more jobs by 2031
•   $50 million in federal and provincial funding to repair core infrastructure and establish a commuter hub downtown
•   Land sales in the Hanlon Creek Business Park that are growing the industrial assessment base and jobs
•   A Memorandum of Understanding with the Province of Ontario for the development of the Guelph Innovation District. Conestoga College has proposed a new Guelph campus on these lands.
•   The first sustainable 10-year capital budget presented for Council’s consideration, and a proposed capital financial plan that reduces debt servicing over the next 10 years to accelerate contributions to reserves.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Kate Sullivan
Communications Assistant
Office of the Mayor
T 519-822-1260 x 2558
E kate.sullivan@guelph.ca

Fountains To Get Repairs:

Good afternoon,

This e-mail is to advise you of the status of the Family fountain and Blacksmith fountain, as well as to let you know about a possible story that may run in the Guelph Tribune. Staff from Corporate Communications will send out a public information bulletin within the next day with an update on the two fountains.

Yesterday, we had an art conservator onsite to assess the damage to the Family fountain in St. George’s Square. While he was here, he also visited the Blacksmith Fountain (on MacDonnell by the Co-operators) to begin work on replacing the missing hand. While examining that fountain, he discovered a significant crack in the foot of the Blacksmith that has compromised the structural integrity of that piece, and we have determined that it is unsafe at the present time should anyone try to climb it.

As a result, staff will be hoarding off the Blacksmith Fountain in order to protect the fountain from further damage, and to prevent anyone from climbing on it. Jessica Lovell from the Guelph Tribune was onsite while the conservator was examining the Blacksmith Fountain, so we expect that she may run a story in tomorrow’s paper.

The conservator has advised us that repairs to both fountains should wait until the spring, after the last frost of the winter season. The work on both fountains will be scheduled for April, including repair of the structural cracks and replacing of the Blacksmith’s missing hand. It is expected that the work will take one to two weeks, and that repairs will be able to be done onsite. Both fountains will remain hoarded until that time.

Colleen Clack | Interim Executive Director
Community & Social Services | City of Guelph

T 519-822-1260 ext 2588 | F 519-763-9240

Blue Built Homes in Guelph:

Thought this might be of interest to you:

Hello Mayor Farbridge and Members of Guelph City Council;

There is general background information on the program including details on new home water efficiency standards, current participating home builders/demo homes, as well as the home certification and incentive process employed through the program.

For more information on the Blue Built Home Program please visit www.bluebuilthome.ca.

Best Regards,
Wayne Galliher | Water Conservation Project Manager
Water Services Division | Planning, Engineering & Environmental Services
City of Guelph
T 519-822-1260 x 2106 | F 519-822-8837
E wayne.galliher@guelph.ca

City Reaches United Way Goal:

City of Guelph raises more than $50,000 for United Way City employees use creativity to help support the community

GUELPH, ON, November 14, 2011 – On October 31, the City of Guelph wrapped up its annual United Way fundraising campaign, successfully exceeding its goal of $50,000 in donations.

In just four weeks, City employees organized over 35 fundraising events, each of which featured its own unique theme with the common goal of raising money to support the community. Employees also made contributions by using traditional methods of donating, including pledge forms and payroll deductions.

"Thank you to all City of Guelph employees who contributed to us exceeding our $50,000 goal," said this year's City of Guelph workplace campaign chair, Mayor Karen Farbridge. "What set this campaign apart were the many terrific employee-organized events which raised significant dollars in addition to demonstrating great spirit and creativity. From garage sales to pancake breakfasts, staff went above and beyond for United Way."

United Way of Guelph and Wellington is a volunteer-driven, charitable foundation focused on meeting the pressing social needs in Guelph and Wellington County. Through its annual campaign, United Way raises funds for local social service and voluntary sector programs.

"I am thrilled with the generosity that City employees have shown during this campaign," said Marva Wisdom, 2011 United Way Guelph & Wellington campaign chair. "It is thanks to City staff and all United Way donors that we are able to fund over 80 vital social service programs."

For more information about the City's 2011 United Way campaign, view the 2011 City of Guelph United Way Campaign web page.

Guelph Royals Agreement!

City reaches five-year agreement with Guelph Royals Agreement meets Council-approved criteria

GUELPH, ON, November17, 2011 – The City has reached a mutually acceptable agreement with the Guelph Royals after a series of meetings.

“We were brought together by a community partner who was very interested in seeing the Royals back in Guelph,” said Colleen Clack, Interim Executive Director, Community & Social Services. “The new agreement meets all the criteria set by City Council for a five-year lease of Hastings Stadium and the concession booth.”

"This agreement is a new beginning for Guelph fans, players and sponsors" said Jim Rooney, the Royals' managing partner. "We look forward to working with the community and to its commitment to support the Royals as they take to the field for the 2012 season and beyond."

A key requirement—registration as a not-for-profit organization—was one of the stumbling blocks when discussions between the City and the Guelph Royals concluded in the summer. The City presented a draft contract in early June after extended negotiations with the team. At the time however, the Guelph Royals couldn't reach agreement with the City on a number of clauses in the proposed agreement.

City Council established criteria for an agreement with the Guelph Royals in May for the use of Hastings Stadium and the concession booth. The new five-year agreement will see the team use Hastings Stadium, run the concession booth and sell advertising in the stadium. The Guelph Royals have also agreed with the City on the amount owing from the 2010 season and will pay the City all outstanding fees as part of the agreement.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Colleen Clack
Interim Executive Director
Community & Social Services
Community & Social Services
T 519-822-1260 x 2588
E colleen.clack@guelph.ca

My National Anthem Idea Comes to Life:

Hi folks,

One of the things, minor I know, that jumped out at me when I first started attending the council meetings, was the "track" of O'Canada that we had to sing along to at the beginning of our meetings. Not that there was anything terribly wrong with it, but I got to thinking - "Guelph has so much talent musically, why can't we have Guelphite's do this instead?" And so, at one of our Community & Social Services meetings I floated the idea to my council mates and our mayor. It recived some good feedback and since that time we've had a local singer Danielle Todd and the RCMP artists from the upcoming White Christmas production come on out to sing our anthem.

However, like everything at the city, there has to be some policy around the idea. Therefore, a form was created for potential artists to fill out. This form and the background to this initative is provided here: http://guelph.ca/uploads/Council_and_Committees/Information/infor_items_111711.pdf

The two performances we've had have been great. There's a sense of community that's happened everytime we hear someone, or a group sing our anthem. In my humble opinion, it's been fabulous.

If you know of anyone that might meet the criteria to join us down at our meetings, tell them to fill out the form, or they can contact me!

Take care,

Cam

Living Healthy & Well in Guelph

Good Afternoon,
The City has co-sponsored a photovoice project with the Research Shop at the University of Guelph involving residents from Brant,
Grange Hill, Onward Willow, Parkwood Gardens, Two- Rivers and Waverley communities. Their photos and descriptions on the theme “living healthy, well and strong in our neighbourhoods” will be on display at the Quebec Street Mall from Nov 28th to Dec 1 . The launch will be on Nov 28th at 1 with Mayor Farbridge as a speaker at the event .
Please join us for this event, or drop in to view the photos.

STAFF

Short Term Disability Claims Info:

Nov 7th, 2011

At a recent meeting both Gloria Kovach and myself asked these questions. The answer arrived today:

Hello Madame Mayor/ Members of Council, at the October CAFE’s meeting, I was asked to provide information regarding the number of Short Term Disability Claims that have been denied since January 2011.

Of 77 total Short Term Disability Claims since January 2011, 11 claims have been denied, resulting in those employees being required to reimburse the 1 month advance payment provided by the City.

8 of the claims were from Transit (ATU), 2 from CUPE 973 and 1 in the NUME group.

If you have any questions, please let me know.
STAFF

2012 Proposed Operating Budget:

Proposed 2012 Operating Budget emphasizes affordability for taxpayers and the need for new ways of doing business Budget proposes three per cent increase.

GUELPH, ON, November 1, 2011 – City of Guelph staff have released the proposed 2012 municipal Operating Budget. The proposed budget will be presented to City Council Wednesday evening.

The proposed budget meets a three per cent guideline Council prescribed in July as part of the budget process. In meeting that guideline, staff have built a budget that focuses on affordability, and is respectful of Council's desire to deliver public services at a cost that is affordable for taxpayers.

"Council gave staff a mandate to build a budget that does not exceed a three per cent increase over 2011," says Guelph's Chief Administrative Officer, Ann Pappert. "Staff have spent months putting together a budget submission that endeavours to balance affordability with residents' expectations about quality service. To achieve that, we've had to explore new approaches to familiar questions and make some difficult decisions."

Pappert explains that part of doing business differently—a theme that surfaced in the City's 2012 Capital and Enterprise Budgets—means exploring shared funding arrangements, leveraging partnerships, and seeking opportunities to acquire additional support and funding from other sources where possible. As an example, this budget includes the sale of the City's street lights to Guelph Hydro, and an aggressive reduction in energy use in City-owned buildings.

Among the significant influences on the proposed budget is annualization costs associated with the many new facilities Guelph is about to bring on stream, including Market Square, a new civic museum, and the intermodal transit terminal, to name a few. Annualization accounts for a full one per cent of the proposed three per cent increase. Contractual obligations and external cost drivers for items such as fuel and electricity also bear a significant impact on the budget.

The proposed budget accounts for neither growth, nor new services. To meet the three per cent guideline, the City's Executive Team did not approve any new positions needed to address growth. Those positions have however been prioritized, should Council wish to consider and/or add them.

Council will consider the budget submission over the next few weeks before final deliberations on December 7, 2011. A meeting at which members of the public can address Council is scheduled to take place on November 23. Anyone who wishes to delegate at that meeting is invited to e-mail the City Clerk's Office at clerks@guelph.ca.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Tara Sprigg
Corporate Manager, Corporate Communications Office of the CAO T 519-822-1260 x 2610 E tara.sprigg@guelph.ca

Guelph Water Supply Safe!

Official Statement from Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health & City of Guelph

October 20, 2011

A response protocol triggered by water quality test results has shown no contamination or safety concerns with Guelph’s water supply.

This week, during routine monitoring of the quality and safety of Guelph’s water, the City of Guelph received test results indicating a potential contamination of the City’s water supply. As a precaution, the City of Guelph triggered a response protocol including site investigation, water flushing and increased disinfection.

The City, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment have been closely monitoring the situation and two subsequent water-quality tests have confirmed that there is no coliform or E. coli contamination in Guelph’s water supply.

“There is no health concern to the public with Guelph’s water supply,” assures Dr. Nicola Mercer, Medical Officer of Health. “We work closely with the City of Guelph and the Ministry of the Environment to regularly monitor water quality according to the Ontario Safe Drinking Water Act. If there was any risk we would notify residents immediately.”

“Each year, certified operators and accredited, licensed laboratories conduct more than 20,000 treated water microbiological and chemical quality tests,” says Janet Laird, Executive Director, Planning & Building, Engineering and Environment for the City of Guelph. “In all cases, the drinking water supplied to Guelph customers was confirmed safe and the water quality was better than all Ontario and Canadian health-related guidelines.”

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Dr. Nicola Mercer,

Medical Officer of Health

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph

Public Health

T 519-846-2715

E info@wdgpublichealth.ca

Janet Laird, Executive Director

Planning & Building, Engineering and Environment

City of Guelph

T 519-822-1260 x 2237

E janet.laird@guelph.ca

--

Stacey Hare, Senior Communications and Issues Management Coordinator

T 519-822-1260 x 2611
C 519-829-0999
E stacey.hare@guelph.ca

Update on West End Rec Centre Electrical Issue:

Oct 13th, 6pm

Good Afternoon

As of this afternoon the West End Centre is on track to open the pool, library and gym at their regular times this Monday morning. All regular programs in those parts of the building should run as scheduled.

Ice availability however will be delayed until Tuesday at 4:00 pm. Ice uses and programs will therefore be cancelled for Monday and for Tuesday (morning and afternoon only). Notification of West End ice users is already underway

The repair work is proceeding according to schedule and power is expected to be restored to the entire building by Saturday at the latest. Once main power is restored staff will focus on restarting the aquatics centre’s circulation and filtering systems and preparing the building for use. The time between the power start-up and the Monday morning opening will allow for the new power panel to be tested and assessed prior to the public entering the facility.

The twin pad arena has been running for 48 hours on a special emergency generator that was brought to the site to help facilitate the installation of the new ice surfaces. Once building power has been restored and is stable that generator will be shut down and the arenas moved back on to the building’s power systems.

Please be aware that this is our best estimate and that unanticipated problems with the repair work could still negatively influence these time frames.

If you have any questions on the situation at West End please call feel free to call at any time.

Sincerely,

Bob Burchett
General Manager, Parks and Recreation Programming & Facilities

My Thoughts on Board of Health Verdict:

October 13th, 2011

After reviewing the decision of Justice Price in more detail, it is clear that although he did not grant us the relief we requested, he agreed with much of the City’s position.

I'd also like to remind everyone about what I said regarding this situation back several months ago, as recorded by the Guelph Mercury. I hate to say "I told you so" but we asked for exactly what we were allowed to ask for, and this current Provincial Government dropped the ball, along with our current representative Liz Sandals. Instead of truly representing us and bringing our rightful concerns to the Province so that an assessor could have been appointed, it was quickly dismissed and forgotten. In my opinion, she turned a blind eye to our issues and instead often took plenty of time to critized your local elected officials for trying to ask for something that Judge Price clearley states in his decision what we had every right to ask for. As your representative, and as a resident, this is disturbing on many levels. If an assesor had been appointed many months ago, this would have been dealt with. Maybe we should mail our legal bill to the Province? Here's the article: http://www.guelphmercury.com/news/local/article/530533--mcguinty-draws-fire-from-guelph-council-members

Other Comments:

1.   The Board must follow the guidelines issued by the Ministry with regard to consultation and collaboration to prevent the disempowerment of municipal councils in relation to decisions affecting their constituents. The quality of ministerial supervision determines the effectiveness of this safeguard.
2.   The Minister is required to appoint an assessor under the Act and it is the assessor who makes the decision whether an investigation is required.
3.   The Board must be transparent in providing the necessary information to the municipalities to enable them to assess the reasonableness of the expenses and, if necessary, to challenge the Board’s decision in the courts.
4.   The Board must consult and collaborate with the municipalities with regard to the decision to construct the new capital facilities.

Thank you,

Cam

New CFO for Guelph:

City of Guelph hires new Chief Financial Officer

GUELPH, ON, October 3, 2011

The City of Guelph is pleased to announce that Dan Chapman has been hired to fill the position of Chief Financial Officer and will begin on October 24, 2011.
“The Chief Financial Officer is an essential role in the municipality. Dan’s experience and leadership will be a great asset to our city as we further develop and implement our financial strategy,” says Mayor Karen Farbridge.
A long-time resident of Guelph, Mr. Chapman is committed to innovation in the areas of internal service strategy, financial management, and policy formation. He also brings experience in community engagement and has experience working with the non-profit sector, most recently serving on the Board of The Elliot Community. Previous experience was gained with KPMG LLP, and as Director of Finance & Treasurer with Woolwich Township.
"We’re very pleased to welcome Dan to the City of Guelph," says Guelph's Chief Administrative Officer, Ann Pappert. "Dan is a skilled, strategic financial leader with extensive senior level municipal government experience and a record of accomplishments in public administration."

Mr. Chapman is a Chartered Accountant and earned his Masters of Public Administration from the University of Western Ontario.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Mark Amorosi
Director of Human Resources
T 519-822-1260 x 2281
E mark.amorosi@guelph.ca
Ann Pappert
Chief Administrative Officer
T 519-837-5602
E administration@guelph.caT

New Jobs for Guelph!

Guelph welcomes Würth Canada to the Hanlon Creek Business Park

GUELPH, ON, October 5, 2011

Würth Canada Limited announced today its plan to relocate and expand its head office and distribution facility in Guelph.

Würth is purchasing a 5.14 hectare (12.7 acre) city-owned site in the Hanlon Creek Business Park to initially construct a new 11,047 sq. m. (118,915 sq. ft.) office and distribution building. The facility will employ more than 100 people on site and support more than 375 sales representatives across the country. The occupancy date of the building is expected to be late 2014.

“We’re thrilled Würth Canada has chosen to locate its new facility in Guelph based on the unique attributes of the Hanlon Creek Business Park,” says Guelph’s Chief Administrative Officer, Ann Pappert. “For Guelph, the attraction of businesses like Würth means more good local jobs, investment in our community, and business tax revenue to fund services for Guelph citizens.”

“Our plans for the future are based on annual double-digit growth and have led us to the development of a new state-of-the-art facility which we plan on opening in 2014,” says Ernie Sweeney, President, Würth Canada. “The Hanlon Creek Business Park was chosen due to its convenient location for distribution, future expansion capability and proximity to our existing distribution centre in Mississauga.”

The Guelph location will be the primary head office for Würth Canada, supporting all of its internal business functions as well as a state of the art warehouse serving customer orders from St. John’s, Newfoundland to Winnipeg, Manitoba. This building design will set a standard for future structures in the Hanlon Creek Business Park.

“We are excited to welcome such a high calibre company to Guelph’s corporate community. We look forward to assisting Würth Canada further and hope that this endeavour serves as an anchor for other international firms,” says Peter Cartwright, General Manager, Economic Development and Tourism Services.

About Würth Canada
The core business of Würth Canada is the worldwide sale of fixing and assembly materials, including screws, screw accessories, dowels and plugs, chemical products, furniture and construction fittings, tools, and stockkeeping and picking systems. Würth Canada has 450 employees with sales projections of $82 million in 2011. Würth Canada is part to the international Würth Group which boasts 410 companies in 84 countries, over 65,000 employees, and sales projections of 10 billion Euros this year.

About Hanlon Creek Business Park
The Hanlon Creek Business Park is a prime business location in Guelph’s south end. Phase 1 of this development is fully graded, serviced and ready for development. The Hanlon Creek Business Park is an important tool that will continue to support the strategic directions contained in the City’s Economic Development and Tourism Strategy – Prosperity 2020.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Peter Cartwright
General Manager
Economic Development & Tourism Services
T (519) 837-5600 x 2820
E peter.cartwright@guelph.ca

Goran Abramovic
Marketing Manager
Würth Canada
T 905- 564-6225 x 2235
E GAbramovic@wurth.ca

Bags to Carts for Guelph Waste:

I received this from City Staff and thought you'd like to see it in regards to the "bag to cart" issue that is being questioned.

Hi Cam,

Please see below, a direct quote from the Certificate of Approval issued by the Ministry of Environment that provides the City of Guelph with our approval to operate the new Organic Waste Processing Facility.

