Construction, Canteens and Chemistry

Hans the Builder says Lots of Construction Ahead

We all love summer construction, right? Who’s with me?

Well, that’s too bad because if you live, work or do anything in, near or around downtown you’re going to have a heck of a time avoiding big, yellow vehicles and dug up streets. Already work on a stretch of Norfolk between Waterloo and Macdonell Streets is underway, and soon it’ll be a section of Wyndham Street, between Wellington and Farquhar streets that will be getting an urban makeover. City engineer Rick Henry told the Guelph Mercury that the Wyndham Street reconstruction, and a similar job on Norfolk between Quebec and Norwich, should be underway by mid-August and are to be completed by the end of this year.

By now you’re asking who’s to blame for the stifling vehicular isolation of the core that will make getting anywhere in the centre of town more difficult as we head into fall? As it turns out, it’s your federal and provincial governments whose Infrastructure Stimulus Fund is pleased to bring this and six other similar projects to town this year. In total, 21 different infrastructure improvement projects have been approved for funding. The remaining 15 will proceed next year to be finished by the deadline date of March 31st, 2011.

Away from downtown, the city is also going to begin pavement resurfacing along Woodlawn Road, which will be an endeavour taking up two summers of work. City chief administrative officer Hans Loewig adds that the other three projects slated for this year are non-road approved projects and that they will also go before the hammer and chisel this summer. These include the rehabilitation of the Watson Road transit facility, and improvements to the River Run Centre and the main firehall downtown.

Canada Day featured Clean Canteens

It could have been a riot on Canada Day as the Rotary Club, while trying to score one for Mother Earth, kicked up a bit of dust when they banned the selling of bottled water from celebrations at Riverside Park. “The Rotary Club of Guelph is helping to reduce plastic water bottle waste by offering onsite water solutions for Canada Day in the Park,” said the Club’s Canada Day event webpage. “No bottled water will be permitted or sold on site.” The Rotary Club did have stainless steel water bottles available for purchase on site for $10 and anyone with a reusable water bottle received unlimited refills from a City of Guelph water truck. The city has already been proactive in curbing the use of bottled water by banning it from City Hall and city meetings.

Dropping Chemistry for Art

Guelph artists, long suffering for affordable studio space, must have thought they were dreaming at the announcement that Real estate broker Orval Gates had issued a request for "expressions of interest” about turning the former Uniroyal Building on Huron into a functioning arts centre. Gates has been trying to keep it on the DL, but local artists are buzzing at the prospect of $4 per square foot studio space, especially since the going rate is two or three times that. "It's an incredible asset possibility to the community if it is made available," James Gordon, local musician and activist, told the Mercury.

He said that the building is "in a pretty raw state," having toured it last month, but it’s definitely got potential. Securing an arts centre in the city has been the subject of much discussion, including the possibility of using the current home of the Guelph Civic Museum once it moves to the Loreto Convent in 2010. Gates believes that while his deal will benefit artists it will have the dual effect of revitalizing the community in St. Patrick’s Ward. More news as it develops.

Guelph Green(?), Party Hard and Washroom News

Guelph on Green Leader’s short list

National Green Party leader Elizabeth May is hoping the third time will be the charm in securing a seat for herself in Parliament and she may be hedging her bets on the Royal City to make it happen. May ran in Central Nova in the last Federal election in October 2008, a riding notable because at the time, and currently too, it was held by Conservative cabinet minister Peter MacKay. Before that, May ran in London-North-Centre in a by-election in Fall 2006, but lost to Liberal Glen Pearson. But Central Nova was May’s home base, although now it seems the strategy is to find somewhere she’s more electable "Now the party is convinced that our Number 1 goal is to elect me to the House of Commons. So that changes quite a lot of things,'' May told Eastern Ontario Greens and reporters at an election-preparedness briefing a few weeks ago.

