Clean-Up, Tory Tussle, and Video Victories

Call to Clean-Up

This weekend is the 32nd annual Speed River Clean-Up organized by the Guelph branch of the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG). Brought to you by Wellington Water Watchers, Trout Unlimited and GUFF (Guelph Urban Forest Friends), the Clean-Up, as always, aims to educate people about the importance of Guelph’s waterways, get them involved and in the river to literally take out the trash.

Like in years gone by, everyone is to meet up at the gazebo in Royal City Park (Gordon Street) by 11 am. Bring your gloves, sun gear, water and a pair of either old shoes, boots or hip waders. Then sign-in, join a group and start cleaning up the river. Afterward at around 12:30, everyone’s invited back to McCrae House for some eats and some entertainment. The theme is pot luck, so volunteers are being asked to bring a dish to share, and for each dish contributed, you will be entered in a draw to win two tickets to the Speed River Fundraising Dinner at Borealis Grille, a $120 value. Additionally, volunteers are being asked to bring their own plates and utensils to cut down on waste.

If you’re looking to get even more involved, OPIRG is looking for volunteers to take on specific jobs at the Clean Up. Among the list of jobs needed to be filled are crew leaders, photographers, set-up and take-down volunteers, and people to help out at the potluck. For more information, get in touch with OPIRG at 519-824-2091 or at opirg@uoguelph.ca

A Trio of Tories Tussle

Three nominees have put their names forward for the local Progressive Conservative nomination in this fall’s Provincial Election. John F. Ross high school teacher Greg Cawsey, entrepreneur Greg Schirk and businessman and former pastor Bob Senechal are the three who will be metaphorically duking it out to get their name on the ballot for the PCs, said a news release. “These three candidates bring a wide range of qualities that will allow any one of them to represent Guelph well in Queen’s Park,” said local PC riding association president Allan Boynton in the release. Cawsey ran the business department at Ross, Schirk once owned Royal City Glass, but now works for PM Doors and Windows, and Senechal has been a partner for the past 11 years in CG Maintenance. He also ran as the PC Party’s candidate against Liberal Liz Sandals in the 2007 provincial election.

In other news, the day and time for the first all-candidates debate of the fall election has been established. Look for The Guelph-Wellington Social Justice Coalition hosted forum on Sept. 13 at the Italian Canadian Club. Presumably, the Coalition is looking to avoid any situation where a candidate says that they didn’t get enough notice and have something already book.

The Hanlon Hacks It

The Phase One lands of the Hanlon Creek Business Park have satisfied all conditions of Draft Plan of Subdivision approval and have now achieved Registered Plan status at the land registry office. I don’t know what that means, but the City thought it was a big enough deal to write a press release about it. “What this means, is that title to these lands are now able to be transferred to potential end purchasers” says Jim Mairs, Senior Business Development Specialist, Economic Development and Tourism Services, in the release.

“We are extremely pleased with the completion of this next stage,” says Peter Cartwright, General Manager of Economic Development and Tourism Services. “In order to register this Phase approximately 50 conditions imposed by various government and review agencies needed to be addressed and approved. It is further validation of the commitment this Park has to the environment and the development process.”

All-in-all, 16 acres of land, in various stages of development in the Hanlon Creek Business Park representing nearly $5 million in revenue for the city, are ready. The total land acquired by the City for the Business Park property is about 420 acres, but a percentage of that will be preserved as green space.

Video Victories on Two Counts

As one video contest wraps another begins. Voting for the viewer’s choice favourite “I love Guelph tap water” video closed this past Monday, but the winners won’t be announced until June 15th. Various high tech prizes will be awarded to the first, second and third place finisher, and people’s choice winner will designate a favourite charity to receive a $500 donation. Next up are videos for Guelph Tourism. Go to www.youtube.com/guelphtourism and vote for your favourite video promoting the Royal City as a tourist destination and the winner will receive $100 in prizes. The winner will be announced during the closing ceremonies of Tourism Awareness Week on June 10 at 1:00pm at City Hall.

Green Fleet, Clean-Up & War with Kitchener

City Fleet Going Green

All City of Guelph vehicles and equipment will now be subject to stringent guidelines aimed at reducing fleet operating costs and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, this coming out of the Emergency Services, Community Services & Operations Committee meeting last week. Mostly, these steps have to do with fuel efficiency: how to use vehicles, how to cut down on idling, and how to choose the right vehicle for the right job. “Lowering the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced by our fleet is a win-win situation,” says Mayor Karen Farbridge in a city press release. “It supports the goals of our Community Energy Plan, while saving on fuel costs at the same time. I want to thank Operations staff for their commitment to this program." The new guidelines and accompanying training for city staff is in preparation for the city’s first E3 (Energy, Environment, Excellence) review. E3 is North America’s first green rating program for vehicle fleets, that evaluates, audits and recognizes fleets for their efforts in reducing smog and greenhouse gas emissions, fuel use and costs. The review is expected to be done this April.