Note: Folks in the community are correct when they say that the MOE is not requiring the City to eliminate the use of bags for waste collection. What the MOE is stating below is that while we can collect our waste however we like, we can only accept waste at our composting site that is collected through a waste collection program that does not allow the use of bags…..so in other words, while we can use bags for organics, if we choose to use bags then we cannot send our compostable waste to our own composter, but would have to ship it to an alternative site.

Some folks are implying in the media that we can collect our waste in bags, as long as we remove the bags prior to the composting process – that is incorrect – what the MOE has a concern with is the collection of organic waste in bags, NOT the processing of organic waste with the bags still on/in the process. The rationale behind the MOE’s thinking (as I understand it) is that if the waste is stored in a sealed plastic bag for a week (or more if folks are away and miss a collection day) then the sealed bag will cause the waste to go anaerobic – it is anaerobic decomposition that causes odours – hence the mandate to not receive at the site waste that is collected through a collection program that permits the use of bags.

Section 34 (4) (d)

“ The Owner shall not accept at the composting site any Organic Waste that is collected through a waste collection program that allows the use of bags, except the waste that is generated in and collected by the City of Guelph and in accordance with ….. “Proposed Phase-out of Plastic Bag Usage in Organics Collection” ….”

United way Kick-Off!

GUELPH, ON, October 4, 2011

The City of Guelph launched its 2011 United Way fundraising campaign yesterday with a kickoff barbecue at City Hall. More than two hundred employees from locations throughout the city dropped in for lunch, raising about $1,200 for the cause.

The City’s fundraising goal is $50,000, which staff hope to raise through a combination of staff donations and pledges, and special events.

This year campaign efforts are chaired by Mayor Karen Farbridge, who is enthusiastic about the City’s renewed commitment to the United Way. "City of Guelph employees understand better than most that when we support an individual who needs help, it makes the entire community a better place. I believe in our employees’ desire to make a difference. Because of their commitment, I’m optimistic the City’s 2011 campaign to raise funds for the United Way will be a tremendous success."

The United Way of Guelph and Wellington is a volunteer-driven, charitable foundation focused on meeting the pressing social needs in Guelph and Wellington County. The United Way supports and engages the community through fundraising, fund distribution and social planning.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Bob Burchett
2011 City of Guelph United Way Campaign Manager General Manager, Parks and Recreation Programming & Facilities City of Guelph T 519-822-1260 x 2664 E bob.burchet@guelph.ca

Fires Fires Fires Fires - Watch out!

October 6th, 2011

Good Morning Mayor Farbridge and members of Council,

Overnight Guelph Fire Department had a number of fire calls in the Ward 3 and Ward 4 area of the City.

There was a call to 135 Oxford Street where 2 fabric chairs were found on fire. There was a call to the Oxford / Dublin area where a P/U truck was found on fire. There was a call at 16 Willow Road where 3 separate vehicles were found on fire. There was a call to 61 Willow Road where two dumpsters were found on fire. All fires were extinguished by Emergency Services. Guelph Police Service attended to investigate with Emergency Services - Guelph Fire Department.

Thank you,

Emergency services

Transit Routes to Start Jan 1st, 2012

GUELPH, ON, October 6, 2011

New and improved transit routes and schedules that were slated to begin November 6 as part of Guelph’s Transit Growth Strategy will now start January 1. “Over the past couple of months, we’ve worked hard at planning and communicating the introduction of new routes and improved service anticipating a start on November 6,” says Michael Anders, General Manager of Guelph Transit and Community Connectivity. “We are ready to implement the changes, but because of collective bargaining agreement obligations, we have to move the implementation date to January 1, 2012.”

Guelph Transit will continue to keep riders and the community informed with respect to the new routes and services, and their start dates.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Michael Anders
General Manager, Guelph Transit and Community Connectivity
Operations and Transit Services
T 519-822-1260 x 2795
E michael.anders@guelph.ca

EA to Start for Lafarge Lands:

Thursday, 22 Sept 2011
Attached please find the Notice of Commencement for the Class Environmental Assessment (EA) for reconnecting Silvercreek Parkway (south of Paisley) through a grade separation at the CNR Mainline. The notice will appear in today’s Tribune and will be circulated to adjacent residents and agencies.
The reconnection of Silvercreek Parkway is a requirement for the development of the Silvercreek (Lafarge) lands and providing a grade separation is a Transport Canada requirement. The project is cost-shared between the City and the developer as per an OMB Minutes of Settlement.
We have hired Delcan Corporation as consultants to first carry out the EA and then complete the design and construction of the improvements. There are several components to this project as indicated in the study Notice.
The EA process will include consultation with area residents and coordination with external review agencies as well as railway agencies.
We plan to have the first Public Information Centre (PIC) in November.
Please let me know if you have questions or need further information.
Thank you.
Rajan Philips, M.Sc., P.Eng | Manager
Transportation Planning & Development Engineering
T 519-822-1260 x 2369
E rajan.philips@guelph.ca

Guelph Mercury Article on Local Health Unit:

Judge rules Guelph must work with local health unit

GUELPH — The City of Guelph has some recourse when it comes to getting satisfaction from the requirements that bind it to Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health.

But according to a judge’s ruling made public Wednesday, removing itself from that governance model or rejecting financial obligations imposed on the municipality by the public health board are not options.

Justice David Price of the Superior Court of Justice issued the 30-page ruling Wednesday on the ongoing dispute between public health and Guelph.

Public health plans to build a multimillion-dollar office in Guelph and bill the city $12 million, money the city has maintained it cannot afford at this time.

Mayor Karen Farbridge said Wednesday the current governance model is “ridiculous” in that it appears to allow public health to make significant financial decisions without properly consulting municipalities and justifying those expenses.

Farbridge said the ruling that Guelph cannot simply part company with the existing health unit and create its own similar agency was a disappointment. Late last month, city council passed a special resolution revoking the appointment of three councillors to the board of public health.

In his ruling, Price noted that changes to provincial legislation in 1997 and 2001 removed the right of any of the three municipalities to withdraw from the health unit.

He stated: “I find that the city does not possess the power either to withdraw unilaterally from the Board or to veto the Board’s decision, even when they have the effect of imposing significant financial obligations on the City.”

The city, however, has the right to request from Ontario’s minister of health and long-term care a so-called assessor when a legitimate complaint arises.

Farbridge made such a request in the spring, but was turned down. Backed by Price’s ruling, she will make the request again, based on the argument that the health board is not complying with legislation.

“The judgment does two things from our perspective,” Farbridge said in a telephone interview. “One, it confirms that the current governance model is unacceptable. The other part it does for us is, the judge in our view clearly indicates that the board and province have obligations to Guelph taxpayers that are not being met.”

Section 109 of the ruling indicates that the health board must justify its expenditures to city council. “I agree,” Price writes, “that the Board must be transparent in providing the necessary information to the municipalities to enable them to assess the reasonableness of the expenses and, if necessary, to challenge the Board’s decision in the courts.”

Section 85 confirms that the minister is obligated to appoint an assessor when necessary public health services are not being provided, or when questions arise over whether the health unit is delivering services in compliance with legislation.

“Obviously we are going to follow up with the province and once again request that an assessor be appointed, so that we can sit down with an assessor and address these issues with the province at the table,” the mayor said.

Farbridge said recent legislative changes make it impossible for a municipality to extract itself from public health, as the city moved to do. She said “the legislation is flawed because it provides an untenable governance structure,” and the city will work to try to correct that with the province.

Those same legislative changes shifted decision-maker powers from local municipalities to the board of public health, and the municipality is “required to pay regardless of whether it has a significant financial impact on the city,” she explained.

“Obviously we would have preferred that the ruling indicated that they could not put debt on our books,” she added. “I think that would have allowed us to move forward in a much better way for our community.”

But she added that Price’s ruling upholds the municipality’s right to legally challenge the expenditure of the board. “Council is going to have to consider whether they want to pursue that or not,” she said.

“It’s a ridiculous governance model that a duly elected council has to go to court to challenge an expense of another board,” she added.

“That highlights some of the absurdity of the process and governance structure we are under.”

roflanagan@guelphmercury.com

Bicycle Recycle Program for Guelph:

Your Worship and Members of Council,

Solid Waste Resources will be launching a new Bike Reuse Program on Oct 18th at the Waste Resource Innovation Center in celebration of Waste Reduction Week in Canada.

Waste Reduction Week is intended to raise public consciousness about waste and its environmental and social ramifications. The theme this year, “Too Good To Waste” is about conveying an appreciation for the importance of working toward ecological sustainability by conserving resources and curbing wasteful practices. In support of the goal to reduce waste through provision of access to relevant opportunities and options, Solid Waste Resources will be launching a new program for residents that will divert bikes of all different shapes, sizes, and conditions from the landfill. Many bikes are brought to the Waste Resource Innovation Centre simply in need of a new home. This program ensures usable products don’t go to “waste”. Residents are encouraged to donate any unwanted, usable bikes to this worthwhile program. Bicycles are available to residents year round free of charge!

The Bike Reuse Program is located at the Waste Resource Innovation Center, next to the Household Hazardous Waste Depot at 110 Dunlop Drive, Gate 2 and will be open:
Tuesday – Friday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday: 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Closed Sundays, Mondays and Holidays.

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions or concerns about this program.

Heather Connell | Manager, Integrated Services
Solid Waste Resources | Planning, Engineering and Environmental Services
City of Guelph

T 519-822-1260 x 2082 | F 519-767-1660
E heather.connell@guelph.ca

Update from Mayfield Neighbourhood Group:

Dear Mayor Farbridge and Councilors:

I am writing on behalf of the Mayfield Park Community Association to bring you up to date on the developments during the facilitated meetings, to keep you aware of our position in relation to the proposal and inform you of our serious efforts of community involvement in relation to the above referenced matter.

Representatives of the Mayfield Park Community Association attended three facilitated meetings at the request of the City. At the first meeting we canvassed in detail all of the reasons that the proposed development was not acceptable to us. (As originally presented to Mayor and Council at the public meeting held in January of 2011)

At the second meeting the developer provided an alternate "without prejudice proposal", which would have required almost all of the same amendments to the Official Plan and variations to the bylaws. It did not change the fact that there is no reasonable buffer, inadequate setbacks, inadequate parking facilities for the number of residents, density of residents far in excess of accepted standards for high density zoning, a parking garage that will loom over the backyards of the properties on Evergreen. Issues like pedestrian safety and vehicular access were not addressed at all.

We reiterated our opposition to the proposal and had some productive discussions with the City Planners. The developers promised to re-attend with another without prejudice proposal.

On August 4, 2011 we attended the third facilitated meeting at City hall. As anticipated, the developer provided a second without prejudice proposal, which reduced the occupancy to 75% of the original proposal. Keeping in mind that the original proposal would house over 1600 residents this was not a substantial reduction in any meaningful way, as there would still be over 1200 residents in the complex.

The proposal provided for some limited increase in the set backs and decreased the height of the two buildings to 10 stores. They provided an alternate proposal that was for one building of 10 storeys and the other 12 with more of a gradual step down in storeys. Both proposals would still require an amendment to the Official Plan (General residential to High Density Residential) and additional variances in significant ways from the by-laws relating to even high-density residential zoning. There would also be over 1200 bedrooms.

In the circumstances we advised the developer that these new proposals are not acceptable to our community: we emphasized that our community is united in our opposition to a project of this scale and density. IN RESPONSE, the developer indicated that they could not reduce their proposal further. I should mention that we had a meeting of our larger community who unanimously rejected a development of the scale, location and density proposed by the developer at the third facilitated meeting.

On a more positive note, during the course of the third meeting we had another opportunity to have discussions with the City Planners and the University representatives that we feel were informative and productive.

We also advised everyone at the meeting that we would be retaining an urban planning expert on behalf of our group and this was well received.

We have retained Beate Bowron and Gary Davidson to act as experts on our behalf. Our planners have had the opportunity to meet on two occasions with City Staff since the last facilitated meeting. Valerie Romenello and I attended the second meeting as well on behalf of MPCA. We understand that the City Planners are working on the types of zoning standards that might apply to purpose built student housing.

It has always been our goal to work with the City so that a responsible approach is taken to intensification with respect to the growth of our city. We want to see a vision for and a development on this site that is in keeping with acceptable planning standards and which provides for an adequate transition between the long established neighbourhood of single family residences in our neighborhood.

The Developers have not withdrawn their original proposal which requests changes to the Official plan and variances to the by-laws that far exceed the standards established for our City. We understand that the Developers have been meeting with the planners to urge them to finalize their recommendations.

We have let the City planners know that we and our planning experts together with the City Planning staff are prepared to attend in Waterloo to see the other development built by Abode.

I have attended there on a previous occasion to view the exterior of the building. We have been advised by the developer that it houses less than 500 students and I note that it is a 17 storey building. It is located in a high-density area with other high-rises in the immediate vicinity. The upper level of the parking lot in that development is not at ground level. It is a concrete structure, which appears to be at least 6 feet above ground level with a parking level underneath.

We are hoping to participate in a day long design exercise for the site in the context of the Intensification Corridor on Gordon Street with the City Planners and other interested parties in the very near future. We await confirmation of proposed dates from the City Planners.

If you have any questions or comments please do not hesitate to contact me as a representative of our group.

Regards,

Kate MacDonald
President, Mayfield Park Community Association

Court Rules on Board of Health Matter:

Court rules on Board of Health matter
Judge finds that issues should have been addressed by Provincially-appointed assessor
GUELPH, ON, October 12, 2011 – Justice Price of the Superior Court of Justice has found that the City of Guelph's issues with the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Board of Health should have been addressed by an assessor appointed by Ontario's Minister of Health and Long-Term Care.
Justice Price noted that changes to provincial legislation in 1997 and 2001 removed the right of any of the three municipalities to withdraw from the Health Unit, stating in his decision, “I find that the City does not possess the power either to withdraw unilaterally from the Board or to veto the Board’s decisions, even when they have the effect of imposing significant financial obligations on the City.”
In his decision, Justice Price states that the Health Protection and Promotion Act, which governs public health in the province, provides an assessment process and requires the Minister to appoint an assessor. Mayor Farbridge requested the Minister to appoint an assessor on April 26, 2011, and the Minister responded on May 16, 2011, declining to appoint one. However, as Justice Price’s ruling notes, the Act provides that it is an assessor, and not the Minister, who must decide whether the complaint warrants investigation and, if it does, who must conduct an investigation and report to the Minister.
“The City’s position has not changed: we need a Provincially-appointed assessor to investigate the issues we have identified. In light of this court decision, we will repeat our request to the Government of Ontario,” said Mayor Karen Farbridge.
In his decision, Justice Price comments on the current governance structure for public health, saying, “The shift from decision-making by directly elected representatives on city councils to boards made up of their delegates, especially, as in the present case, where the delegates of two municipalities can out-number those of another, has the potential of diminishing the public’s engagement in self-government and undermining the quality of public decision-making.” He goes on to note that “the guidelines which the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care have issued for boards of health to follow wisely provide for consultation and collaboration as a means of preventing the disempowerment of municipal councils and local agencies in relation to the decisions affecting their constituents. The effectiveness of this safeguard depends on the quality of ministerial supervision and the remedy of judicial review.”
Justice Price stated that the Board must be transparent in providing the necessary information to the municipalities to enable them to assess the reasonableness of the expenses and, if necessary, to challenge the Board’s decision in the courts.
Mayor Farbridge noted, “While we did not get the decision we were hoping for, Justice Price clearly acknowledged the overarching governance issues in his decision. The City has always maintained that the governance model is flawed and needs to change. With the support of this decision, we will pursue assistance from the Ministry.”
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FOR MORE INFORMATION
Ann Pappert
Chief Administrative Officer
City of Guelph
T 519-837-5602
E ann.pappert@guelph.ca

Donna Jaques
General Manager of Legal Services/ City Solicitor
City of Guelph
T 519-822-1260 x 2288 |
E donna.jaques@guelph.ca

Gas Leak Info:

Message sent on behalf of Shawn Armstrong, General Manager of Emergency Services:

Construction on Delhi Street at Paul Avenue resulted in a gas line being broken by a high hoe at 11:27 a.m. Normally a small precautionary evacuation is done. Due to the fact that Union Gas could not locate the shut-off and the leak continued fire and police established a full evacuation of the affected area. The initial evacuation zone of 500m was expanded to 800m due to wind conditions. Initial evacuation was approximately 75 houses but with expansion took in more houses and some apartments – including two old age apartments. This involved a 2.5 inch gas line which is emitting a significant amount of gas.

Guelph Police, Emergency Services - Guelph Fire and Guelph Wellington EMS responded. Corporate Communications was engaged to assist with messaging.

Gas line was capped at 1:45pm. City crews worked to return people safely back into their homes. Health Unit was consulted to address any community health concerns and precautionary information was distributed.

Approximately 260 were evacuated for less than 3 hours. Information pamphlets went out with a summary of the event and additional information for the residents in the area should concerns arise. Fire Communications are monitoring the phones for any concerns from residents and continue to do so at this time.

Emergency Services was advised that no loss of services resulted to any residents, during or after the event.

Thanks to all of the staff that worked to safely conclude this event.

Respectfully,

Shawn Armstrong,
General Manager,
Emergency Services,
City of Guelph.

Harry Dunning | Manager of Administration & Emerg. Preparedness
T 519-822 -1260 x 2127 |
E harry.dunning@guelph.ca

More Info on Noise By-Law - Guelph:

September 30th, 2011:

This email was sent to councillors after an interview with a local journalist who had questions regarding the noise issues as of late along with upcoming by-law review being presented to council this month. Here it is:

Please note that a journalist called asking for clarification regarding the noise statistics attended by Bylaw staff during homecoming weekend and inquired about the noise Bylaw in general.

•    She was advised of the process in which residents may voice noise concerns (i.e. contact Guelph Police Service and Police staff will determine appropriate staff to attend the call). She was also provided the definition of noise and the various restrictions under the Bylaw.

•    She inquired as to the status of the Noise Bylaw review.

I indicated that public consultation has occurred and the report is anticipated to be brought before Council in October. She asked if yelling concerns and the set fines for noise violations would form part of the review. I indicated that these items will be included in the report, she asked if she could get a copy of the report, I indicated that the present time the report has not been released to the public, but would be available to the public prior to the October OT Committee meeting.

•   She asked why there was high number of calls in September 2011 compared to 2010 in which Bylaw staff simply advised the residences of the noise bylaw.

I indicated that although some noise concerns such as yelling or loud voices is not a violation before 11pm, Bylaw staff will still attend to try and resolve the issue voluntarily, the stats provided indicate the number of times Bylaw staff did this in September. She asked for the number of calls attended by Bylaw staff on Homecoming 2011 and 2010 before and after 11pm.