Owen Sound or Vancouver Island are also strong contenders, as well as Cumberland-Colchester in Nova Scotia, which is now vacant because of the retirement of independent MP Bill Casey, a former Conservative. But Guelph is certainly an attractive choice too. Last summer, the Greens felt they had the momentum going into the by-election only to have their thunder stolen when the polls opened nationwide. Last October, local candidate Mike Nagy, on his third campaign, came in third, garnering over 21 per cent of the vote, and just 11 points shy of the winner, our current MP, Frank Valeriote. May said it comes down to the question: "Where is the greenest riding in Canada? Where is the place where people are more likely than anywhere else to say, 'We want that voice in the House of Commons?' ''

Party On Guelph

After postponing the official celebration of the opening of the new City Hall last month after the accidental death of Isabel Warren in a city washroom in a south end park, a new date has been set for the festivities: September 19th. The free, day-long celebration at 1 Carden Street will feature five stages filled with music, dance and demonstrations. The building’s historic Winter Fair Wall will serve as a backdrop for Farmer’s Market vendors, community exhibits and displays including the City’s plans for the Civic Square and water feature in front of City Hall. Also, throughout the day people will be welcome to wander through the entire first floor of new City Hall to see Council Chambers, the ServiceGuelph counter and the living wall. Guided tours will showcase accessibility features, the offices of the Mayor and City Councillors and the building’s green features including the green roof. In addition, the City will provide free transit service from 5:40 a.m. to 6 p.m. to encourage people from all over the city to join the celebration downtown.

Recommendations made for City washrooms

An independent report about city-owned public washroom facilities was completed last week, and recommendations have been proposed for each building with respect to the partition walls, privacy screens and attachments. The structural report from Gamsby and Mannerow Engineers were for the public buildings in St. George’s Park, Guelph Lake Sports Fields and Hanlon Creek Park. The inspections were meant to identify any structural deficiencies that could be an immediate safety concern, and how they can be addressed. Because of this report, the City re-opened the men’s and women’s change/washrooms in Hanlon Creek Park last Saturday, but they will continue to keep buildings in St. George’s Park and Guelph Lake Sports Fields closed until upgrades and improvements are complete.

Report Cards and Public Urinals

Who’s Cool with GCL?

The Guelph Civic League (GCL) last week released their second annual Voting Record round-up. The civic advocacy group compiles data from councillor votes cast in the year 2008, and ranks each member of the city council according to how closely their vote aligns with the values of the GCL. Obviously, the GCL’s values lean towards the progressive, but their main goal is to help facilitate an informed and active local electorate. “The purpose of the report is to facilitate interest and to increase accessibility to council's record, often difficult to ascertain due to the sheer volume and format of the minutes of council meetings,” said a GCL statement issued with the report. “The hope is that these reports might provide a forum for discussion between residents and their council representatives.”

So who’s most inline with the ideals of the GCL? Well, Ward 5 Councillor Leanne Piper gets that honour with Ward 2 Councillor Ian Findley who tied for 86.7 per cent each. Both councillors won points for supporting a pesticide ban by-law, and for voting against the 6&7 development expansion on Woodlawn and the Hydro merger. Reversely, Ward 4 Councillor Gloria Kovach is at the top of GCL’s naughty list with 35.7 per cent while Ward 6 Councillor Christine Billings follows close behind with 42.9 per cent. Overall, council’s average is 73.4 per cent, with eight councillors scoring 80 per cent or more.

“By the 2010 election, there will be four reports in all - one for each year of this council's term in office,” says GCL, who added that their report this year involved the input of more members than ever. “A volunteer working group selected sample votes, representing GCL's community values, from each month. This list was then posted for several weeks in February. GCL's member organizations and supporters were invited to come in and indicate which of the 25 votes, were most significant to them as individuals or groups. The final 15 votes represent those chosen most frequently.”

Strike Averted

As Toronto faced the cold, hard, smelly truth of an outside workers’ strike, Guelph quietly settled a potential labour dispute of its own by reaching an agreement with the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) Local 231. The two parties announced last Tuesday that a tentative agreement has been reached for a three-year collective agreement, effective April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2011. The details of the deal reached with representatives of 67 full-time and 59 part-time paramedics of the Guelph-Wellington Emergency Medical Service won’t be revealed until a ratification vote on July 6.

Pee Freedom Costs Bars

In a follow-up on last week’s piece about potential installation of public urinals on a trial basis in the downtown this summer, the full council approved the staff proposal last Monday but with one addendum. In an amendment proposed by Councillor Leanne Piper, the council approved the staff recommendation, so long as downtown bars and restaurants foot the bill. Piper noted that if the project costs $1,000 per week - as staff have suggested - it would be about $50 per weekend for each business that would benefit from the urinals. That seemed reasonable to most councillors who didn’t like the idea of taxpayers footing the bill for a problem caused by late night libations sold at the establishments in question. "I'm not sure it would solve the problem and I certainly don't think the citizens should be paying for this," said Councillor Bob Bell in the Guelph Mercury.