Clean-Up Crew Looking for Feedback

The Ontario Public Interest Research Group is looking for feedback from the general public as to how they can improve community support for their annual Speed River Clean-Up program. “The spark has gone out of it,” said Alison Morrison, Speed River Project co-ordinator with OPIRG told the Tribune. “Our numbers are dwindling, and we’re not even sure of the impact of sending 200 people into the river on a Saturday morning.” The Clean-Up, which happens every June, recruits volunteers from the community to wade out into the Speed River, and along its banks, in order to clean-up garbage and debris. Among suggested improvements, Morrison offers the possibility of moving the Clean-Up’s base from Royal City Park to Riverside Park, but Morrison says that no changes will be made without public input. “The neat thing about a clean-up is that it’s so simple and it’s a gateway for anybody who has a little bit of an interest in environmental issues,” said Morrison. If you’re interested in giving OPIRG your feedback, then put this address into your web browser: http://speedrivercleanup.freeforums.org/

It’s War: Kitchener vs. Guelph

Who would have guessed that when a 19-year-old Kitchener woman was charged with mischief in a dust-up between Olympic torch security and anti-Olympic protestors in December, that it was a sign of things to come. That’s right, Guelphites, it’s war and the K-W has been hitting us pretty hard the last few weeks. First, a Kitchener man was charged with mischief after phoning Waterloo Regional Police over the Valentine’s Day weekend and telling them that he planted six pipe bombs inside Polycon Industries in Guelph after they fired him. Guelph Police evacuated the plant and searched it and presumably found nothing since the 51-year-old man was charged merely with mischief. Next there was the case of six Kitchener men charged with a string of electronic store break-ins across Guelph and Waterloo Region. Come on, citizens! I say let’s leave the inter-city rivalry where it belongs: on the ice at OHL hockey games with the Storm and the Rangers.

Clean-Up On, No Grocery, and Senior Centre is Silver

OPIRG cleans up again

For 30 years now, the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) has been leading the charge to keep our local water ways clear of litter, discarded bicycles and the occasional Guelph Mercury newspaper box. “It started out of a general concern for environmental issues locally,” Marnie Eves, OPIRG’s Organizational and Research Co-ordinator explained to me in an interview last year. “At the time, clean-ups were just starting to be one of the things that could bring communities together on environment issues.”

This year’s Clean-Up takes place this Saturday beginning at 8:45 am in Royal City Park. Once the river is clean, volunteers are invited to a celebratory barbeque complete with Interactive Children's Water Activities from the Children's Water Education Council, community displays, a walk down memory lane featuring The Clean Up over 30 years and the presentation of the Bonnie McCallum Award for Unsung Environmental Hero. There’ll also be music by the Funky Mamas and some opening remarks from Mayor Karen Farbridge.

“It’s not the end product,” said Eves about the one-day event. “We really see that one day as a chance to energize people and reconnect them with the river, not to think that this is the only thing that they have to do to take care of our water system.”

Anyone interested in volunteering can do so individually or as a group. It’s recommended that you bring gloves, sun gear, water and a pair of either old shoes, boots or hip waders, although OPIRG will have some supplies available. For more information on The Speed River Clean-Up visit OPIRG’s website at www.opirgguelph.org, e-mail them at opirg@uoguelph.ca, or call their office at 519-824-2091.

East end grocery: Not yet.

City Council heard from Loblaws last week that they want to go ahead and build a larger store than previously allowed at Watson Road and Starwood Drive, but they’re going to be cool about it and not rush things said a company representative. Loblaws will be "putting off projects across Ontario while they focus on refurbishing existing stores," explained Jonathan Rodger, a representative of Zelinka Priamo planning consultants. "They want to ensure everything is good to go once they're ready to push the button."

But certain members of city council weren’t as cool with having to wait longer for Loblaws to act in the east end. "We're certainly looking forward to seeing some building as soon as possible," said Councillor Mike Salisbury. Meanwhile, Ward 1 Councillor Kathleen Farrelly, under whom the east end is represented, said the proposed store cannot come fast enough. "We are avidly waiting for this to happen and hoping you can work with the city to get this going as quickly as possible," Farrelly told the consultant.

Seniors Centre turns 25

Guelph’s Evergreen Seniors Centre is celebrating its 25^th year of operation this month with a series of celebrations coinciding with the observance of Seniors Month throughout the province of Ontario. Evergreen will be hosting over 30 activities throughout the month of June. Amongst those activities are an afternoon of music and entertainment featuring Derek Bryne on June 16 at 1 pm and a picnic barbecue at Riverside Park on June 25 at 11:30 am. The Evergreen Seniors Centre will cover the majority of the costs for both these events but a donation of $2 would be appreciated. For more information, go to the City’s website at http://guelph.ca/living.cfm?subCatID=1492&smocid=2075 or call 519-823-1291.