According to our records, on Homecoming Saturday in 2010 Bylaw staff attended 10 calls before 11pm and 41 calls after 11pm, in 2011 staff attended 23 calls before 11pm and 28 calls after 11pm. I did advise that these were just some of the noise calls received by the Guelph Police Service and that the Guelph Police may be able to assist with the total number of calls.

•    She asked the number of residents visited by myself (or Bylaw staff) and the Manager of Off-Campus living and if there were any repeat violations after these visits occurred.

I advised approximately 25 residences were visited in the last week and half and that we spoke to the residences in length the consequences of continuing violations from both the City’s and the University’s perspective. I advised to the best of my knowledge, as the calls are dispatched by Police, there were no repeat violations.

•    She was already aware that there will be a meeting for Bylaw, Police and University staff to debrief on the events and our actions during Homecoming.

Guelph & Quarry Dispute:

Guelph Mercury Article:

Councillors urged to seek financial assurances from quarry

GUELPH — The city should seek a “financial assurances plan” from the operator of the massive Dolime quarry, council heard this week.

Lawyer Peter Pickfield, who recently completed a review for the city of the potential impacts from operations at the quarry, said any risks associated with the aggregate operation are being imposed on the city, but benefits from that operation flow to the private company running the site.

Under Pickfield’s proposed financial assurances plan, the operator would be required to put money aside in a special fund to rehabilitate the site once the quarry operations are exhausted.

Council heard the quarry has been in operation for more than 100 years, and is currently operating under an aggregate licence issued in 1972. The owner, River Valley Developments, has a licence to extract aggregate materials including the aquitard, a shale layer “which has protected the aquifer for centuries,” Pickfield said.

The city has eight municipal wells within two kilometres of the quarry which are able to provide 25 per cent of the city’s water supply.

In 2007, River Valley Developments — a subsidiary of Carson Reid Homes — applied to the province to double the extraction rate at the quarry, from 500,000 tonnes to one million tonnes per year, and also to amend its permit to take water from the site.

Those applications are still active.

The city opposed the change in the water-taking permit because of fears it would impact the city’s water supply.

A steering committee involving city staff and officials from the province and River Valley was formed, but things reached an impasse when company officials refused to agree on a statement of facts in the case, a staff report before council this week stated.

Instead, River Valley Developments filed a management plan intended to address concerns raised by the city and the province.

The city has sought more time to comment on the company’s applications. It has also expressed concern it was not given an opportunity to comment on the management plan, which city officials and consultants hired by the city do not feel address the city’s concerns.

“It doesn’t seem the city’s gotten any traction with respect to its fundamental issue of protecting its water supply,” Pickfield told council.

stracey@guelphmercury.com

Demo of Buildings Downtown:

Article from Guelph Mercury:

GUELPH — Two city-owned buildings on upper Wyndham Street owned will finally be flattened by mid-February and turned into a parking lot.

City of Guelph manager of downtown renewal Ian Panabaker said bids on demolition of the two buildings closed Tuesday.

A plan has been in place for several months to turn the two large buildings into a 45-space parking lot until if and when the space is needed to make room for a new proposed library.

That plan was put on hold when it was discovered rare chimney swift birds were using the building as a summer home.

“We worked out a solution with the Grand River Conservation Area and now we’re ready to proceed with the demolition,” said Jim Stokes, manager of realty services for the City of Guelph.

“There’s an old smokestack at Goldie Mill Park. It’s capped but we’re going to remove the cap and the birds can hopefully use that,” Stokes said.

The chimney swifts migrate in September, so demolition of the two Wyndham Street buildings will begin in October, first internally, then externally, said Stokes. The 45 parking spaces should be open by mid-February, first as gravel-based lot, then eventually an asphalt one.

Plans for a new library in the area, the reason the city bought the two buildings, are currently on hold.

The city still has to purchase two other buildings on the west side of Wyndham on either side of the future parking lot, as well as some property behind the post office, to make way for a library. But those plans, like the library itself, are on hold.

The two buildings have sat somewhat derelict in appearance for a year.

“We definitely want to get moving on this,” said Ward 2 Coun. Ian Findlay, but we also want to be respectful of the needs of a threatened species.”

Stokes said it was cost prohibitive to upgrade the two buildings for use for what could only be a temporary period of time.

“And we can certainly use the extra parking spaces,” Stokes said.

Guelph Mercury Article about "Pilot Program"

Residents should foot bill for pilot project, some councillors feel

GUELPH — If residents are going to benefit financially from a new pilot program, they should be willing to foot some of the bill for running it, some councillors feel.

City council this week approved the spending of almost $44,000 for a six-month pilot project which will see homes in a south-end neighbourhood receive a free efficiency audit.

Coun. Gloria Kovach said she while she was in favour of the program, she did not think taxpayers should foot the bill. Kovach’s motion to approve the pilot program at zero dollars – that is, making participants cover the cost – failed on an 8-4 vote.

Coun. Bob Bell made a subsequent motion to include in the program a “nominal fee” of perhaps $20, noting city staff estimate homeowners participating in the program could save $185 annually through efficiency measures.

“If $20 is a barrier to people saving $185 we’re not advertising the program well,” Bell said.

Bell’s motion also failed.

Mayor Karen Farbridge said while she understands some councillors’ desire to recover some of the program’s costs, this is a pilot “and in order to get the information and data we need, we need to ensure it’s a successful pilot.”

Staff recommended the neighbourhood bordered by the Hanlon Expressway, Stone Road, Gordon Street and Kortright Road be selected for the pilot, which is to start Oct. 1 and hopefully complete audits at 250 homes by the end of March.

The audits will be completed by trained home efficiency advisers from Guelph Environmental Leadership.

That neighbourhood was selected because it contains a large number of single-family homes built prior to 1996, which means they may require fixture upgrades, according to a staff report presented to council.

Janet Laird, executive director of planning and building, engineering and environment, said the neighbourhood also has a lot of student-occupied homes which would present a further challenge if there is a cost to participate.

“I’d charge students double,” Coun. Karl Wettstein joked.

Coun. Cam Guthrie expressed doubt the pilot program will be restricted to the $44,000 price tag.

“This is a pilot project that’s going to balloon out of control, I just know it,” Guthrie said. “There’s going to be a car and a desk and a phone.”

When Farbridge said Guthrie’s comments were improper, the councillor replied, “OK, maybe not a desk.”

stracey@guelphmercury.com

Interesting Tourism Info I Asked For:

Good afternoon Councillor Guthrie.

Economic Development and Tourism Services has submitted a joint operating budget for 2012.

The Tourism portion of the 20102 budget is as follows:

Salaries & Benefits
•   Total Salaries & Benefits = $265,132.73

Marketing
•   Expenses: Conferences/Trade Shows/Merchandise/Events/Marketing = $177,300.00
•   Revenues: Grants/Partner Contributions/Advertising Revenue/Promotional Items = $88,000.00
•   Net Marketing Budget = $89,300

Total Tourism Budget = $354,432.73

As you are aware Tourism Services represents Guelph’s tourism sector on Regional Tourism Organization (RTO) 4 which is the Government of Ontario’s tourism marketing funding program. Tourism Services works with the local industry to ensure they are properly positioned within RTO 4 to receive marketing assistance from the Province.

As well, Tourism Services works with the local industry to identify and attract new events to the City for the purpose of increasing occupancy rates and overnight stays to the community.

For your information I have provided Tourism Services performance targets for 2012.

Tourism:                                                              2012 Target      2011 Projected                 2010 Actual
Marketing:
Leveraged Annual Marketing Value      $511,500.00    $650,000.00                       $385,000.00
Contracted Partners                                                 112                                105                                    94
Web Activity                                                130,000 visits to homepage   106,000 visits to homepage    n/a
Product/Business Development:
New events      5                                     4                                      6

Regional Tourism Metrics
Hotel Occupancy                                                      60%                                 57%                                   51.5%
Visitor Spending in Guelph/Wellington      $165 million      $160 million    $155 million (2009)
Visitation to Guelph/ Wellington       2.6 million                        2.4 million                       2.2 million (2009)

Rockin to Rid Poverty Event!

Check this out Guelph!

Featuring: HOTEL CALIFORNIA
(the ORIGINAL EAGLES TRIBUTE BAND)
Along with Guelph’s Own CORDUROY ROAD

Saturday October 15th, 2011
E.L. Fox Auditorium (John F. Ross Hall)
21 Meyer Drive – Guelph
Doors open – 6:00 p.m.
Concert Starts – 7:00 p.m.
Purchasing a ticket for $20.00 will help to purchase a ticket for someone living in poverty.

Tickets are for General Seating and are available at the following places:

The River Run Centre
519-763-3000 or online @ riverrun.ca.

Folkway Music
163 Suffolk Street, West -- 519-763-5524
No credit card sales

Ground Floor Music
13 Quebec Street – Guelph – 519-827-1444

Tickets will also be available at the door.

Random Acts of Kindness:

Esteemed Mayor and City Councilors,

As a current board member of the Guelph Community Foundation and Chair of its Marketing and Communications Committee, I wanted to make sure you are aware of The GCF’s Random Act of Kindness Day coming up on November 4th.

Launched in 2008 by the K-W Foundation, Guelph held its first RAK Day in 2010 by distributing 25,000 cards and 500 posters through City locations, local businesses, churches and schools. In addition to the University of Guelph, Conestoga College, The Co-operators, Guelph General Hospital, Meridian Credit Union, RLB Chartered Accountants, more than 60 local organisations participated. This year we have increased our organizing committee from 2 people to 12 and plan on distributing 100,000 cards. The cards simply promote the day. Then, on November 4th,individuals do something kind (hold open a door, bring cookies to the office, rake someone’s leaves, etc.) and pass along the card which invites the recipient of the good deed to pay it forward. It is one of those very rare events that includes absolutely everyone. It’s not about money or social standing. It empowers everyone to build a better community. Judging by last year’s response, it’s a great fit for Guelph.

I’d like to enlist your help by promoting the date in your on-line calendar, on your web-site or on your Twitter feed.
You may also visit our web-site at www.guelphcf.ca . Finally, we’d love it if you would ‘like’ us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Guelph-Community-Foundation-Random-Act-of-Kindness-Day/114494535315980. If you are interested, we’ll keep you posted when cards and posters are available.

If you have any questions regarding the Guelph Community Foundation’s Random Act of Kindness Day, please contact me directly at (519)831-3131.

Regards,
Dominique O’Rourke

Green Municipal Fund for Guelph:

NEWS RELEASE:

FCM’s Green Municipal Fund supports the City of Guelph’s
Creation of a secondary plan for the Guelph Innovation District

June 23, 2011, Guelph, Ont. – Berry Vrbanovic, president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and councillor for the City of Kitchener, Ont., and the Honourable Joe Oliver, Minister of Natural Resources, today announced a Green Municipal FundTM grant of $142,252 to the City of Guelph. The grant will help fund the development of a secondary plan to guide the creation of the 453-hectare Guelph Innovation District.
“FCM’s Green Municipal Fund offers a range of resources and services that specifically address the sustainable community development needs of municipal governments,” said Vrbanovic. “The financing and knowledge provided by the Fund supports the development of communities that are more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.”
“The Government of Canada is assisting municipalities across the country in achieving their goal of a cleaner and healthier environment for Canadians through the Green Municipal Fund,” said Minister Oliver. “Today’s announcement is another example of how our government — in partnership with FCM — is helping build a greener future for our citizens.”
The Guelph Innovation District secondary plan is an effort to be carbon-neutral by connecting an employment cluster focussed on green economy and innovation sector jobs with an urban village. The plan will be a prototype for new standards and protocols that will enable the City to meet its sustainability goals and objectives.
“This funding will help us create a plan for the Guelph Innovation District that will place us at the forefront of the green economy and offer a complete community with places to live, work, and play,” said Guelph’s Mayor, Karen Farbridge. “This is about a new way of approaching development – a way that is integrated, innovative, and sustainable.”
The secondary plan will address environmental, social, cultural and economic sustainability issues including the protection of natural and cultural heritage resources; the creation of affordable and sustainable live-work opportunities; the use of low-impact development and infrastructure design; the implementation of energy planning strategies, and the application of pedestrian and transit-oriented transportation approaches.
Drawing on a number of strategic documents, land use concept reports, background studies, best practices analyses and public consultations, the plan will propose a vision statement, goals, objectives, low-impact design guidelines, and a development concept for the Guelph Innovation District lands. The secondary plan will also implement sustainability targets identified in existing strategic documents, including the provincial growth plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe and will apply higher standards, where appropriate. It will be integrated with the City’s Official Plan and linked to a number of existing strategic municipal documents including the Community Energy Initiative, Prosperity 2020 and the City of Guelph Growth Management Strategy.
The Government of Canada endowed the FCM with $550 million to establish the Green Municipal Fund. The Fund supports partnerships and leveraging of both public and private sector funding to reach higher standards of air, water and soil quality, and climate protection.

FCM has been the national voice of municipal governments since 1901. It fosters the development of sustainable communities to improve quality of life by promoting strong, effective, and accountable municipal government.

Guelph Opens New Trail!

Guelph officially opens Trans Canada Trail
Trail name recognizes City’s longest-serving Director of Community Services

GUELPH, ON, September 29, 2011 – Guelph’s portion of the Trans Canada Trail was officially opened and named the Gus Stahlmann Trail this morning at an event held in John Galt Park. Mayor Karen Farbridge, members of City Council, Dan Andrews - Executive Director of Trans Canada Trail Ontario, and Mr. Stahlmann were in attendance.

To mark the official opening, the Trans Canada Trail presented the City of Guelph with a grant of $62,500, the second installment of their $125,000 grant to the City.

The trail, which runs from Eramosa Road to the City limits north along the Guelph Junction Railway corridor, has been named in honour of the City of Guelph’s longest-serving Director of Community Services, who retired in 2007 after 34 years of service. Mr. Stahlmann was a leader in the formation of Guelph’s trail system, including the Royal Recreational Trail and Trails Master Plan, as well as numerous parks and open spaces. He was a key figure in the renovation of Hastings Stadium and the creation of the Evergreen Seniors Centre and the River Run Centre.

"This trail opening marks the completion of a significant amount of work—and a major addition to Guelph’s excellent trails system," said Mayor Farbridge. “We appreciate the support of the Trans Canada Trail, which helped make this project possible.”

A member of the public suggested naming the trail after Mr. Stahlmann. The name was recommended by the City’s Naming Committee and adopted by City Council at its September 26 meeting.

New panels bearing Gus Stahlmann's name will be installed on Guelph's Trans Canada Trail Pavilion and a separate pedestal sign will be erected at the beginning of the trail at Eramosa Road.

Designed with input from residents, the Gus Stahlmann Trail is a paved, multi-use trail that links several parks and open spaces located in north Guelph to the downtown core. It is a fully accessible, safe and separate off-road trail that runs through a number of parks and adjacent to the Guelph Junction Railway.

Pollination Guelph is working with City staff to establish areas of native pollinator plantings along the trail and the Guelph Junction Railway corridor, in their continuing role as habitat protectors and education leaders.

The Gus Stahlmann Trail excludes the section of the Trans Canada Trail that runs through John Galt Park. In 1998, City Council approved the naming of this section the Alf Hales Trail in recognition of the former Director of the Grand River Conservation Authority who served in this role for several years. A park plaque and Trans Canada Trail Pavilion signage commemorate this dedicated portion of the trail.

In addition to the Gus Stahlmann Trail, newly named City properties include Grand Central Station (intermodal transit terminal), and two new neighbourhood parks, Cedarvale Avenue Park (formerly Cityview Heights Subdivision Park), and Northview Park (formerly Northview Subdivision Park). The naming of Kortright Park has been deferred to 2012.
The Trans Canada Trail/Sentier Transcanadien is a national non-profit organization that supports the development and use of a national network that links millions of Canadians from coast to coast to coast. Canadians and international visitors use the Trail to hike, cycle, ski, horseback ride, canoe and snowmobile. Partnering with the Government of Canada, Parks Canada, and sponsors and donors, the Trans Canada Trail contributes to the work of more than 400 communities and thousands of volunteers across the country through grants and promotion of their efforts to build and sustain the world’s longest and grandest recreational trail.
For more information about the City's trails, please visit guelph.ca > living > parks & trails.

My Motion at 2012 Capital Budget Review Tonight:

September 27th, 2011

Tonight council started the process of looking through the 2012 proposed Capital Budget. I made a motion tonight which passed Unanimously. All I asked staff to do was to report back to council as to whether staff would be looking for innovative ways to fund future capital projects (without using debt to fund them) or if it's better use of resources to look at outside people to do it for us. It was just asking for further info on the subject. That's it. Nothing more. In fact, I specifically said "I don't like what I'm about to ask because I don't want to hire more people." However, asking for further info is the responsible thing for a councillor to do. It allows the decision makers to see all sides of issues to make informed decisions.

So we'll see what staff brings back to us to look at in December after we approve the operating budget for 2012.

Thanks again everyone and have a great night,

Cam

Yelling v.s NOISE BYLAW:

Good afternoon to all,

Below you will find a response from city staff providing context for what we are experiencing this year compared to last year. The statistics provided only speak to those calls received by staff. At present we have no system in place to capture calls received by Council.

Staff will be tabling a report at the O&T Committee meeting in October which will highlight staff’s review of the current Noise Bylaw. Of note, the activity of ‘yelling’ is addressed in the report and a recommendation to amend the bylaw to include yelling as an offense is contained therein.

Stats from last year compared to this year.

While staff have not changed their enforcement practices and there is not a significant change in the number of calls for service received, there has been a significant decrease in the number of charges issued in 2011 and a significant increase in the number of noisy situations encountered by staff in which no action could be taken as the noise was not in violation of the Bylaw. Staff have indicated that the type of noise being generated has changed from last year, in 2010 most of the concerns related to loud music which is enforceable 24 hours a day, this year the concerns are related to yelling and other noise which is permitted until 11pm.

Noise Calls attended by Bylaw staff
September 1 to 27, 2010   September 1 to 27, 2011
Number of calls   387   405
Action taken
Charges issued       94   43
Warning issued       95   37
Advised of Bylaw*   26   145
Quiet on arrival       172   180

*staff noted noise being generated but not in violation of the Bylaw, residents voluntarily asked to reduce noise

What Happened to Renaming of York Rd. Park?

September 27th, 2011

I thought I'd take a moment to let everyone know what exactly happened last night for the renaming option of York Rd. Park to Jessica Durigon Memorial Park.

For some background first though: There is a committee at the city called the "naming committee" and it's comprised of mostly residents (i believe?)appointed to weigh/consider certain naming options for city owned assets. They recieved many options for several assets with a deadline back in March of this year.

They then made recomendations to the council committee called "PBEE" or Planning, Buidling, Engineering and Environment. I sit on this committee along with Councillor Bell, Burcher, Piper and Mayor Farbridge. This came to us to discuss last week.