Public Peeing and Farmers Market Issues

Urine for a treat: Peeing in Public
To combat the frequent and persistent problem of public urination in the downtown core, the City is experimenting with making it cool for you to pee publicly with the installation of open-air urinals. The proposal submitted to City Council last Monday calls for the urinals to be installed downtown for a test drive on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. The urinals will be removed the following morning, cleaned, sanitized and replaced the next afternoon for that evening’s bar patrons. Similar urinals have been used throughout Europe, but are a novelty in North America. The idea could be used as part of the Night Life Task Force’s three-part campaign to address public urination.

No matter what you think of the proposal, at least the pilot project won’t be wasting money. The report says that the cost for and maintenance of the urinals comes out to between $700 and $1,200 for the summer. By comparison, Guelph Police say that they’ve issued 131, $240 tickets under the anti-fowling (read: no going to bathroom in public) by-law in the last 12 months. That’s $31,440 put into the city’s money pot by those who can’t save it for the chamber pot.

Naturally, Downtown business are pleased because this might mean they’ll have to spend less time hosing down the stoops, walkways and culverts around their businesses after a busy night at the bars. Of course with the prospect of the city more-or-less sanctioning peeing in public, not everyone is coming out happy with this plan. “It sounds like we're trying to customize the downtown to the bad behaviour,” said Ward 1 Councillour Bob Bell, who’s been a frequent critic of what goes on downtown, which is a part of his ward. "I think we're going completely down the wrong path here."

As to whether or not the project will be a success, I think Greg Mercer made a rather astute observation in his Mercury column “[T]he city could also afford to put out disposal units for all the late-night takeout food that gets dumped on the sidewalks. We could even call them ‘garbage cans’ and ask people to put their trash in them rather than on the ground.”

Mo Rules, Mo Problems for Farmers Market

New rules for the Guelph Farmers Market went into effect this past Monday, and much to the dismay of many market-goers it could mean that their favourite vendor isn’t allowed to sell there anymore. It has to do with new liability insurance rules requiring $2 million in general commercial liability. Many vendors already have their own plans that cover them and meet the new requirements, but this will affect vendors who are at the market on a less frequent or transient basis. Staff apparently looked for low cost solutions for casual vendors, but no good options were found. So now staff can “anticipate some resistance and strained relationships as vendors are impacted” by the new rules and regulations, said a report submitted to the emergency services, community services and operations committee. One bright spot is that many vendors that have operated at the market prior to October 9th, 2008 will be grandfathered in.

Opening Postponed

The City’s grand opening for the New City Hall was postponed last Wednesday in the wake of the death of a grade 9 student killed after a partial wall in a public washroom in the Southend Community Park collapsed last Tuesday. The Grand Opening was supposed to take place this past Saturday. For up-to-date information, head over to my blog at http://guelphpolitico.blogspot.com

Washington Bound, Commuters Bronzed, and City Hall Party

Mr. Valeriote Goes to Washington

If you’re anything like me then you were sitting around last week wondering just where the heck our Member of Parliament had gotten away to. The answer was Washington D.C., of course. Valeriote was in the US capital with colleagues on the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food to participate in meetings on issues facing the agriculture industry on both sides of the border. He and the other members of the committee met with a number of Congressional leaders including Collin Peterson, Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.

“It is basically a fact-finding mission to review the United States’ new Country of Origin Labelling regulations which require the segregation of Canadian and American livestock and meat,” said Valeriote in a press release.

The crux is that American processors are passing the cost of separating Canadian and American hogs and cattle on to Canadian farmers. The press release cited that Canadian farm families are disappearing at the rate of approximately 3,600 per year and that such additional costs, no matter how small could hasten that rate combined with already high production costs and low prices. “Clearly, such protectionist efforts hamper Canada-U.S. trade relations in the agriculture industry,” said Valeriote.

Among Valeriote’s stops were the National Meat Association, the American Meat Institute, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the Food Marketing Institute. The Guelph MP added that he was keeping in mind what he considered the three “S”s of agriculture and agri-food, Sovereignty, Safety and Security. He also said that he wants to help ensure the viability of agriculture, not just in and around Guelph, but throughout Canada.

“President Barack Obama’s successful visit to Ottawa demonstrates the importance of in-person meetings,” said Valeriote. “They help to create the foundations for a successful working relationship vital to tackling the biggest challenges facing our two countries and the world. “They also underscore a key theme to Mr. Obama's presidency – multilateralism – working together.”

