Zero Waste

What does zero waste mean to you?  Can it be achieved?  Does that even matter?
The Waste Management Master Plan Committee will be proposing that we embrace a vision of zero waste for our community.  An ambitious vision and perhaps not achievable.  But the question the committee has been asking is, if we don’t set a strong, far-reaching vision [...]

Plastic Bags - A Disappearing Act

A resident just sent me a Toronto Star article about the LCBO eliminating plastic bags from their stores:
Here are some stats from that article:
3.5 billion - the number of plastic shopping bags used in Ontario each year.
80 million - the number of plastic bags LCBO’s move will eliminate each year.
20 minutes - the average time each bag [...]

Where is our waste going?

I continue to get regular correspondence asking where our waste is going so here is the answer:
The waste in the blue bag is being recycled through our own facility at the Waste Resource Innovation Centre on Dunlop Drive in the east end of the city .  We receive approximately $3 million for the recyclable materials [...]

Swim to Survive

Have you been following the news about the closure of school pools in Toronto?  Soon after hearing about these pool closures and the threat to kids learning to swim, I received this information about the situation in Guelph: 
“The Recreation service area has set a goal - “Every child in Guelph learns to swim to survive”. In [...]

Enduring Partnerships

During the 1990s, the City of Guelph was part of a successful municipal partnership program with Jinja Uganda.  The partnership was sponsored by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).  The partnership lasted 10 years and was led by our former Director of Community Services, Gus Stahlman.
The relationships that were developed between our [...]

Managing budgets

Normally,  Council finds out what the potential budget impact will be either at or just before having to make a decision on the budget.  Historically, this has not left a lot of time for Council to responsibly or constructively discuss ways to reduce a potential tax rate increase.  Instead,  Councils have increasingly dipped into reserves - specifically the rate stabilization reserve - [...]

Moving people out of cars

I just came from a very successful workshop aimed at engaging our business community in getting people out of their cars.  The workshop also discussed the important issue of ensuring the efficient  movement of goods within and outside of our community.  The workshop was co-sponsored by the Guelph Chamber of Commerce who did an amazing job at [...]

Weekend Charity Action

Lots of fundraising charity work in our city over the weekend.  I was able to flip some burgers for the 20th Anniversy of M & M Meat Shops Charity BBQ Day for colitis and Crohn’s Disease. 
I also joined walkers raising awareness and funds for Lupus.

 

More on District Energy

Len Sommestad, President, Swedish District Heating Association and former Minister of the Environment for Sweden, was a key note speaker at the recent Canadian District Energy Association conference.  She described district energy as an “environmental movement” in Sweden.
Thirty years ago, Sweden set out to be energy self-sufficient.  Today, over 50% of their homes are served by district [...]

District Energy

I have been asked to speak today on our community energy plan at the Canadian District Energy Association in Calgary.
I am part of a panel discussion on City Building - From Planning to Implementation.
I am specifically addressing the opportunity for district energy to act as a catalyst for investment and smart growth to build sustainable [...]