When this particular renaming option came forward, it was brought to us with a recomendation to not be approved. I argued at the committee level that it should be renamed. The vote was taken and it was a 3-2 vote to affirm the recomendation to not approve the name change. Bell & myself voted to have it changed.

Now fast forward to this Monday's full meeting of council. This issue is brought forward again and there were many people in the audience there in support of the renaming along with a delegate to speak on behalf of Jessica. I urged my fellow councillors to vote in favour of the name change but I could tell right away that it was going to be a close vote, and in fact I had gone into the meeting already having talked to many councillors, thinking that we would have had enough votes to get it done. However some that I thought might have been in favour were now leaning to re-confirm the original vote of not renaming. It's not a good feeling to sit there seeing something you passionately beleive in start to unravel in front of you.

At this point, a referal motion was brought forward to send the idea back to staff with the comittment to rename a portion of the park. This motion passed with no issues at all.

So what are my personal thoughts?

Although it was not what I wanted, upon reflection I think this might even be a better decision. If the renaming of the park passed last night, then all that would have happened would be a new sign and possibly a plaque communicating the reason for the park name in honour of Jessica Durigon. But by sending this issue back to staff to look at naming a portion of the park it allows for opportunities and more options on the table. I have been in contact with Jessica's Footprint and the Durigon family since last night and they are on the same page and excited for the opportunities. I have thought out loud about these opportunities. How about a sandbox in the shape of a footprint? A walking trail with stamped footprints in it? You get my point. What could have been just a name change now has the opportinuty to become more.

This will end up being a very good thing for everyone.

Hope this gives you some context to what transpired.

Have a good night everyone!

Cam

Guelph Soccer News Release:

PRESS RELEASE
GUELPH, September 26, 2011
Guelph Soccer Advances Commitment to Development with New Coerver Coaching Partnership!
Guelph Soccer is excited to announce a partnership with Coerver Coaching that will underpin the clubs
commitment to coach and player development. Coerver Coaching is a global soccer skills teaching
method for coaches wishing to advance their technical knowledge of the game, and for players to focus
on individual skills development and small group play. Coerver methodology is used for player
development and endorsed at such famous clubs as Arsenal , Bayern Munich, Manchester United and
Newcastle United.
Ruben Flores, Club Technical Director is excited at becoming a “Coerver Club”. “Our objective as a club is
to develop our coaches and players. Coerver is the best and most widely recognized method, and not
only will our players benefit from the programs, but our coaches will now have a solid technical base to
work with their players”. Step one of the process being that all Guelph Soccer Rep coaches will be
required to obtain a Coerver Coaching Youth Diploma. Guelph Rep teams will be one of the first to
benefit from this program, Guelph’s new rep team try-out and winter training program will based using
Coerver methodology for all age groups
Coerver are equally excited at adding Guelph Soccer to their “Coerver Club” program. “Coerver Coaching
are delighted to be associated with a club who share a long term vision and commitment to both player
and coaching development”, says Brett Mosen, Coerver Ontario. “Coerver are very selective with whom
they partner, but when Technical Director Ruben Flores, and Executive Director Alan Gould approached
me regarding a partnership with Guelph Soccer, it was refreshing to hear a youth club with such a clear
focus on development.
Plans are already in place to incorporate the Coerver methodology into the entire curriculum, as well as
offering a Coerver Fit pre-season program in the spring, and Coerver specific summer camps.
For additional information on Guelph Soccer please visit www.guelphsoccer.ca and for more information
on Coerver Coaching visit www.coerver.com.
Alan Gould
Executive Director
Tel: 519 824 2199 ext 11
Email: alan.gould@guelphsoccer.ca

New Organic Plant Now Open:

GUELPH’S NEW ORGANIC WASTE PROCESSING FACILITY OFFICIALLY OPENS
Composting will increase waste diversion rate by 10 per cent

Guelph, Ontario, September 27, 2011 – Guelph's organic waste is once again being turned into clean, useful compost with the opening of the city's new Organic Waste Processing Facility.
The Organic Waste Processing Facility uses aerobic, in-vessel composting technology, which uses less energy and generates fewer greenhouse gas emissions than transporting organic waste long distances for processing or landfilling.
“The Organic Waste Processing Facility is a great example of what the federal Gas Tax Fund offers to communities,” said the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. “This project has created jobs that support the local economy, and more importantly, it leaves a green legacy that benefits residents by providing a local, long-term solution to managing the City’s organic waste.”
"This is a very proud moment for our community," said Mayor Karen Farbridge. "This new facility provides a local, long-term solution to managing Guelph's organic waste. Today, we are re-establishing Guelph's leadership position as a community that responsibly manages its own waste."
The facility accepted its first truckload of organic waste this morning at an official opening event. Organic waste that Guelph residents and businesses leave at curbside will now be composted at the facility, which is part of the City's Waste Resource Innovation Centre on Dunlop Drive. This is expected to increase Guelph's waste diversion rate by 10 per cent, enabling the City to achieve its overall diversion target of 55 per cent by 2012.
Guelph's former composting plant closed in 2006, and since then organic waste has been shipped to an energy-from-waste facility in New York State.
The facility is designed to process 30,000 tonnes of organic material per year. Guelph generates approximately 10,000 tonnes per year. To take advantage of its excess capacity, which was included to ensure efficiencies of scale and allow for future population growth, the facility will accept organic waste from other municipalities, which will reduce operating and capital costs.
Environmental controls incorporated into the design include air curtains on the bay doors in the tipping floor area, a closed top design with a 47.5 metre-tall biofilter stack, and the use of naturally occurring microbes that degrade odour-causing compounds in the exhaust air, releasing clean air back into the environment.
An education room currently being completed at the facility will, once open, provide an interactive educational experience about organic waste processing for school groups and the public.
The total budget for the Organic Waste Processing Facility was $32,825,000. Gas Tax funds provided by the Government of Canada contributed $4,688,000 to the project.

“The federal Gas Tax Fund acknowledges that all orders of government must work together to address the pressing need for infrastructure investment in our municipalities,” said Gary McNamara, President of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO). “Stable and predictable, the Gas Tax Fund is supporting long-term investment in local priority projects right across Ontario.”

The federal Gas Tax Fund provides municipalities with a stable and predictable source of funding for environmentally sustainable municipal infrastructure. Funding is also available for planning projects that contribute to the sustainability of communities and regions.

The Government of Canada extended the Gas Tax Fund to 2014 resulting in $746 million in funding annually for municipal infrastructure in Ontario. Between 2010 and 2014, the City of Guelph will receive over $28 million from the Government of Canada’s Gas Tax Fund.

Trans Canada Trail Opening:

Guelph to officially open Trans Canada Trail

GUELPH, ON, September 27, 2011 - Mayor Farbridge and members of Council will join Dan Andrews, Trans Canada Trail Ontario, and representatives of the Trans Canada Trail Foundation to officially open the Trans Canada Trail in John Galt Park on Thursday, September 29 from 10 – 11 a.m.

The name of the trail (excluding the named section that runs through John Galt Park) will also be unveiled.

WHO     Mayor Farbridge and members of Guelph City Council
              Dan Andrews - Trans Canada Trail Ontario
               Consultants, contractors and City staff

WHAT     Official opening of Trans Canada Trail

WHEN     Thursday, September 29
                10 - 11 a.m.

WHERE    John Galt Park
                 15-147 Woolwich Street
                 Intersection: Macdonell Street and Woolwich Street
                  (next to the Trans Canada Trail Pavilion)

My thoughts on Proposed 2012 Budget:

Hi Doug:

I hope you’re doing well and you’ll be able to enjoy the loooooooooong weekend ahead of us. I’ve received your request below and thank you for the opportunity to respond. If you have any further questions after my statements, please fell free to call my cell at 226-820-5080.
Thanks,
Cam

When an early Thursday morning email informed city council that the proposed 2012 capital budget binder was waiting upon our desks, I rushed down immediately to city hall to pick it up. I read it back to back, (twice actually), and am very pleased with this new direction of moving away from our dependency upon debt. Something I, and many residents throughout this city, have been looking forward to for a long time.

The proposed 2012 capital budget is exactly what the doctor ordered for the city of Guelph. It acknowledges the seriousness of getting our financial house in order which is something that I specifically campaigned on and heard door to door throughout the election. Now we can focus on necessities for our city and concentrate on replenishing our dwindling reserves.

This renewed focus on debt reduction will require there to be sacrifices. Families across Guelph make sacrifices to make ends meet, so it’s about time they see the city doing the same. These sacrifices include postponing the new main branch library, the south-end rec centre, some downtown improvements and parking within the downtown core. As the budget clearly states, the city is not suggesting that we abandon these projects, but that we approach financing them differently by seeking other sources of funding. This could be accomplished through potential partnerships, other levels of government or the private sector and not always taking the taxpayers hard earned dollars.

City staff needs to be applauded for an excellent job with this proposal and I would encourage the public to take a few moments and read it through.

Thank you,

Cam Guthrie

Evergreen Centre Gets Grant:

I recived this email from City Staff:

Good Day,

Through the Elderly Person Centre Act (EPC), fiscal year Grants are available to Municipal and Stand alone Seniors Centres in the Province of Ontario that meet the grant criteria. The City of Guelph has two EPC designated community centres: The Evergreen Seniors Community Centre and The West End Community Centre. The City has been notified that in fiscal year 2011-12 (April 2011 to March 31st, 2012), allocation for the annual maintenance and operating grant has been increased to 42,700.00 per Centre (from 30,000.00 in previous fiscal year). In addition, a “special grant” is available to each EPC Centre on an annual basis based on application and the City of Guelph has also been advised that their application for this one-time grant totals 27,000.00 for fiscal year 2011-12.

The increased allocation under the EPC act for the annual operating and maintenance grant is the most recent (and only) provincial financial assistance for Seniors Centres. The second type of financial assistance titled “special grant” is a relatively new allocation (based on application). Both the West End Community Centre and the Evergreen Seniors Community Centre apply for this special grant and each centre is eligible for up to $15,000 per fiscal year with any one item not to exceed a threshold of $3000.00. Items such as enhanced audio and video equipment at the Evergreen Seniors Community Centre are made possible through this grant.

This funding enhances the services and facilities for our community and reduces reliance on municipal tax base.

Thank you,

Cam

Letter I Recieved About A Lot of Issues:

September 11, 2011

Karen Farbridge, Mayor, City of Guelph,
1 Carden Street,
Guelph, Ontario.

Madam Mayor,

   I can only imagine that you are saying to yourself “oh no here he is again”, well you are right I am back. There are a number of issues I wish to bring to your attention this fine day, that said, I will try and be as brief as possible. I know you realize that is almost impossible.
   The first issue is the result of items brought forth in the Tribune, dated September 6th and 8th, 2011. I am sure you can guess what I am talking about. It appears as though the light has finally gone on at City Hall, as we have finally recognized that we are painting ourselves into a corner, debt wise. I went back to previous correspondence that I have had with you, and Council, on this very issue. I refer to my letters to you dated July 13, and July 25, 2007 as well as the one dated June 3, 2008, copies of which I will attach to my email. These dealt with various issues, but also the major one was our ability to plan our spending in line with what we could afford. I will not belabour the point other than to say that Councillors Guthrie and Furfaro get it, and I suggest, Councillor Kovach is on the same page. I know that I will offend some members of Council when I say that prioritizing within budget restraints appears to be something that some of them do not have the vaguest idea of what this means. If you think that you can continually dump the expense on the backs of the taxpayers then you are not in the real world. I must admit that when I read that Councillor Furfaro talked about the major projects that are currently underway potentially having cost overruns I laughed to myself. The reason I laugh about this is that this is exactly what I said to you in my correspondence dated July 25, 2007. I suggest to you that the Carden Street project is a perfect example of what I mean and I am almost willing to bet that the Organic Processing Facility and the Transit Terminal will be will all fall into the category of overrun costs. Our ability to plan projects so that they are completed on time and within budgets lacks credibility. Perhaps I misinterpreted what Councillor Wettstein says when he suggests that projects will be excluded from any debt financing for the next 10 years. I think what is actually being said is that projects will be shelved unless we can reasonably afford them, based on reasonable tax increases, or growth of the City. I will conclude this part of my letter by saying would I like to see the projects go forward, the simple answer is yes, but not unless there is a properly thought out plan of financing them without having a negative impact on our overall financial position.
   The next issue I will raise is the wish to revitalize the downtown core. I have said before this is a commendable desire; however, under the current circumstances this is an impossibility. Let me start out by saying the two hour free parking on downtown streets is a joke. I am willing to wager that some cars are parked in the same spots all day, perhaps I am wrong; however, that is my perception. I had occasion to go downtown a week ago Friday, September 2, 2011 and I drove around for one half hour before finally getting a spot. You are probably saying you cheapskate why did you not go into one of the parking lots and pay whatever the cost was, well I did not and that is that. The spot I found was on MacDonnell Street and I have to tell you this is something almost beyond belief. If it were not for the cheap fast food places and the dingy bars there probably would be nothing there. When I went to the establishment that I was going to I was appalled, to say the least, at the level of humanity I saw on the streets. I am not a prude, or someone who sees themselves as above others, but I will say that I would not like to be walking down in this area alone at night. This brings me to the point of why would any self respecting businessman wish to locate in the downtown area when you see what your potential clientele would be. I certainly do not have the answers but until we are   able to minimize the number of sleazy bars and restaurants in the downtown core then there is not a hope in the world of turning downtown into what you would like to see.
   The last issue I raise, you thought this would never come, is the downtown street litter on a Sunday morning. My wife and I attend church every Sunday morning and to see the trash that litters the downtown core is absolutely disgusting. I know you have crews that clean up the mess early in the morning; nonetheless, it is the type of thing that one might expect to see in the slums of some cities of our southern neighbours. Certainly the last two weekends have been the worst in a long while, coincidently this ties in to the return of the students of the University. I am sure you have the police patrolling the area and it would seem realistic to me that they should at least be issuing tickets for littering, perhaps they do, but I am not aware of this if it is the case. The bottom line is that how can you expect to revitalize the downtown core when it looks like a cesspool a good deal of the time?
   I guess I have gone on long enough, to which you will say I agree. The truth is that I send you these writings from time to time, not to be a naysayer, rather to let you know that I care about our City.

Respectfully, as always,

Well That's Nice...Thank you!

I recieved this email and it's nice to get these type of emails every now and then! Here it is:

Thank god you have found a place on Council, from what I have read recently in the local paper you wish to bring a sense of realism to the table. Stay with it,

Frank

What's Mandatory of the Board of Health?

I recieved this email from City STAFF:

Dear Mayor Farbridge and members of Guelph City Council,
This is further to an inquiry regarding the mandatory services of Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health. The duties and mandatory programs are detailed in the following sections of the Health Protection and Promotion Act. For a complete copy of the Act please click on the following link:
http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_90h07_e.htm#BK5

PART II
HEALTH PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
Duty of board of health
4. Every board of health,
(a) shall superintend, provide or ensure the provision of the health programs and services required by this Act and the regulations to the persons who reside in the health unit served by the board; and
(b) shall perform such other functions as are required by or under this or any other Act. R.S.O. 1990, c. H.7, s. 4.
Mandatory health programs and services
5. Every board of health shall superintend, provide or ensure the provision of health programs and services in the following areas:
1. Community sanitation, to ensure the maintenance of sanitary conditions and the prevention or elimination of health hazards.
1.1 The provision of safe drinking water by small drinking water systems.
2. Control of infectious diseases and reportable diseases, including provision of immunization services to children and adults.
3. Health promotion, health protection and disease and injury prevention, including the prevention and control of cardiovascular disease, cancer, AIDS and other diseases.
4. Family health, including,
i. counselling services,
ii. family planning services,
iii. health services to infants, pregnant women in high risk health categories and the elderly,
iv. preschool and school health services, including dental services,
v. screening programs to reduce the morbidity and mortality of disease,
vi. tobacco use prevention programs, and
vii. nutrition services.
4.1 Collection and analysis of epidemiological data.
4.2 Such additional health programs and services as are prescribed by the regulations.
5. Home care services that are insured services under the Health Insurance Act, including services to the acutely ill and the chronically ill. R.S.O. 1990, c. H.7, s. 5; 1997, c. 30, Sched. D, s. 2; 2007, c. 10, Sched. D, s. 1 (3).
Note: On a day to be named by proclamation of the Lieutenant Governor, paragraph 5 is repealed by the Statutes of Ontario, 1994, chapter 26, section 71. See: 1994, c. 26, ss. 71, 76.
School pupils
6. (1) Every board of health shall provide such of the health programs and services as are prescribed by the regulations for the purposes of this section to the pupils attending schools within the health unit served by the board of health. R.S.O. 1990, c. H.7, s. 6 (1).
Extent of programs and services
8. A board of health is not required by this Part to provide or ensure the provision of a mandatory health program or service referred to in this Part except to the extent and under the conditions prescribed by the regulations and the guidelines. R.S.O. 1990, c. H.7, s. 8.
Optional health programs and services
9. A board of health may provide any other health program or service in any area in the health unit served by the board of health if,
(a) the board of health is of the opinion that the health program or service is necessary or desirable, having regard to the needs of persons in the area; and
(b) the councils of the municipalities in the area approve of the provision of the health program or service. R.S.O. 1990, c. H.7, s. 9.

Demolishing Wyndham St. Buildings:

I recieved this email from STAFF today:

The demolition of the buildings on upper Wyndham and creation of a parking lot are starting soon. The demolition was scheduled to commence in mid October with parking lot completion in the spring of 2012.

Thanks,

Cam

Naming of Trail for Laura Baily:

Laura Baily Memorial Trail officially dedicated

East end trail named in honour of late Councillor

GUELPH, ON, September 9, 2011 – Laura Baily Memorial Trail was officially opened this evening with the dedication of a plaque honouring the late Councillor, who served on Guelph City Council from 2003 to 2007.

The 1.5 kilometre trail runs from Grange Road Park to Buckthorn Crescent, near where Councillor Baily lived, and the memorial plaque is located at Grange Road Park, where the trail can be accessed.

The plaque notes Councillor Baily's passionate commitment to responsible government, social services and energy conservation. It also notes that she was a driving force in the movement to close and remediate the Eastview Landfill, and that effort led her to run for Council to represent Ward 1.

Mayor Karen Farbridge and members of City Council joined Laura Baily's family, friends, and supporters at the dedication. The Mayor remarked on Laura's commitment to her Ward constituents and to the broader community, including her service on the Boards of St. Joseph's Hospital, the Guelph Police Service, MacDonald Stewart Art Centre, Guelph Junction Railway, and the Eastview Public Liaison Committee.