Guelph gets bronze in commuter challenge

In Guelph, 230 participants used carpools, transit, bicycles or their own two feet to travel during Environment Week May 31 to June 6 and compared to other communities of the same size, the city took third place in the National Commuter Challenge. Commuter Challenge participants in Guelph travelled more than 20,000 kilometres using more sustainable transportation methods, and prevented 3,391 kilograms of carbon emissions by choosing not to drive to work that week. Employers that saved the biggest included Compusense Inc. with 186 kg of carbon emissions spared, Neil Consumer Healthcare with 1,045 kg and the City of Guelph with 547 kg of carbon spared from the air.

Party Hard at City Hall

This Saturday marks the official grand opening of the New City Hall at 1 Carden Street. The celebration will include local artists, performers and community groups and everybody coming out will be able to take a tour of the building, enjoy a barbecue lunch and listen to some great music featuring Funky Mamas, the Suzuki String School, the Royal City Ambassadors and The Over Tones. Activities will include Paint the blue boards in front of old City Hall; sidewalk chalk drawing on Carden and a Guelph Photography Guild exhibition called "What makes Guelph, Guelph." For more information log on to http://guelph.ca/grandopening

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.

Water Related News

They do exist

Throwing salt in the game of developers anxious to break ground on the Hanlon Creek Business Park was the announcement that a salamander collected near Laird Road is part Jefferson Salamander. The endangered salamander has long been believed to have a habitant within the borders of the proposed development, but evidence, aside from odd sightings and conjecture, has been rather scarce. But the DNA analysis done on this salamander proves that a full-blooded Jefferson male has been in the area and recently.

"This discovery is the result of our rigorous, ongoing monitoring program in this area. The City remains committed to protecting the habitat of endangered species, and we will work closely with the Ministry of Natural Resources," said Mayor Karen Farbridge in a press release.

The City's been monitoring the area using the services of Natural Resource Solutions Inc. The release went on to say that no salamanders were observed in the Hanlon Creek Business Park area during surveys conducted this spring, but one salamander was found while crews were monitoring amphibian movement on the other side of Laird Road. Under the presumption that salamanders don’t recognize man-made borders, DNA extraction and analysis was performed on a tissue sample by Dr. Jim Bogart from the University of Guelph. Bogart confirmed that the individual salamander was a hybrid. However, genetics indicate that a pure Jefferson salamander is present.

So what happens next? Well, the City of Guelph and Ministry of Natural Resources has yet to formulate a plan. Bogart told the Guelph Mercury that decisions can’t really be made until the salamander’s breeding ground is discovered. "We don't know where the breeding ponds are," Bogart said. "It's pretty hard to protect an area if you don't know the general habits and the habitat."

Bogart added that according to the Jefferson Salamander Recovery Strategy, which he actually helped write thank you, if a Jefferson salamander is on site, then a 300-metre buffer from development must be built and vernal ponds, or temporary pools of water created by the seasons, must be preserved. All this for a salamander? You bet, last summer construction on a $57 million road project was halted in Kitchener when Jefferson salamanders were discovered.

Keeping water water everywhere

Guelph City Council voted to adopt the policy recommendations of Water Conservation and Efficiency Strategy Update (WCESU) at last week’s Council meeting. The policy recommends formally endorsing the three water reduction goals of the City’s Water Supply Master Plan (WSMP), the formation of a Water Conservation and Efficiency Advisory Committee to provide ongoing public consultation throughout strategy implementation, and an enhanced public education program. One of the effects will be further rebates for the installation of water-efficient toilets, washing machines, humidifiers, outdoor water timers, rain barrels, as well as grey water reuse systems snd the like. “Local residents and businesses do an excellent job of conserving water, and the recommendations in this strategy will help support those efforts even more,” said Mayor Farbridge.

Curtain rises on main stage again

All but one of June’s performances on the main stage of the River Run Centre will go forward as temporary accommodations have been made for safety following the Victoria Day long weekend’s mysterious flood. A full restoration and any necessary equipment replacements will happen in July and August when there are no events scheduled. The flood, which unleashed between 6 to 8,000 gallons of water in the vicinity of the stage, forced the cancellation, postponement or relocation of the entire remaining slate of performances for the Centre’s mains stage for May. An exact cause is still not known, but the safe bet is an equipment malfunction, rather than a human cause.