Please find below links to the November 19, 2018 Agendas as follows:
November 19, 2018 – 5:30 p.m. – Committee of Management for the Elliott Agenda
Guelph, Ont., November 8, 2018 – The City has launched a telephone and ONLINE SURVEY asking residents how they feel about cannabis retail stories in Guelph. Residents have until November 18 to complete the survey.
“Council needs to decide by January 22, 2019, whether or not they will allow privately-owned cannabis retail stores in Guelph,” says Doug Godfrey, general manager of Operations. “Council wants to hear how the community feels about these retails stores in Guelph and this survey will help us get that feedback.”
Staff will present a report to Council on December 17, 2018 that includes the impacts of opting in to private retail stores. Cannabis stores will be privately-owned and operated and licensed by the Alcohol Gaming Commission of Ontario.
The province will distribute $40 million in funding between municipalities that opt in to help address enforcement and private storefronts. The province will release their plan for cannabis retail models on April 1, 2019.
The telephone survey is being conducted by Oracle Poll, however, if residents are not called and still want to participate they can visit guelph.ca/haveyoursay.
Media Contact:
Doug Godfrey, General Manager
Operations
City of Guelph
519-822-1260 extension 2520
doug.godfrey@guelph.ca
Curbside battery collection starts October 15:
Guelph, Ont., September 27, 2018 –
The City is collecting single-use alkaline batteries at the curb from October 15-26.
A battery collection bag will be distributed to residents in the Guelph Mercury Tribune newspaper on Tuesday, October 2.
Free battery collection will take place on blue cart collection days from October 15 to 26.
To participate, residents are asked to:
- Cover all 9-volt battery terminals with tape
- Put used or unwanted single-use alkaline batteries in the battery bag and seal it
- Leave the bag on the ground beside the blue cart
Batteries that are accepted in the battery bag include:
- Standard A, AA, AAA, C, and D batteries (both alkaline and heavy duty)
- 6-volt (often used in lanterns)
- 9-volt batteries (often used in smoke alarms)
- Button cells (typically used in watches, toys, electronics, greeting cards and calculators)
- Rechargeable battery packs – nickel cadmium, nickel metal hydride or lithium ion (typically used in laptop computers, cellular phones and power tools)
Residents who do not receive a battery bag can pick one up at:
- City Hall, 1 Carden Street
- West End Recreation Centre, 21 Imperial Road South
- Evergreen Community Seniors Centre, 683 Woolwich Street
- Waste Resource Innovation Centre, 110 Dunlop Drive
- All Guelph Fire stations
Residents can also bring used batteries to City Hall, Guelph Fire Headquarters or the Waste Resource Innovation Centre for recycling throughout the year, during regular office hours.
Safe disposal and recycling of batteries prevents soil and water pollution that can occur if batteries are disposed of improperly and recovers over 90 per cent of a household battery’s components, including metal, carbon and manganese.
This annual program is a recommendation from the City’s Solid Waste Management Master Plan, and supports the City’s efforts to meet its waste diversion target of 70 per cent by 2021.
Resources:
2018 curbside battery collection program
For more information:
Heather Connell, Manager, Integrated Services
Solid Waste Resources
519-822-1260 extension 2082
AA+ credit rating reaffirms Guelph’s solid financial foundation:
Guelph, Ont., August 15, 2018 – The City of Guelph’s credit rating remains strong at AA+ as announced today by S&P Global Ratings (S&P).
“This is great news for ensuring the long-term prosperity of Guelph,” said Mayor Cam Guthrie. “This rating not only reflects the City of Guelph’s solid financial position and practices, it also speaks to our vibrant economy, ability to attract new residents, employers, and investment opportunities.”
S&P is an independent company that looks at corporations around the world and analyses their capacity to meet financial obligations. The City of Guelph’s AA+ rating signifies its ability to meet its financial commitments is between very strong and extremely strong.
Council and City administration’s management of its finances is a big part of why the City’s credit rating has remained at AA+ for six years in a row, but there are other factors that contribute to a high rating. S&P considers Guelph’s proximity to the Greater Toronto Area and location along the Highway 401 corridor to have economic benefits; its fairly high median household income; its high growth in population; and its sizable public sector employment consisting of the university, schools, hospital and government offices that help to balance the large manufacturing sector.
“Our ability to meet our financial obligations is paramount for both Council and staff,” said Derrick Thomson, chief administrative officer for the City. “A great credit rating is our financial foundation that allows us to strategically plan for the future, and a testament to continuous good work.”
Read S&P’s report on Guelph’s 2018 credit rating.
About S&P Global Ratings
S&P Global Ratings is a leader in independent credit risk research and market intelligence including credit ratings, research, and thought leadership. It has offices in 26 countries and more than 150 years of experience.
It needs to stay.
A few months ago many local stakeholders got together to determine what more could be done to help those in our community with the wave of the opioid crisis now on our city’s doorstep.
I want to first acknowledge those stakeholders for their care and ongoing work they do in our community. Thank you for all you do!
There are many tools in the toolbox to help those in need. From increased enforcement, a rapid access addictions centre, education on safe needle disposal, a community outreach van for assistance, counselling, mental health awareness and much much more.
But another tool was recently added to the toolbox:
An overdose prevention site.
This temporary site is fully staffed with a nurse, supportive counselling and more. To date, there has been over 1000 visits, engagement with over 150 unique individuals, 7 overdose reversals, and 2 assisted onsite medical emergencies. The opening of this site has taken away the cloak and dagger aspect of using these drugs, hiding in the shadows where there was zero opportunity for safety to those addicted, or any opportunity to build relationships to give users the ability to obtain the resources required to remove themselves from their addictions.
Recently I’ve heard that the Province is reviewing the evidence behind these sites, and that there is a risk of them being shut down prematurely.
This is wrong.
Perhaps the current location isn’t the best. Or perhaps this site may never need to be a permanent one in our community. But taking it away now, at the height of need during a crisis in our community makes no sense.
I often talk about infrastructure needs in our community. The roads, pipes, bridges and city buildings that need attention. How much more important are the lives of people in our community, that at this time in their lives need help? Taking away this site, which is their infrastructure, cannot and should not happen.
Addictions do not discriminate and we shouldn’t either.
I call upon the Province and The Minister of Health to allow this site to remain. This temporary site is an immediate response to the current crisis we’re in. We need to see this through to the end where we can establish the metrics and measure the impacts we all require, and to continue to positively change and save lives along the way.
Thank you,
Mayor Cam Guthrie
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