"Those of us who were fortunate enough to know Laura will always remember her devotion to this community," said Mayor Farbridge. "This trail, and the plaque that marks it, will ensure that many more people have the chance to know and honour Laura's contributions. It will stand as a tribute to the difference Laura made in Guelph, for all those who enjoy this trail for generations to come."

The Mayor thanked Laura's husband, John Valean Baily, and family for working with the City on the trail memorial. Council decided in 2007 to name the trail in Councillor Baily’s honour.

Supporters want park named for Jessica’s Footprint

GUELPH MERCURY — A large delegation is expected to attend city council’s Monday meeting in an effort to rename a city park in honour of Jessica’s Footprint.

Supporters want York Road Park renamed The Jessica Durigon Memorial Park or Jessica’s Footprint Memorial Park.

York Road Park was the gathering spot for the extremely successful Jessica’s Footprint Walk In The Park fundraiser for six years, raising millions for cancer research. Supporters want the park to represent those efforts and the feeling of hope the walk signified.

“We’re excited. We’re hoping to explain to council and give them feedback,” said Wendy Durigon, whose late daughter Jessica was the motivation behind Jessica’s Footprint.

The request for a name change has already been denied at the committee level of council.

“The naming committee is apprehensive to name a public park after a private foundation formed to memorialize the untimely death of a young child,” the city’s naming committee said in its written decision.

The committee said the name “York Road Park” has historical significance, being named after the adjoining road that used to be the only road connecting Guelph to what is now Toronto.

Durigon said the road has historical significance, not the park beside it.

Mayor Karen Farbridge has suggested the city look into other ways of recognizing Jessica’s Footprint.

Supporters went door to door in the York Road Park neighbourhood and Durigon said people were 99 per cent in support of the name change.

As for the committee’s connection between the renaming request and the Jessica’s Footprint event, Durigon said it is much more than that.

“Jessica’s Footprint was never just about the untimely death of our child,” she said. “It’s about a community gathering spot. It’s about hope for the future ... it’s not about me, it’s about inspiring the community.”

Jessica’s Footprint no long holds the annual walk after it raised enough money to set up an endowment fund at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

But the foundation is still active, having switched fundraising to smaller events and giving money raised to charities in the community.

Durigon said the renaming effort has the support of a couple of councillors, the most supportive being Cam Guthrie, and she hopes to reopen the renaming discussion after their presentation Monday.

Durigon is asking that supporters show up in the council gallery Monday wearing their Jessica’s Footprint T-shirts.

tsaxon@guelphmercury.com

Guelph's Making a Difference Report 2011:

We’re very pleased to present the City of Guelph’s 2010 We’re Making a Difference; A financial and community report. For the first time, the report combines the City’s progress towards the community’s Strategic Plan with its annual financial statements.

You can see the news release and the report by copying and pasting http://www.guelph.ca/newsroom_display.cfm?itemID=80121 into your Web browser.

Thank you,

Cam

Guelph Transit - New Logos:

GUELPH, ON, August 17, 2011 –

Mayor Farbridge and Executive Director of Operations and Transit Services, Derek McCaughan unveiled Guelph Transit’s new logo on a hybrid vehicle at St. George’s Square today.

“This is an exciting time for Guelph Transit, with new and improved routes, better service levels, and a new transit terminal all on the horizon. The new logo reflects this new chapter for our local transit system, a chapter that will see Guelph Transit attract more riders while using resources more efficiently.” said Mayor Karen Farbridge.

Guelph Transit’s new identity reflects the values of a dynamic transit system. The tagline “On Your Way” is designed to convey the concept of moving forward. This is further reinforced with a stylized road with two continuous curves. The choice of the two curved lines represents a road that is travelled and captures the importance of the partnership between transit and the community working together.

“You will start to see the new logo on our entire transit fleet in the coming weeks,” promised Derek McCaughan.

“The logo was designed to align with our vision of transit being the most viable option to get you on your way around Guelph,” said Michael Anders, General Manager, Community Connectivity and Transit. “We asked residents, riders and our transit operators to select the new logo from three alternatives and this iteration struck a chord with the majority of respondents.” More than 500 surveys for the new logo were completed at the Public Works Week open house, Stone Road Mall, Guelph Farmer’s Market and St. George’s Square.

The hybrid vehicle on which the new logo appears does not consume any fuel when stopped at a traffic light, as it switches to electric mode. It meets the strict Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV II) and Advanced Technology - Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV) standards. The City’s other hybrid vehicle is used by by-law officers and a third ‘green’ vehicle – powered by methane gas from the City’s Wastewater treatment plant - is used by Wastewater.

The City was the first municipality in Ontario to be recognized for sustainable transit fleet management and was one of only two cities in Ontario to receive an E3 Fleet Silver rating for sustainable fleet management.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Michael Anders
General Manager Community Connectivity and Transit
Operations and Transit
T 519-822-1260 x 2795
E michael.anders@guelph.ca

Guelph Municipal Holding Info:

City of Guelph establishes municipal holding company
Incorporation of Guelph Municipal Holdings Inc. complete

GUELPH, ON, August 19, 2011 – The City of Guelph has successfully incorporated its new municipal holding company, Guelph Municipal Holdings Inc. (GMHI). Remaining administrative matters will be brought forward to the September 6, 2011 meeting of Guelph City Council and, once approved, a first meeting of the GMHI Board of Directors will be scheduled.
Mayor Karen Farbridge has provided notice of resignation from the Boards of Guelph Hydro, Guelph Hydro Electric Systems Inc., and Ecotricity Guelph Inc. in order to assume new responsibilities as the Chair of the GMHI Board of Directors.
About the municipal holding company
On April 26, 2011 Council approved an implementation strategy for a new municipal holding company.
The holding company is a new governance model for the management of current and future City-owned assets such as Guelph Hydro Inc. that will support increased accountability, responsiveness, strategic alignment, and improved communications. The holding company will keep subsidiaries directly linked through shared policy and strategic direction, while embracing skills-based boards and allowing for the right degree of independence so that operating companies continue to be flexible and self-reliant. It will be self-financing from regular dividend payments.
The City of Guelph’s Chief Administrative Officer will serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the holding company, and the Mayor will serve as the Chair of the Board of Directors.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Brenda Boisvert
Corporate Manager, Strategic Planning and Corporate Initiatives
City of Guelph
T 519-822-1260 x 2255
E Brenda.boisvert@guelph.ca

Guelph has Lowest in Canada!

Jobless rate lowest in Canada

Guelph Mercury: Sept 15th, 2011

Guelph has the lowest unemployment rate of any city in the country, according to the latest data from Statistics Canada.

Numbers released by StatsCan this month indicate the seasonally adjusted three-month moving average unemployment rate for the city was 4.7 per cent in August.

This compares to the Canadian average of 7.3 per cent. The city’s unemployment rate in July was calculated to be 5.9 per cent.

The StatsCan numbers suggest 3,900 people are looking for work in Guelph and that its labour force is 82,500 workers. The numbers were the best reported since June 2008, prior to the recent recession.

Between August 2009 and August 2010, unemployment in Guelph averaged 6,900 people.

“New businesses moving to Guelph and many manufacturers hiring over the past six months have made a big difference in the local employment numbers,” according to the Guelph Chamber of Commerce, in a blog post published about the results Thursday.

“Guelph manufacturers are going further afield to find welders and experienced (technical workers for industrial workplaces called) CNC operators. Construction and health care have also been active locally and across Ontario.”

Darren Pearson, an employee with Second Chance Employment Services, said many jobs are available in the city, but they are not always in the same field someone is looking for.

“There’s a paycheque out there, it just depends on what kind of work you’re willing to do,” he said.

Pearson said the city’s massive growth in the retail industry has brought new jobs. Big-box stores being built in the north end are creating new entry-level positions.

Job developer Sue Gordon has been with Second Chance for 12 years and says this year has offered more job opportunities than last.

On Wednesday, Second Chance hosted a job fair for a new Michael’s arts and crafts store set to open at the end of October in the north end of the city. The store was looking to hire between 50 and 60 part-time staff to fill customer service positions.

Gordon said the event had an excellent turnout with more than 25 people attending and some walking out with new jobs.

One successful applicant was Guelph resident, Rosalind Scantlebury. She said she has been looking for the right job for more than a year and was hired as a sales associate for the new Michael’s store

She said it was difficult to search because most jobs available aren’t advertised.

“You have to keep looking and you have to persevere,” said the recent grad of the office administration program at Conestoga College.

She said the job was a great fit, and because of her past job experience, she may be able to launch into something else later.

The StatsCan numbers touting Guelph’s robust employment story were released on Sept. 9. The cities StatsCan tracks are those communities with a population of at least 100,000.

Nationally, the stats told a different story.

For the second month in a row, the economy created virtually no additional employment, actually losing 5,500 jobs in August.

Derek Burleton of TD Bank said with the global economy slowing, Canada could see its unemployment rate rise to 7.5 per cent or higher by the end of the year.

Nationally, economists had expected a 21,500-job gain in August coming off a mostly flat July, but part of the calculation was based on the belief there would be a spike in education-related employment in preparation for September’s start of classes. That did not materialize and should be seen in next month’s data.

But next month may also bring the first real indicator of how much August’s financial market meltdown and subsequent loss of consumer and investor confidence has spooked employers.

Guelph Sports Hall of Fame Update:

Guelph Sports Hall of Fame announces 2011 inductees

The Guelph Sports Hall of Fame Board of Directors is pleased to announce the names of the 2011 inductees.
Builder category-Richard (Dick) Carroll
Leo resided on Metcalfe Street in Guelph his entire life. He coached two Stanley cup winners, the 1914 Toronto Blue Shirts and the 1918 Toronto Arenas. His coaching skills led the Toronto Canoe Club to the Memorial Club in 1920 and the Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets to two U.S. Amateur Championships in 1924 and 1925. Leo was instrumental in coaching boxing, football and baseball that led the Guelph Maple Leafs baseball team to the 1928 league championship.
Athlete-Barb Clemes
A member of the first Canadian women’s team to climb North America’s highest peak, Mount McKinley/Denali in 1982, Barb was a member of Canada’s National Sport Climbing team, competing in the world circuit from 1989–1992. She was the first Canadian woman to climb the most difficult grade and represented Canada in 1998 at the Colorado X games ice climbing event. As a member of the Ontario Junior Gymnastics team she won the balance beam event in the nationals in 1972. Barb is currently a provincial level gymnastics judge and a coach in Alberta and one of the first of only 12 female members of the Association of Mountain Guides. She was the 2005 medalist in mountain biking at the World Masters competition in the over 40 category.
Veteran Athlete-Dominic (Manny) Sorbara
Manny has fought in an estimated 250 bouts and was one of the top amateur welter weights in the province, winning the Charles Hemstead trophy in Toronto in 1944 and the Toronto Star trophy in 1945. His winning streaks of 16 and 13 in a row often made headlines.
Official-Bill McCreary
An NHL referee from November 1984 to April 2011, Bill officiated 1,737 regular season games and holds records for refereeing 297 Stanley Cup playoff games, and 44 Stanley Cup final games including 15 Stanley Cup games. He officiated at the Canada Cup, All Star, Spengler Cup, Winter Classic and Gold Medal Olympic games, and at the last game played at Maple Leaf Gardens and Wayne Gretzky’s last game.
Team-2009 Buns Master Rollers – Team Canada (Special Olympics – Floor Hockey)
The team won the 2006 Regional championships in London, and was the 2007 Provincial Champion in Toronto and 2008 National champion in Quebec City. The team also won the silver at the 2009 World Games in Boise, Idaho.
The induction ceremony will take place at the Kiwanis Sports Celebrity dinner on October 26. For ticket information call 519-823-4402.
The Guelph Sports Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization that recognizes and honours the achievements of Guelph individuals and teams who have attained prominence and distinction in any field of sport, and who have made a major contribution to the development and advancement of sports in Guelph. Funding is generously provided through the Guelph Kiwanis Club’s annual Sports Celebrity dinner. The Guelph Sports Hall of Fame was established by the City of Guelph and the Kiwanis Club of Guelph in 1992.

Site Visit from Infrastructure Canada:

September 23rd, 2011

Good morning, a representative from Infrastructure Canada met with staff today regarding two projects, the Transit Terminal and Wyndham Street Rail bridge. The representative has visited numerous sites throughout the Province and Guelph was on their list. The representative was impressed with the amount of work being undertaken and the progress to date. She took a number of pictures and following the visit thanked staff for their time and explanations of the projects. In the event there are any questions, please contact my office! Thank you.

Richard Henry | General Manager/City Engineer
Engineering Services | Planning, Engineering and Environmental Services
City of Guelph
T 519-822-1260 x 2248 | F 519-837-5604
E richard.henry@guelph.ca

Guelph has a New CAO!

Guelph appoints new Chief Administrative Officer
Ann Pappert assumes new duties September 7

GUELPH, ON, September 6, 2011 – Guelph City Council has appointed Ann Pappert as the new Chief Administrative Officer of the City of Guelph. Ann will assume her new responsibilities on September 7, 2011.

“This is an important leadership role within the municipality. We were delighted to have attracted broad interest from top candidates from across the country,” says Mayor Karen Farbridge. “Ann Pappert was selected for her municipal sector experience, her vision for delivering public value in the provision of municipal services and for her proven leadership in citizen-based processes. We look forward to Ann leading our organization.”

Ms. Pappert has more than 20 years of experience in municipal government and the broader public sector, primarily within community and social services portfolios at the executive level. She is currently the City of Guelph's Executive Director of Community and Social Services. Prior to this, she served in increasingly senior roles in the municipalities of Kingston and Kitchener. Ann is known for promoting collaboration and innovation across municipal government with emphasis on sound fiscal and organizational management practices and citizen-focused municipal services. She believes in fostering innovation in local government to achieve Council’s directions for the current and future needs of residents and businesses. Continually pressing for high quality results, she is a confident self-starter and is known as an open, decisive and principled professional.

“Guelph is a great city – one that I have been very proud to serve these past several years," says Ann. “I am very pleased to be offered the opportunity to lead the full staff team of the Corporation as its CAO and to work together with Council, business and the community to advance Guelph’s vision of being the city that makes a difference.”

Over the next several weeks, Ann will be working with Guelph's retiring CAO, Hans Loewig, to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities.

Mayor Farbridge and four Councillors participated in the search process with support from Organization Consulting Limited.

Fall Cleaning of Watermains

Fall cleaning of City watermains to begin September 19
Guelph Water Services to clean 78 kilometres of watermain pipe during overnight hours to minimize customer inconvenience
GUELPH, ON, September 19, 2011 – Guelph Water Services will begin the fall phase of its Watermain Cleaning Program tonight. Watermain cleaning in the affected areas will be completed between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. to minimize impact on customers. This maintenance work has a targeted completion date of Friday, October 14.

Watermain cleaning ensures that customers receive the freshest water possible by removing accumulated material from the watermain and minimizing the occurrence of discoloured water.

Customers in the affected neighbourhoods will receive hand-delivered notices before watermain cleaning begins on their street. During the cleaning process, customers in the affected area are advised to limit water use. Watermain cleaning can create instances of discoloured water, both inside and outside of the daily, designated areas. While ingesting small quantities of discoloured water is unlikely to create a health risk, it is recommended that customers wait until water clarity returns to normal before consuming water.

Two cleaning methods are used during the Watermain Cleaning Program. To swab a watermain, a soft, pellet-shaped material is inserted into the watermain and pushed along by water pressure. The swab scours the watermain as it travels through the watermain. To flush a watermain, high-velocity water flowing from hydrants is used to remove loose sediment.

For more information about the Watermain Cleaning Program or discoloured water, contact Water Services at 519-837-5627 or visit guelph.ca/water.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Peter Busatto, General Manager
Water Services, Planning & Building, Engineering and Environment
T 519-822-1260 x 2165
E peter.busatto@guelph.ca

Gerry Best, Supervisor of Water Distribution
Water Services, Planning & Building, Engineering and Environment
T 519-837-5627 x 2168
E gerry.best@guelph.ca

First 2 Weeks STATS from Guelph Police:

Interesting email I recieved from the police is here:

Greetings,

Please find attached the statistics for Project Safe Semester Week 1 and Week 2 for various indicators that we are tracking. Overall, I believe we are on ‘target’ for managing the volume of calls for service as well as from a crowd management perspective.

Noise complaints in Week 2 dropped across the city from 96 to 41 – hopefully a trend that continues as we see more use of liquor license establishments as the choice of entertainment. I continue to meet with several community members who are upset to explain the project plan and extensive collaboration.

With Homecoming this weekend, we are enhancing our staffing and deployment model to ensure increased police visibility including in the afternoon period both before and after the annual football game.

There is an increase from 2010 to 2011 on both weekends; however a percentage of the increase will be directly attributed to enhanced policing where our activities are driving up the statistics.

Total Calls for Service during this time period 2011: 719
Total Calls for Service during this time period 2010: 674

New Museum Update:

Please read through the emails back and forth between myself and city staff reagrding the delay in the opening of the new civic museum (Read from the bottom up):

Reply from City Staff:

Cam,

At this point, my understanding from the Project Manager in the Engineering department is that there are no additional costs to be incurred as the delays were beyond the City’s control. If that changes, or I learn of different information, then we’d come back to Council with a full report.
City Staff

From: Cam Guthrie
Sent: September 22, 2011 9:58 PM
To: City Staff
Subject: Re: Update - new Civic Museum

Thanks again! I hate to ask but, is this going to cost us more?
Cam

From: City Staff
Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 05:12 PM
To: Cam Guthrie
Subject: RE: Update - new Civic Museum

Good afternoon Cam,
Our hope had been to open the Museum in the late fall, which meant that we were aiming for sometime in December. Due to a number of routine construction challenges that were unforeseen and out of the control of the City, we are concerned that we will not be able to commit to the December opening. Once we factor Christmas holidays into our planning, we feel that it is prudent to publically give the date of the beginning of the New Year, as we feel that this is the most likely outcome.

City Staff

From: Cam Guthrie
Sent: September 20, 2011 2:36 PM
To: City Staff
Subject: Re: Update - new Civic Museum

So now instead of late fall, its the new year? Why the delay?
Thanks!
Cam

From: City Staff
Sent: Tuesday, September 20, 2011 02:26 PM
To: Cam Guthrie
Subject: RE: Update - new Civic Museum

Originally it was planned to be completed by spring of 2011, but we had reported to Council in March of this year that we had experienced a four month delay due to foundation and structural challenges. At that time (March 2011), we were hoping for substantial completion by the end of August of this year, with opening by late fall of 2011.

City Staff

From: Cam Guthrie
Sent: September 19, 2011 10:58 PM
To: City Staff
Subject: Re: Update - new Civic Museum

Is this what the original timeline?
Cam

From: City Staff
Sent: Monday, September 19, 2011 11:00 AM
To: Councillors & Mayor; Executive Team
Cc: Katherine McCracken
Subject: Update - new Civic Museum

Good morning,
This e-mail is to provide you with a short update on the schedule for relocation of the Guelph Civic Museum.
As you know, the Civic Museum has been closed at 6 Dublin Street since July of this year as staff get ready for the move and pack the approximately 30,000 artefacts and archival items in the collection.
The construction at the new facility will continue through the fall, and commissioning meetings for the new space have begun with City staff. Occupancy is scheduled for mid to late November, and the actual physical move of the staff and the collection will take place around the end of November.
We hope to open to the public by the beginning of the New Year, and are tentatively planning for the Grand Opening to take place in February. We will publically announce full details regarding the opening of the facility once we are closer to the date of occupancy and move in.
City Staff

Silvercreek Developments EA Notice:

I recieved this notice from City Staff on September 22nd:

Attached please find the Notice of Commencement for the Class Environmental Assessment (EA) for reconnecting Silvercreek Parkway (south of Paisley) through a grade separation at the CNR Mainline. The notice will appear in today’s Tribune and will be circulated to adjacent residents and agencies.
The reconnection of Silvercreek Parkway is a requirement for the development of the Silvercreek (Lafarge) lands and providing a grade separation is a Transport Canada requirement. The project is cost-shared between the City and the developer as per an OMB Minutes of Settlement.
We have hired Delcan Corporation as consultants to first carry out the EA and then complete the design and construction of the improvements. There are several components to this project as indicated in the study Notice.
The EA process will include consultation with area residents and coordination with external review agencies as well as railway agencies.
We plan to have the first Public Information Centre (PIC) in November.
Please let me know if you have questions or need further information.
Thank you.
Rajan Philips, M.Sc., P.Eng | Manager
Transportation Planning & Development Engineering
T 519-822-1260 x 2369
E rajan.philips@guelph.ca

Blanket a Child with Love Program:

I recieved this notice of this upcoming event on Saturday October 15th, 2011 between 12-4pm at WEll.ca on York Road. Please consider going and supporting this wonderful initative.

Cam

Hello Again,

The fleecy T's have been hard at work planning our upcoming "Family fun day" in support of the "Blanket a Child with Love program". We hope that you have had a chance to learn about our blanket drive and what our upcoming goals are!

Come and join us on October 15th and help us make a difference one blanket at a time.

Keep in mind that we aren’t finished yet, we are actually just getting started…. It's not too late to support this cause and we would love to hear from you if you are able to support us in any of the following areas: volunteers, sponsors, and entertainment. All of our advertising tools will be updated as support comes in to let everyone know what activities are being offered and who is helping support them.

Any questions, requests or materials can be provided by contacting us at 519-826-9016 or by visiting us on Facebook (be sure to like our page so you can be informed of updates) or by email at fleecy_tees@hotmail.com

Speaking from experience, sometimes a blanket can be the thread that holds each day together when your heart is laying there in the bed and your arms can’t provide your child the comfort they need and deserve.

With more thanks than one heart can endure
The Fleecy T’s

York Road Park Possible Name Change

As many of you are probaly aware, there has been a request for anme change to York Road Park. The proposed new name would be Jessica Durigon Memorial Park. I am in full support of this. Unfortunately the request failed at the committee level 3-2. However, the matter will come before all of council this Monday September 26th, 2011 and my hope is that this can be passed.

At the committee level I asked CITY STAFF if there was anything of significance at York Road Park outlining the hisory of the park etc... I have recieved an email response from City Staff and here it is:

"Good Afternoon: In answer to the question about whether there is any plaque or notification in the above-mentioned park which describes the significance of the name and or the history of the park I can confirm that nothing exists in the park."

City Staff

I would encourage you to contact your councillor to express your views on this.

Thank you,

Cam

TD Bank - Friends of The Environment Tree Launch

Guelph residents open their yards to 300 new trees

Guelph, ON, September 24, 2011 - Mayor Karen Farbridge joined representatives from TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, Tree Canada, Pollination Guelph and The Arboretum to officially launch the TD Green Streets Canopy Coverage Assessment and Adopt-a-Tree Program in Guelph. The official ceremonies were held at the City of Guelph Operations and Transit Services building located at 45 Municipal Street from 11 a.m. to noon.

The City of Guelph was one of 23 municipalities to receive a 2011 TD Green Streets grant. The $15,000 grant was matched by the City, the monies used to fund a tree canopy coverage assessment of Guelph’s urban forest and to launch the Adopt-a-Tree Program, an initiative that encourages residents to adopt, plant and care for a new tree on their private property in an effort to grow our urban forest.

“We were thrilled to receive this grant from the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation and Tree Canada, and we appreciate the support of our partners, Pollination Guelph and The Arboretum, to make the program a success,” said Mayor Farbridge. “Trees help make our community cleaner, healthier, and more beautiful. With the enthusiastic participation of neighbourhood residents, the Adopt-a-Tree program will help us grow our urban forest.”

“I’m extremely proud that Guelph was awarded the $15,000 TD Green Streets grant to fund the City’s Adopt-A-Tree program. The City of Guelph’s application was selected by TD as a winner based on the city’s innovative approach to encourage community members to plant a tree in their own yard to enhance Guelph’s urban forest,” said John Pollice, District Vice President, TD.

The City contracted Urban Forest Innovations Inc. to complete the Canopy Coverage Assessment. The goal of the assessment is two-fold—to develop tree canopy mapping to provide an estimate of total current canopy cover in the city, and to identify those neighbourhoods in need of building their tree canopy cover through the Adopt-a-Tree Program. The Canopy Coverage Assessment will be completed this fall.

The Adopt-a-Tree Program is officially underway—300 new trees have packed their trunks and are moving to good homes in Guelph.

A preliminary canopy coverage assessment identified three neighbourhoods with low, medium or high canopy coverage to participate in the Adopt-a-Tree Program. Earlier this month, a door knocker was delivered to 500 residents in each of the identified neighbourhoods. A free tree was offered to the first 100 residents in each neighbourhood to register for the program. Each selected resident will pick up their new tree at their local event where experts will be on hand to assist with tree choice and provide maintenance tips.

Today’s official launch was followed by the first Adopt-a-Tree Program neighbourhood event, as selected residents picked up their free trees during noon to 4 p.m. Two additional Adopt-a-Tree Program events will be held on October 1 and 8.

“The Adopt-a-Tree program demonstrates the kind of innovative urban practices we’re looking for: educating and involving the public in the preservation of their urban forests,” said Michael Rosen, President of Tree Canada. “These trees will provide benefits for the community for years to come.”

The Adopt-a-Tree Program events are being held in partnership with the University of Guelph’s Arboretum and Pollination Guelph. The program will educate the community about the protection, maintenance and enhancement of the urban forest. The City of Guelph strives to have the largest tree canopy among comparable communities.

I'm Baaaaaaack!

Hello Ward 4!

It's been a while! I took a break from updating the site over the last month to be with my family for vacations. I still have all emails, issues and solutions from my break that need to be posted or addressed. So check back often for updates!

Thanks,

Cam Guthrie

Carden Street

Currently I'm two and half hours away from Guelph on a much needed family vacation. This time away has given me pause to reflect on a lot of things. One of them is the ongoing Carden Street fiasco. The camping site where we're staying provides wi-fi so I still have access to councillor emails, Twitter, ongoing emails from merchants and Guelph's local media.

This week away has been a blessing and I thought it appropriate to share a true story with all parties involved that really impacted me.

It's about a boy named Johnny. One day he went to a training event led by Barbara, a motivational speaker. She was talking to 3,000 front line workers for a supermarket chain--truck drivers, cashiers and stockers.

She was speaking on how people can make a difference. She described how every interaction with another person is a chance to create a memory, to bless some one's life. She talked about how important it is to look for those moments.

About a month later, she received a call from 19 year old baggger named Johnny. Johnny proudly informed her that he had down syndrome, and then he told her his story.

" I liked what you talked about. But I didn't think I could do anything special for our customers. After all, I'm just a bagger." Then he had an idea: he decided that every night when he came home from work, he would find a "thought for the day" for his next shift. It would be something positive, some reminder of how good it was to be alive, or how much people matter, or how many gifts we are surrounded by. If he couldn't find one, he would make one up.

Every night his dad would help him enter the saying six times on a page on the computer; then Johnny would print 50 pages. He would take a pair of scissors and carefully cut 300 copies and sign every one.

Johnny put the stack of pages next to him while he worked. Each time he finished bagging some one's groceries, he would put his saying on top of the last bag. Then he would stop what he was doing, look the person straight in the eye, and say, "I've put something special in your bag. I hope it helps you have a good day. Thanks for coming here."

A month later, the store manager called Barbara. "Barbara, you won't believe what's happening here. I was making my rounds, and when I got up to the cashiers, the line at Johnny's checkout was three times longer than anyone else's. It went all the way down the frozen food aisle."

"I got on the loudspeaker to get more checkout lines open, but I couldn't get any of the customers to move." They said, "That's okay. We'll wait. We want to be in Johnny's line." One woman came up to me and grabbed my hand, saying, "I used to shop in your store once a week. Now I come in every time I go by--I want to get Johnny's thought for the day."

Johnny is doing more than filling bags with groceries; he is filling lives with hope.

My hope for the Carden Street merchants, the City, the construction workers and even me is this: May we all realize the potential we have to impact some one's life in a positive way. Let's speak words of encouragement. When we think something good, God help us to say it.

Criticism, sarcasm, retaliation and further negativity hasn't worked too well in my opinion. I wonder if a little encouragement and hope might work a bit better?

Thank you,

Cam Guthrie

Ward 4 Councillor - Guelph

Castlebury Park on the move Ward 4!

I have been dealing with this park since elected and am pleased to tell the residents of Ward 4 that it is moving ahead. For those of you that made your voices heard during the surveys I also thank you.

Here is an article from today's Guelph Mercury about this development:

Guelph park development approved, despite ballooning budget.

GUELPH — Members of a city committee have approved redevelopment of a west-end park, even though it is now estimated to cost more than twice the original approved amount.

Coun. Bob Bell was the only member of the operations and transit committee to vote against the master plan for Castlebury Park, after none of his colleagues would second a proposed amendment aimed at reducing the cost of the work.

Bell argued the city could save $70,000 by leaving a parking lot within the park unpaved, but was unable to sway other committee members.

City staff had initially estimated redevelopment of the park would cost about $300,000.

But a report from parks planner Jyoti Pathak said the new master plan “addresses a number of neighbourhood and connectivity issues not fully understood or appreciated” when the initial budget was submitted for approval.

Castlebury Park was established in 1999.

Murray Cameron, the city’s general manager of parks maintenance and development, said the original plan was to develop the park in conjunction with the Upper Grand District School Board, which owns adjacent property fronting onto Stephanie Drive.

However the board has said it has no immediate plans to move ahead with a school proposed for that property, so the city intends to move forward on its own. This has meant a tweaking of the park design, including losing a softball diamond which would have straddled the line between city- and school board-owned property.

“This will be 100 per cent city funded,” Cameron said, suggesting the additional funds could come from the parks reserve.

Bell expressed concern about this, noting if the money is removed from the reserve to do Castlebury there will be less available for redevelopment of other parks.

“There is sufficient funding (in the reserve) to do this without affecting other parks,” responded Derek McCaughan, executive director of operations and transit.

“I disagree,” Bell said. “It’s either something here or something over there. There’s only so much money in the pot.”

Two temporary soccer pitches created in the park in 2000 will be upgraded with irrigation and drainage systems. Additional improvements would include a new playground, trails and permanent seating including picnic tables.

If approved by council the work would begin next spring, making the soccer fields unavailable for use for most of the season.

Coun. Jim Furfaro expressed some doubt about the project, noting the city sent out 500 surveys seeking feedback about the park redevelopment and only received 17 responses.

“I have to question where the motivation and the desire is to see this park built,” Furfaro said. “I don’t understand why (the survey) wasn’t taken more seriously by the neighbourhood.”

But Mayor Karen Farbridge said development of the park is long-overdue.

“My sense of the neighbourhood is they’ve just given up,” the mayor said. “I’m glad to see this moving forward after such a long time.”

Transit Terminal Not Moving Yet:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New timing for inter-modal transit terminal
Guelph Transit will begin servicing new routes from St. George’s Square in November

GUELPH, ON, July 13, 2011 – New and improved transit routes will be launched this November as part of Guelph’s Transit Growth Strategy. Transit operations at the new inter-modal transit terminal will be deferred until spring 2012.

“We planned to move operations to the new inter-modal transit terminal in November, but we’re faced with construction conflicts on the Carden Street site, so we’ll continue using St. George’s Square as our primary transfer station until May 2012,” says Michael Anders, General Manager of Guelph Transit and Community Connectivity.

The City is confident that new bus platforms along Carden Street will be completed by the end of October in order to meet the deadline for using Federal and Provincial Infrastructure Stimulus funds. However, the City is re-evaluating the design of the terminal’s canopy shelters in an effort to reduce the cost of the project.

“We will still be able to take advantage of about $5.3 million in funding from the Federal and Provincial governments, and only one-third of the project costs are coming from the City’s budget,” says City Engineer, Richard Henry. “The canopies may be installed later than expected, along with security cameras and a public announcement system.”

“We’re not certain that everything will be up and running by November. So, in the interest of offering the best possible service to riders, we decided to wait until spring to move into the new inter-modal transit terminal,” adds Anders. “The up side is that people get a chance to get comfortable with the new routes and schedules in St. George’s Square, and it could make our move to the new terminal a little less stressful.”

GO Transit’s plans to build a passenger drop-off platform south of the station on Farquhar Street are further complicating the construction schedule. As GO Transit completes its kiss-n-ride, pedestrian tunnel, elevator and stairway, buses will be unable to use the completed roadway and transit platform.

“It’s been a challenge to co-ordinate a number of inter-related construction projects in collaboration with CN, Rail America, VIA Rail and GO Transit. We’re all working together to make sure the puzzle pieces fit together,” adds Henry. “Together, we continue to make careful plans and decisions in order to create a truly innovative transit hub that will benefit the community as Guelph grows over the coming years.”

With the roadway, transit platforms, passenger drop-off and pedestrian tunnel complete, renovations inside the existing VIA station will continue until next fall. GO bus and Greyhound service will continue operating at the temporary station at the corner of Wyndham Street and Fountain Street until those renovations are complete.

About the inter-modal transit terminal
Guelph’s new inter-modal transit terminal will be located on Carden Street between Wyndham Street and Macdonell Street. The terminal is designed to improve connections between Guelph’s local bus service and regional public transit systems including Greyhound, GO Transit and VIA Rail. The City began construction on the $8 million facility in June 2010. The project is scheduled to be complete by October 31, 2011 in order to take advantage of $5.3 million in Provincial and Federal Infrastructure Stimulus Funds.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Michael Anders
General Manager, Guelph Transit and Community Connectivity
Operations and Transit Services
T 519-822-1260 x 2795
E michael.anders@guelph.ca

Transit Route Revisions

July 13th, 2011

I recieved this email today and I thought you'd like to see it:

Guelph Transit held four public information nights in June to keep our riders and residents informed of the new proposed routes and service model as part of the implementation of the Transit Growth Strategy (TGS) recommendations. The new routes will take effect in November 2011. The sessions were very well attended and staff received a variety of feedback at all the sessions.

Based on input and comments received from participants, staff completed a final review of the proposed routes. The reassessment of one route in particular, Route 13, highlighted a number of facilities with high potential for transit use that were not optimally served by the routing as proposed in the original TGS recommendations. The Planning Committee which has representatives from both management and operators assessed a number of alternatives to maximize service levels in the area of the City bounded by Victoria Road, Grange Road, Eastview Road and Starwood Drive. Based on the field assessments, a number of changes to Route 13 are being recommended.

The initial Route 13 had vehicles travelling:
•   east on Cassino
•   south on Hadati
•   east on Leacock
•   north on Auden
•   east on Eastview
•   south on Starwood
•   west on Chesterton
•   north on Auden
•   west on Leacock back towards downtown

Route 13 will now travel:
•   east on Cassino
•   north on Hadati
•   north on Victoria
•   east on Eastview
•   south on Starwood
•   west on Watt
•   south on Auden
•   west on Leacock back towards downtown

A map of the updated Route 13 is available at guelphtransit.ca.

Guelph Transit staff appreciates all the interest and support shown by numerous groups in the community in moving forward with the implementation of the Transit Growth Strategy. Residents in the area who provided feedback on this matter have been copied under separate cover.

Michael Anders | General Manager, Community Connectivity and Transit
Transit Services | Operations & Transit
City of Guelph

Economic Development for Guelph

July 13th, 2011

Thought this was a good article to share with you:

TOPIC: Selling Guelph Abroad

http://www.guelphmercury.com/news/local/article/562197--city-hall-selling-guelph-abroad

40 Under 40 Video:

http://www.guelphmercury.com/videozone/552878--40-under-40

Check this out!

Water Restored on Westra Rd.

Please be advised that effective approximately 6 pm last Friday June 24, the Water Advisory on Westra Drive was lifted.

Water Services staff have fully completed the actions to restore the water system to ‘normal’ on this street.

Since that time, all of the 18 affected homes on Westra Drive continue to have a safe and reliable municipal water supply. We believe our communications during this incident were effective as we received limited inquiries and complaints from affected customers.

Please contact Peter if you require additional information.

Peter L. Busatto | General Manager, Guelph Water Services
T 519-837 -5627 x 2165 |
E peter.busatto@sympatico.ca

New Skateboarding Facebook Group:

I was sent the following email late last night about a Facebook group that has started in Guelph to promote a facility, or to bring back the old one for skateboarding. Here's the email:

Hello Honorable Mayor and Councilors,

I wish to extend an invitation to you to follow the social media group “Voice of Skateboarding – Guelph” on Facebook. After 7 days of local marketing and word of mouth, the group has now exceeded 100 members, presumably both skaters (skateboarders), and supporters.

The purpose of this site is 2 fold: educate young skaters that it takes participation in the democratic process to generate awareness and change, and to open up some discussion within its participants regarding what has and has not been accomplished regarding the subject of a skate park in our beautiful city.
Over the past week, I’ve learned that people who were involved in the process up to 20+ years ago still have a great love for the sport and strong opinions. They are happy to see that the fire is still there in the hearts of the younger generation of skaters, and compelled to point out the mistakes that were made in the past as a movement and as individuals in hopes they are not made again. The modern generation of skaters are happy to voice their perspectives and show how committed they are to the sport.

Hopefully by now, some of you will have begun to receive emails, phone messages, or had discussions with some of these people who want so badly to have a free to access, community skatepark at their disposal that is worthy of this beautiful city, and the modern image and values it reveres. I hope that, with enough communication from the end users over the near future, the truth will be realized, and support by council will result in the initiation of skatepark construction planning becoming a priority.

Direct link to Facebook Group ‘Voice of Skateboarding – Guelph’
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_189410121110188&ap=1

Construction Notice for Westwood Rd.

Heads Up Folks!

From Willow to Imperial starting June 29th they are taking at least 3 weeks to resurface the street with new asphalt.

If you have any further questions, please contact the project manager, Mr. Grant Ferguson at Ext. 2251 or by cell at 519-220-8232.

Thanks,

Cam

My Motion has Passed - Residential Waste Collection

At our last Planning & Building, Engineering and Environment Committee I tabled a motion that passed unanimously stating the following:

Whereas the executive Team has been directed to advise council, based on Council's ranking of the initial 75 services, regarding which services are recommended for a service review and which are recommended for an operational review;

AND WHEREAS the residential waste collection service was ranked by Council fairly low on "total score rank" with a fairly high standard deviation;

AND WHEREAS through the services review process Council will consider what our relationship to the provison of services should be, including any potential impacts on both capital and operational costs;

THERFORE BE IT RESPOLVED that staff be directed to identify residential waste collection for a service review and report back through the Service Review process on the best timing and cost to conduct this service review;

AND THAT the service review be restricted to whether or not the curbside residential waste collection service be provided internally be city staff.

Clair Rd Emergency Services Station Open!

Emergency Medical Services, Fire and Police now operating at the new facility in Guelph, Ontario.

GUELPH, ON, June 20, 2011 – The Clair Road Emergency Services Centre (CRESC) officially opened today. Dave Levac, Member of Provincial Parliament for Brant and Parliamentary Assistant for Community Safety and Correctional Services and Warden Chris White, County of Wellington joined Mayor Karen Farbridge, City Councillors and City staff at the opening ceremony this morning.
“This is the first facility in Ontario to house EMS, Fire and Police under one roof. It is a model of how collaborative approaches and innovative partnerships can improve service to the people of our community, while ensuring maximum value for tax dollars,” said Mayor Karen Farbridge.
The new 36,000 square foot facility, located at 160 Clair Road West, houses a collision reporting centre and a community room.
The CRESC employs 18 Guelph Wellington Emergency Medical Services staff, 20 Guelph firefighters operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 45 Guelph Police Services staff.
The station was designed by Thomas Brown Architects and built to achieve Canada’s Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification. Compared to a typical building of this size, the CRESC will use about 50 per cent less energy and 30 per cent water. Construction on the CRESC started in June 2009 and the project was completed earlier this year.
Following this morning’s official opening ceremony, residents and visitors were invited to tour the station, experience the interactive displays of emergency services equipment and attend a car seat clinic provided by The Co-operators.
For more information about the new Clair Road Emergency Services Centre visit guelph.ca > living > emergency services.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Shawn Armstrong
General Manager, Emergency Services/Fire Chief
Emergency Services
T 519-822-1260 x 2125
E shawn.armstrong@guelph.ca

New Branding for Food - TASTE*REAL - Guelph:

New food tourism brand, “taste•real Guelph Wellington” will be launched at this year’s Local Food Fest

GUELPH, ON, June 20, 2011 – Guelph and Wellington County’s new food tourism brand “taste·real Guelph Wellington” will be launched to the public during the 6th annual Local Food Fest on Sunday, June 26 at Ignatius Jesuit Centre. The Local Food Fest is a great family-friendly event which showcases local food and beverage producers, entertainment and culinary experts.

The taste·real brand will be used by local producers to signify to residents and visitors of the authenticity of their products. Customers can be assured that taste·real vendors grow and serve local products and are passionate about creating authentic, memorable farm, food and drink experiences.

Taste·real partners include 6 regional farmers’ markets, local restaurants and food retailers, farm gate stalls, hotels and attractions. Some area restaurants have individually featured local fare for years; the taste real brand offers all partners new visibility through brand association backed by a comprehensive marketing and promotion plan.

“It’s about more than the health benefits of eating locally, it’s about the economic impact that choosing Guelph and Wellington County products has on our family farms and local business,” says Sue Trerise, Senior Business Development Specialist – Tourism Sector, Guelph Economic Development and Tourism Services. “Marketing our regional food tourism assets to residents and visitors creates new interest in our destination. The launch of the taste·real brand will put Guelph Wellington on Ontario’s list of “must-see culinary destinations”

Developing programs and projects in sectors that Guelph has a competitive advantage in is part of the Economic Development strategic directions document Prosperity 2020.

About taste·real Guelph Wellington :
Taste·real is an organization born from the collaboration of the City of Guelph Tourism Services, Guelph Wellington Local Food, County of Wellington and its member municipalities. The organization is committed to putting local food first, working to market and develop local food products and experiences for residents and visitors. In addition, taste·real supports local food access and promoting the health and wellness of local food to the community. The branding process has taken two years and has involved over 44 local stakeholders’ input and consultation and has been supported by Ontario Market Investment Funding through Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Foood and Rural Affairs.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Sue Trerise
Senior Business Development Specialist-Tourism Sector
Economic Development and Tourism Services
T (519) 822-1260 ex 2534
E sue.trerise@guelph.ca

What About the Skatepark from Ward 4?

Good Evening:

Responses to media questions are below.

•   Will the City be renting time at the Ward Indoor Skateboard park this summer?
o   The short answer is no. Currently we have no money identified in the 2011 budget to fund that program.

•   Can you also give me a rough timeline for when the Skateboard park will be relocated? I’m looking for a rough deadline for possible sites to be shared with council, and when it is hoped that work to move the Skateboard park could be completed
o   Our timeline for a report back to Council with recommendations on a location, design and budget is this fall. The actual placement of any equipment would depend on a wide range of factors and I can’t give you a date before the process is complete.

•   What is the annual cost to the city to store the ramps?
o   None. The ramps are being kept on a City site and there is no on-going cost to keep them there.

•   What is the estimated cost of the relocation and when will that be in the city’s budget?
o   There is no easy answer for that since we don’t know where it is going. If we re-install the existing equipment the majority of the costs will be in preparing the site, developing parking and other amenities which may, or may not, be present. The surface itself would have to be specially reinforced concrete to take the great weight of the skateboard ramps and obstacles. A standard parking lot, for example, would not suffice. It cost about $30,000 in transport costs to simply move the park components into storage. Putting them back on any site will probably cost a great deal more – probably over $300,000 – but it will depend to a large extent on what has to be spent getting the site ready. Part of the committee’s work is to come up with those kinds of estimates.

•   It seems like it has more or less be set aside for the time being, while other things take priority. I’m just trying to gauge how important the project is and why little seems to be happening with it a year on.
o   This project is a priority but with some senior Recreation staff leaving the City last year, and the resulting realignment of Park related functions, we haven’t made as much progress as we would like.   With the advisory committee having its second meeting within the last 30 days I think we are on track to do better.

If you require any more information on this matter please feel free to contact me at any time.

Sincerely,

Bob Burchett
General Manager, Parks and Recreation Programming & Facilities
City of Guelph
City Hall, 1 Carden Street
Guelph, ON. Canada N1H 3A1

Telephone: (519) 822-1260 ext 2664

Greyhound Bus & Go Transit Terminal Moving!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GUELPH, ON, June 22, 2011 – Guelph’s Greyhound station is being razed in order to build a new inter-modal transit terminal and, while construction continues on the Carden Street site, Greyhound and GO Transit service will operate from a temporary location in the Fountain Street parking lot at the corner of Wyndham Street and Fountain Street.

"Three trailers are scheduled to arrive today," says City of Guelph Project Manager Andrew Janes. “Crews will connect water and wastewater services for two public washrooms, Guelph Hydro, Bell Canada and Rogers Communications will connect all the necessary utilities and, once that work is finished, the temporary station will be up and running."

Greyhound and GO Transit plan to start picking up and dropping off passengers at the temporary station on Tuesday, July 5. The station will continue to serve Greyhound and GO Transit patrons until the new inter-modal transit terminal is completed in November.

Pedestrian routes are also affected by construction in the area. Greyhound and GO Transit patrons can use Wilson Street, Gordon Street or Woolwich/Wellington Street to walk between the temporary station and parking areas downtown.

Also, Guelph Transit has added temporary stops to a number of routes to help riders access the temporary Greyhound/GO bus station.

About the inter-modal transit terminal
Guelph’s new inter-modal transit terminal will be located on Carden Street between Wyndham Street and Macdonell Street. The terminal is designed to improve connections between Guelph’s local bus service and regional public transit systems including Greyhound, GO Transit and VIA Rail. The City began construction on the $8 million facility in June 2010. The project is scheduled to be complete by October 31, 2011 in order to take advantage of $5.3 million in Provincial and Federal Infrastructure Stimulus Funds. Renovations inside the Guelph’s VIA Rail station will continue through 2012.

Further information and project updates are available at guelph.ca/construction

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Andrew Janes, P.Eng. , Project Manager
Engineering Services, Planning & Building Engineering and Environment
T 519-822-1260 x 2338
E andrew.janes@guelph.ca

Watermain Break on Westra!

Hello,

Early this afternoon a watermain break occurred near the intersection of Westra Drive and Tovell Drive in the City’s west end and may have resulted in dirty water entering the watermain servicing all of the 18 homes on Westra Drive.

Residents on Westra Drive were notified of the break and the planned repair mid-afternoon and the water supply to their homes was isolated promptly. We can confirm that no other residents, including those on nearby Tovell Drive, are at risk as a result of this occurrence. Water Services distribution staff have put into action our standard, precautionary response to an incident of this nature by performing the following actions:
1)   We are visiting each resident and providing them with the attached initial ‘Don’t Drink The Water’ advisory to ensure that dirty water is not drawn into their water service or home plumbing and consumed;

2)   The City, thorough our contractor, is providing residents with bottled water for consumption until their tap water has been confirmed safe through confirmatory water quality testing to be performed over the next two days and concluded by Friday (provided there are no unforeseen delays or issues);
3)   The City’s contractor is continuing the repairs of the broken watermain on Westra Drive and should be finished later this evening. At that time, Water Services will initiate flushing of all the residential water services to remove any potential dirty water from the watermain and residential services and home plumbing;
4)   After the flushing is complete, affected residents will be able to use their tap water for non-consumptive uses until we can confirm through sampling that water quality is normal. In the interim they will continue to use City supplied bottled water for consumptive use;
5)   We will provide them with a 24/7 dedicated phone number to contact our on-call distribution staff for additional customer support as needed – 519-831-0337;
6)   We will schedule rush lab analysis with our contract laboratory and perform sampling over the course of the week to endeavour to have test results by Friday at the latest;
7)   Once the test results confirm that tap water quality is normal, we will lift the “Don’t Drink the Water Advisory’ and again visit the residents to convey this information.

As per our regulatory obligations, the information above has been communicated earlier today to staff from the Ministry of the Environment as well as Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health. Both agencies are supporting our standard response to this issue.

Water Services staff will continue to work to resolve this issue over the weekend with the goal of providing minimal inconvenience to our customers.

Please contact me directly (519-827-4751) if you require additional information.

Please direct any enquiries you receive on this matter to email (mailto:peter.busatto@guelph.ca) or to our 24/7 cell phone: 519-831-0337.

Canada Post: So This is What You Should Do:

The City of Guelph has taken steps to ensure that residents have received time-sensitive information about City services and programs well in advance of the current postal service disruption.

Residents are invited to contact the City at 519-822-1260 for further information about which services and programs may be affected during the Canada Post service interruption as some notices sent by mail may continued to be delayed.

Property Tax Payments
Property tax payments are due by 4:30 p.m. on June 30. In advance of this deadline, residents can pay property tax bills by phone, online or in person by at most financial institutions or at ServiceGuelph, City Hall, 1 Carden Street. Payments can also be made after hours using the drop box at City Hall.

Parking Tickets
Parking ticket payments can be made by phone by calling 1-877-678-8465, online at guelph.ca/services online or in person at ServiceGuelph, City Hall, 1 Carden Street. Payments can also be made after hours using the drop box at City Hall.

Trial requests must be made in person at City Hall or in writing using the after hours drop box. Call 519-822-1260 x 2888 for more information.

Water Efficiency Programs
City of Guelph water efficiency rebates will be applied to the Guelph Hydro Bill as scheduled. Guelph Hydro Bills delivered by Canada Post may be delayed. Contact Guelph Hydro to learn how your bill may be affected by the Canada Post service interruption at 519-822-3010.

For more information about how residents may be affected by the postal service disruption visit the Canada Post Customer Information Hub at http://canadapost.ca.

Have a Great Weekend!

That is all.

Cam

Well That's Nice #15

May 11th, 2011

Myself and others are excited to see that you have been working hard to be available to Guelph residents and remain open and honest with everyone. It's a refreshing change that hopefully will catch on with more members of council. I have been in contact with my ward 3 rep encouraging her to offer the residents a similar web site to yours, but the response seemed, well...disinterested. I also suggested the possibility of the occasional ward 3 open public meetings, but apparently that was attempted last term with little to no participation by the residents. Maybe some sort of blog or website would have helped inform us, because had I known, I would have definately attended!

Anyway, thanks again for your time. I'm sorry to Ward 4 for needing to "steal" their rep for some answers!
J.D

Update on Organics Waste Facility #2

May 11th, 2011

I’d like to provide you with a quick update on how the construction of the new Organics Waste Processing Facility is progressing. It is still anticipated that the facility will be fully operational in December 2011.

As of the end of April 2011 $22,205,705.82 has been spent on this project. This is 69% of the total project budget.

To the end of April, 81% of the actual construction has been completed.

Major Construction Activities that occurred during April were:
•   Installation of biofilter exhaust stack
•   Pre-engineered building trim and roof flashing installation is ongoing
•   Steel stud framing, insulation and drywall installation for lower and upper floor rooms in
administration building is ongoing
•   Pre-engineered building kinspan siding installation mostly completed
•   Sprinkler system installed in blower room and installation in tipping area is ongoing
•   Slab on grade poured for acid system containment tank area
•   Christiaens installing ducting in blower room is ongoing
•   Biorem panel installation in electrical room is ongoing
•   Rebar and pipe placement in tunnels is ongoing
•   Pre-cast concrete slabs placed and slab on grade for biofilter plenum poured
•   Installed Union Gas gas line tied in from main line on-site to OWPF
•   Demolition of old electrical room in maturation hall

Clarification on Severances

May 11, 2011

Phil Andrews, Editor
The Guelph Mercury
8-14 Macdonell Street
Guelph, ON, N1H 6P7

Dear Phil,

RE: “Severance packages could cost city more than $1 million” May 10, 2011

Today’s article regarding the City of Guelph’s employee exit packages implies that the City has been less than forthcoming about the impact of last year’s corporate re-organization and other management changes. The article seems to suggest that the City deliberately mislead the public about the financial impact of eight management changes in 2010.

Last December the Mercury accurately reported that a re-organization of the City’s management structure would result in five managers leaving the organization at a cost of $216,000 in 2010. Another three managers exited last year bringing the total impact in 2010 to $351,000.

Today’s article refers to these numbers as “two earlier estimates” and compares the financial impact in 2010 to the potential impact over the next two to three years. Using this comparison is inaccurate and, quite frankly, misleading.

The City’s third Human Resources Annual Report was mentioned in the article and does state how the total potential impact of eight management changes in 2010 could amount to $1,058,156 over three years should these exit packages run their full course.

The report is one more way we show our commitment to public accountability and transparency. Guelph is one of the only, perhaps the only, municipality in the province to publicly report on its employee departures in this way.

Unfortunately, today’s article failed to mention how the City’s Human Resources Annual Report also measures the organization’s performance, compares it to benchmark data and evaluates the effectiveness of its Human Resource programs.

I encourage Guelph Mercury readers who are truly interested in the City’s Human Resources practices to learn more on the City’s website at guelph.ca/careers.

Sincerely,

Mark Amorosi
Executive Director

Corporate & Human Resources
Location: 1 Carden Street

T 519-519-822-1260 x 2281
E mark.amorosi@guelph.ca

C Mayor and City Council, Scott Tracey, Reporter Guelph Mercury

City of Guelph New Vision Statement

Guelph rewrites mission statement

GUELPH — City councillors and senior staff did some soul-searching Monday night and decided they need to focus more on helping the local economy and engaging the community.

At an exhaustive workshop — during which officials crafted a new mission statement and reaffirmed the city’s values and vision — a list of 23 strategic goals was developed. They were then asked to identify which goals from the list needed more attention.

Helping to build a thriving local economy was identified as the top issue, followed by a need to engage the community and be a more accessible organization.

“If you get this,” consultant Chris Bart said as he posted the 23 goals on a screen, “it will uncomplicate your life as a council and executive team because it will tell you what to argue over.”

Bart, founder of Directors College at McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business, compared the goals to “spinning plates,” and said at any given time a handful might be wobbling and require special attention.

The workshop was council’s first as it works toward creating a new strategic plan.

Much of the time Monday evening was spent hammering out a new mission statement.

Bart said a mission statement “is a social contract with staff,” and should outline what the municipality will do for a range of stakeholders including staff, residents and the business community.

Each of the 17 councillors and staff in attendance wrote their own mission statement, then worked in groups of three and then six to refine them. Ultimately, three versions of a mission statement were whittled down to one.

The final mission statement speaks of building a city that “celebrates a thriving social, cultural and environmentally sustainable community” while ensuring an accountable and accessible organization.

It also speaks of providing quality services, supporting the role of business and being recognized as a top employer “by treating employees with the same level of respect and commitment which they are expected to deliver to the community.”

To read the full new mission statement visit the Mercury’s city hall blog at http://guelphmercury.blogs.com/59_carden_st/

Pavement Markings for 2011

Please be informed that the 2011 transverse pavement marking program commenced on Sunday, May 8, 2011. This program involves the painting of markings at signalized intersections, school crosswalks, all-way stops, and railway crossings. The painting of parking stalls, turn arrows, and bicycle symbols is also part of this program.

The longitudinal pavement marking program is scheduled to commence on Sunday, May 15, 2011. This program involves the painting of centreline, lane lines and bike lanes.

Thank you,

Cam

City News Release: Open House

Open House kicks off National Public Works Week.

GUELPH, ON, May 10, 2011 – The City of Guelph will kick off National Public Works Week by hosting an Open House on May 14 at 50 Municipal Street. Residents are invited to drop in, speak with Operations and Transit staff, and view the City’s equipment and displays.
“We celebrate National Public Works Week by raising community awareness of the many services and activities we provide,” said Derek McCaughan, Executive Director, Operations and Transit. “It also recognizes the hard work and dedication of public works professionals in our community.”
The City will also introduce local high school students enrolled in the Specialist High Skills Major Program and foreign-trained engineering professionals to the world of municipal public works careers in a variety of hands-on job shadowing sessions and networking events. The week will start off with a networking event that focuses on career education and talent connections with engineers that are internationally educated and looking to learn more about opportunities within the municipal sector. For local students, several fleet workshops take place throughout the week and a local road (Forest St. at Mary St.) will be temporarily closed for a hands-on demonstration on May 18. Engineering hopefuls will be participating in activities related to construction project planning and a tour of the City’s storm water ponds on May 17 and 19.
National Public Works Week provides residents and students with the opportunity to learn how the City maintains Guelph’s infrastructure and services. Among those services are downtown parking facilities and by-law compliance; maintenance of the City’s fleet and equipment; maintenance of sanitary sewers and roadways; maintenance of forestry and parklands; provision of transit and mobility services; the Guelph Farmers’ Market; animal control services; and traffic signals and investigations.
For the Open House on May 14, a free transit shuttle will be available from Wilson Street (across from the Wilson Street parking lot) to Municipal Street and back from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Residents can also visit the Career Education booth at the Open House to learn first-hand about the services and career opportunities available at the City of Guelph.

FOR MORE INFORMATION related to the Open House
Coralee Barfoot
Executive Assistant
Operations and Transit
T 519-822-1260 x 2033
E coralee.barfoot@guelph.ca

FOR MORE INFORMATION related to Career Education Events and Networking Event
Joanne Oliver
Workforce Planning and Development Specialist
Human Resources and Legal Services
T 519 822-1260 x 2446
E careers@guelph.ca

Parking Downtown Update:

As you are aware Carden Street is now closed between Wilson Street and Wyndham Street. This is to complete the installation of the paver brick, sidewalk and landscaping. This project is expected to be completed and the road opened by July of this year. In addition, construction activity will be beginning on the Inter-model transit terminal on Carden Street west of Wyndham Street shortly.

These projects will impact on the parking available to customers visiting our downtown during this period of time. We are therefore taking steps to manage the parking available by undertaking a number of steps including working with staff of City Hall and the POA to ensure that they utilize their designated parking areas and not utilize the Wilson Parking Lot and adjacent on-street areas; converting the section of Wyndham Street between Carden Street and MacDonell Street to a typical parking lot design, as we did last year, i.e. change the layout from parallel parking stalls to 90 degree parking; this will occur on Tuesday April 26th; and looking for additional parking supply that would enable us to relocate a number staff from their designated parking areas to create more parking supply for the public to use within the downtown area. In addition, I have advised staff involved with the administration of these projects to advocate/direct the construction trades to find alternate parking arrangements outside the critical downtown parking areas to maximize the available parking supply for the public.

Enforcement will be more visible to the general public of abuse of the permissive 2 hour parking throughout the downtown area through the construction periods, which will hopefully lead to self enforced turnover of the parking supply.

Thank you,

STAFF

Water Conservation Award

Water Services recognized for Water Conservation and Efficiency Strategy

GUELPH, ON, May 5, 2011—In recognition of the City of Guelph Water Conservation and Efficiency Strategy—its aim to reduce daily water use by 8.7 million litres per day by 2019—the Ontario Water Works Association (OWWA) honoured the Guelph Water Services Division with the 2011 Award of Excellence in Water Efficiency – Public Sector Award at its annual conference and trade show earlier this week in the Town of the Blue Mountains.

The annual award recognizes a successful water efficiency (conservation) program in each of the following categories: Public Sector and Utility, Private Sector, and Public Education and Awareness.

"As one of Canada's largest communities reliant on a finite groundwater supply for our drinking water source, water conservation plays a very important role in ensuring the ongoing sustainability of our precious water resources,” says Wayne Galliher, the City’s Water Conservation Project Manager. “In recognition of the many benefits of water conservation, the City strives to be a municipal leader in water efficiency and is greatly honoured to receive this award of excellence from the OWWA.”

The City of Guelph is proud of its water conservation history. The City received the 2003 Award of Excellence in Water Efficiency – Public Sector Award from the OWWA in recognition of its Outside Water Use Program. This seasonal conservation program aims to maintain sustainable levels of consumption during drought-like conditions when water demand is at its peak.

For additional information regarding water conservation in Guelph, visit guelph.ca/waterconservation.

We Tried Our Best Guelph!

GUELPH — It turns out a local campaign to purchase a historic pistol was doomed from the beginning.

City councillor Cam Guthrie led the effort to buy the 19th-century gun, raising $12,500 in pledges before heading to an auction of militaria Saturday at the Fort York Armouries in Toronto.

John Harlow, a gun collector from Fenelon Falls, Ont., came to the auction prepared to spend twice that amount.

The bidding on Lot no. 447 started at $3,000, Guthrie said. “I decided to play coy and just be quiet and not say anything. There were about two or three people in the room who started going at it.”

After an early contender dropped out and Guthrie jumped in with a $5,200 offer, the price escalated fast as Harlow and he bumped their bids in $500 increments.

“This other guy was not letting up. This guy, well, he had more money than us,” said Guthrie, who was accompanied at the auction by a representative from Winmar Restorations, the local contracting firm that fronted most of the Guelph bid.

When Harlow’s bid topped $11,000 — not including taxes and fees that would push the price to about $13,750 — it was game over for Guelph. “Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed,” Guthrie said. “Three weeks of work, then travelling down there for four hours on a Saturday, then coming home without the gun is not the way I planned it.”

The Smith and Wesson revolver was originally expected to fetch from $5,000 to $6,000, about half the final price.

Harlow later said he plans to let the new Guelph Museum display the sidearm after it opens. “It won’t leave the country, and it will eventually end up in Guelph,” he said Tuesday, adding he felt bad about outbidding the people of Guelph.

“I would have gone probably double what I did go. You know, it’s an interesting piece, and well-documented.”

He said the vintage “Army Tip-Up” six-shot revolver, which he will display privately, has a great story.

“I’m a student of Canadian history. I am in a small way a gun collector. So it wasn’t a stretch for me to be interested in that gun, with its historical significance to the Fenian raids and to Guelph.”

An inscription on the gun’s barrel indicates a group called the Ladies of Guelph presented it to Nathaniel Higinbotham, in 1866, at the height of hostilities between radical Irish nationalists and the colonial government. Higinbotham later became Mayor of Guelph as well as the city’s member of Parliament.

“It’s a pocket gun. It would have been a backup gun, as opposed to the main weapon,” Harlow said, adding it has a spur trigger and no trigger guard.

“It’s in pretty good shape for a gun that’s 150 years old,” Harlow said. “It’s a very early cartridge revolver, from when they just started to bring out cartridges. I think that’s why it was chosen to be presented, because it was the newest thing on the block.”

Guthrie said he hoped locals would now get to see the gun without paying a cent, adding the campaign to buy the gun brought people together.

“That was the fun part. People got behind it,” he said. “Just too bad it didn’t work out in the end.”

dhalfnight@guelphmercury.com

Greetings to Ontario Electrical League

On Thursday May 5th, 2011 I was asked to speak for a confrence held at the Delta Hotel. The event was for the Ontario Electrical League.

Here are my notes I'd like to share with you:

Ontario Electrical League – Annual Conference, May 5, 2011

On behalf of the City of Guelph, I’m delighted to welcome you to our city for your Electrical Industry Conference. We’re very pleased to be hosting you. I was interested to learn that the focus of your day today is renewable and green energy. This is certainly an area of focus for Guelph. In 2007, Guelph City Council unanimously endorsed a 25-year Community Energy Plan that puts Guelph on the cutting edge in North America. The goals of the Plan are for Guelph to use less energy in 25 years than we do today - even with population growth of 65,000 people. This means cutting our energy use by 50 per cent per capita, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 60 per cent per capita.
We are now in the implementation phase of the Plan, and so have changed the name to Community Energy Initiative. Guelph’s Community Energy Initiative is attracting national and international attention. Most recently, the website MSN.com named Guelph the “most liveable” city in Canada outside of the big three of Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Our Community Energy Initiative was cited as one of the reasons. It was also cited by Canadian Solar – one of the largest solar power companies in the world – as key to their decision to locate in Guelph, bringing 500 jobs here. Another solar company, Sustainable Energy Solutions, has also chosen to locate in Guelph, bringing another 100 solar manufacturing jobs. The renewable energy industry is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the economy. So we’re thrilled that Guelph is becoming known as “the place to be” for renewable energy. I mentioned that we’re in the implementation phase of the Community Energy Initiative. One of the key steps was the establishment of the Mayor’s Task Force on Community Energy. The Task Force includes representation from provincial organizations such as the Ministry of Energy and the Ontario Power Authority; national organizations such as the Canadian District Energy Association; and local stakeholders including Guelph Hydro and major companies such as Canadian Solar and Linamar. A number of specific initiatives are underway. For example, the City is currently working with Guelph Hydro to install up to 1 megawatt of solar panels on City-owned facilities. We have several renewable energy projects that are already up and running. One example is Ecotricity, which is located at the site of a closed local landfill. Ecotricity uses methane created from the waste to generate electricity and sells it back to the grid. Another example is Guelph’s Wastewater Treatment Plant, which generates electricity using the gases created by the treatment process. The electricity is used to run the Plant. Green and renewable energy is an exciting part of the electricity sector, and I think it’s safe to say it will become even more important in the years to come. Guelph is proud to be on the leading edge in this area. And I’m very pleased that all of you have taken the time to come to Guelph to share information on this topic. So once again, a warm welcome to Guelph.

Have a great day!

Grafitti Reporting System

May 6th, 2011

I have just been in contact with Guelph Hydro and Canada Post. I talked with both people that are in charge of operations here in Guelph. They are well aware of the constant graffiti problem on their property. I have made a suggestion to them that I would create an online submission form for reporting graffiti that could be sent to them directly so that they can take action in cleaning graffiti up.

They both agreed.

So, I’ll be working on adding that form to www.ward4news.ca soon.

Stay tuned…

Cam

Community Survey Results 2011

27-Apr-11 GUELPH, ON – Two-thirds of Guelph residents say they get good value for their municipal tax dollars, and satisfaction with City services is high, with a majority saying they are satisfied with all services in a list of 11.
These are among the findings of a citizen survey conducted for the City of Guelph by Environics Research Group.
More than 80 per cent of residents surveyed expressed satisfaction with parks and trails, police, garbage collection, fire protection, and library services. Satisfaction with sports fields, ambulance services, snow plowing, and arts and heritage services ranged from 70 to 79 per cent. 64 per cent of respondents said they were satisfied with road maintenance, and 57 per cent said they were satisfied with public transit, though one-quarter of respondents said they were unable to express an opinion about this service.
The survey also found:
•         When asked which is the most important issue facing Guelph today, high tax rates/ tax increases (12 per cent) and urban development/ expansion (11 per cent) topped the list. When the City last conducted a survey of this size in 2008, taxation was also identified as the top issue.
•         Five in ten residents (51 per cent) indicated that fees and taxes should be lowered even if it means a small reduction in services, compared to about four in ten (37 per cent) who hold the view that inadequate services need to be improved even if it means a small tax increase.
•         Road maintenance and public transit were identified as priorities for further investments, a similar finding to the 2008 survey.
•         83 per cent of residents who have contacted the City of Guelph over the past year said they were satisfied with the service they received. Almost half (48 per cent) said they were “very satisfied.” In 2008, 68 per cent of respondents expressed satisfaction, 13% were neutral and 19% dissatisfied.
•         In a series of questions about environmental issues, large majorities (70 per cent or more) expressed positive perceptions of the City’s efforts. 79 per cent said the City does a good job protecting the environment.
•         Opinion was divided on whether the City should only have low and mid rise buildings of one to six stories (45 per cent) or allow taller buildings of seven to 18 stories (50 per cent).
The survey results will inform the City’s 2011-2014 Strategic Plan revision and service review efforts, as well as the annual budget process and ongoing operational improvements.
Environics conducted the survey by telephone among 600 City of Guelph residents 18 years of age and older between March 16 and April 4, 2011. The data was weighted by the City's six wards to ensure that the results are representative of the population. The margin of error is +/- 4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

New Hours for Hazardous Waste Depot! Awesome!

Household Hazardous Waste Depot extends hours for customer convenience
The City's seasonal Paint + Reuse Program is ready to open

GUELPH, ON, April 18, 2011 – The City of Guelph Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Depot springs into extended hours of operation on Tuesday, April 19, providing added convenience to residents. The HHW Depot located at 110 Dunlop Drive, Gate 2, will now be open:

Tuesday – Friday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday: 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

The increase in 2011 HHW Depot hours reflects the strengthened economy. The HHW Depot was open during reduced hours last year as a result of a City budget shortfall due to the economic recession.

The City’s seasonal Paint + Reuse Program—an earth-smart initiative that helps ensure useable products don’t go to waste—will be open to the public between April 19 and October 15 at the HHW Depot. This program makes used paint and other household products available to residents, free-of-charge.

The City reminds Guelph residents to continue to act responsibly when it comes to the disposal of hazardous items.

According to Kim Hodgson, Chief Fire Prevention Officer, Fire & Emergency Services, gasoline, “must be in CSA (Canadian Standards Association) or ULC (Underwriters Laboratories of Canada)/ORD-C30 approved safety containers, and should be secured in the trunk of a vehicle with the cap securely fastened. Flammable liquids should not be stored in the trunk for excessive periods of time.”

“When residents drop off gasoline in an approved container at the Household Hazardous Waste Depot, they will be offered a replacement container,” adds Heather Connell, Manager, Integrated Services, Solid Waste Resources.

Bring your hazardous waste to the HHW Depot year-round or visit www.dowhatyoucan.ca for a list of available retailers where you can drop off certain household waste material, at no cost. For more information regarding the Paint + Reuse Program, please visit guelph.ca/wetdry.

City Maintains "AA" Financial Rating

City of Guelph Press Release:

April 14, 2011 - Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has confirmed that the City of Guelph has maintained its 'AA' credit rating again this year.
The rating reflects Standard & Poor's Ratings Services' view that the City has a solid economic base, manageable debt, and good operating performance.
"Council's strong debt and reserve management policies are having their intended effect, producing a continued excellent credit rating for our municipality," says Mayor Karen Farbridge.
The City’s Chief Financial Officer Margaret Neubauer adds, "This rating is good news for Guelph as the economy continues to recover,"
Standard and Poor's believes the expenditures are manageable and the City's debt will remain under control even with last year's increase in capital expenditures. . Standard & Poor's noted the benefit to Guelph of $45 million in federal and provincial stimulus funding to assist with the maintenance and repair of the city's infrastructure. The City of Guelph is committed to a disciplined and integrated long-term approach to capital planning and continues to adhere to a long-term financial plan guided by debt and reserve management policies.
This 'AA' rating means the City can secure lower interest rates when issuing debt to finance large capital expenditures from recently constructed facilities, resulting in significant savings to the municipality.
Standard & Poor’s also expects Guelph to benefit from the increasingly diverse economies in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge as the region evolves from a traditional concentration in manufacturing to a technology and service-based economy, and that the arrival of GO train service in 2011 will further integrate the City's economy into the surrounding area.

Construction Info for 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Guelph Remastered wraps up while construction continues
2011 will be a more typical construction season

GUELPH, ON, April 12, 2011 – After its massive infrastructure renewal program, Guelph is preparing for a more typical road construction season this year and wrapping up Guelph Remastered.

"The Guelph Remastered campaign did what typical road construction signs couldn’t do," says Tara Sprigg, Manager, Corporate Communications. "Guelph Remastered connected people to important information and helped residents understand that more than 20 construction projects were part of one huge infrastructure renewal program."

The City tracked the campaign and its effects on stakeholders throughout the year and found that Guelph Remastered met its intended objectives. The campaign reached the majority of residents and increased awareness of the City’s plans for construction in 2010. Over the course of the campaign, residents came to understand that Guelph was completing about five years worth of work in just 12 months to meet the Federal and Provincial funding deadline.

Findings also show the Guelph Remastered campaign had positive effects on people’s perceptions of construction upgrades in general, and on loyalty to shops and services. More than 90 per cent of those polled consider it important for the City to undertake construction projects, and awareness that shops and services would be open for business during construction increased from 73 per cent to 81 per cent during the campaign.

As part of the campaign, the City developed new online tools including a construction e-bulletin and an interactive traffic map. These improved online tools proved particularly successful, and will remain on guelph.ca to help people navigate construction detours again this year.

"We still have some paving, line marking and landscaping to do on some of the projects we worked on last year, and we’re glad to have the funding deadline extended to October 31 so we can finish work on the inter-modal transit terminal and Wyndham Street Rail bridge," says City Engineer, Richard Henry. "We’ll also be working on this year’s regular infrastructure renewal program. You’ll see crews on the streets again this year, but we’re not planning as much work on major routes."

Guelph’s plans for construction in 2011 and ongoing construction updates will be posted on the City’s website at guelph.ca/construction.

In 2009, the City began work on more than 20 infrastructure upgrades on roads, sewers, water systems, bike lanes and buildings. The projects must be completed by October 31 2011 to take advantage $48 million in Federal and Provincial Infrastructure Stimulus Funds. Guelph's Infrastructure Stimulus projects are listed on the City's website at guelph.ca > living > planning, building, engineering > road construction.

Come on Guelph...MAKE A DONATION!

Hello my friends! And sorry for the mass email!

Not too often does an opportunity like this come along. However this situation is URGENT. We don't have much time!

I'm talking about this:
http://www.guelphmercury.com/news/local/article/514832--historic-pistol-
up-for-auction

We need to raise funds to acquire this piece of history. Don't let this gun go into collector's hands when we can have it on public display in our brand new museum!

Due to it being a public auction and because of how rare and sought after this gun will be it is expected to sell for at least $6000.

So far I have raised $800.

Will you help with a donation of $100, $250, $500, $1000 or more? In return you'll be provided with a tax receipt once the piece is donated to the Guelph museum. Contact me at cam.guthrie@guelph.ca or 226-820-5080 for further information!

We only have a few more days to get prepared before it goes to auction.
Don't let this gun slip out of Guelph's hands! Let's bring it home!

Thank you so much!

Cam Guthrie
Ward 4 - City Councillor, Guelph.
www.ward4news.ca
226-820-5080
Cam.guthrie@guelph.ca

Culture Camp Guelph Event in May!

Hello Cam,
I thought I'd forward some information on Culture Camp Guelph, which will be taking place on May 25 from 2-5pm at the River Run Centre. Perhaps you could post the information on your blog? The event is being organised by myself, the Guelph Arts Council, the City of Guelph, Guelph-Wellington Business Enterprise Centre and Cultural Careers Centre of Ontario.

CultureCamp Guelph is a free confrence that will allow attendees to:

•         Share their ideas
•         Inspire their peers
•         Broaden their reach
•         Prepare for Culture Days

All members of Guelph's creative community are encouraged to attend. Register online at http://culturecampguelph.eventbrite.com

Thanks in advance for spreading the word!