I joined other civic leaders in a kirking in celebration of John Galt Day and our city’s heritage. A kirking is a Scottish ceremonial parade led by a piper as a prelude to a church service recognizing the public service of local leaders and expressing hope for their wisdom. The ceremony was practiced in John Galt’s day in his native Scotland, and years ago, City officials were kirked in Guelph, too. This year’s event was a special combined worship service of the four stone churches of Guelph.  Pictures of the event can be found at: 

http://www.standrewsguelph.com/images/kirkin’_august_3_2008/index.html

Noise complaints can be some of the most challenging issues to deal with and the most frustrating for residents to live with. 

Recently, members of Council received answers to a number of questions regarding the enforcement of noise complaints.  There have been changes to how these complaints are handled to increase the timeliness of our response.  There is a lot of good information in the answers so I am sharing them here.   

Q - I understand that the Bylaw staff along with the Police are responsible for enforcement of the City’s Noise Bylaw.

A -Yes

Q- Bylaw staff enforce the noise Bylaw 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and are able to write tickets?

A -Yes, since May 1 staff have been enforcing the Bylaw 24 hours a day and are able to write tickets.

Q - How many tickets have you issued?

A - Since May 1 we have issued approximately 50 tickets.

Q - Does this include tickets issued by the police?

A - No, the 50 tickets were issued by Bylaw staff.

Q - How many calls have you attended?

A - This year we have attended over 600 calls.

Q - Are these calls in addition to 1,300 logged by the Guelph Police?

A - No, the Guelph Police log all calls and dispatch the appropriate staff either Bylaw or Police depending on the type of call.

Q - Do Bylaw staff attend all calls or do they review the concern then decide whether or not to attend?

A - Staff respond to all calls and address them accordingly, if staff arrive and the concern is beyond their ability to address due to the activity taking place, the police are notified and requested to attend.

Q - How many warnings did you issue?

A - Approximately 300.

Q - Were the remaining calls in which a warning or charge was not laid, unfounded?

A - Not necessarily, calls that did not result in a charge or warning being issued could be the result of the fact that by the time the Officer arrived the noise had stopped or that the noise may be permitted under the Bylaw.

Q - How does the program work?

A - If a person has a concern with noise, they are to contact the Guelph Police Service, the Police Dispatcher then reviews the call and dispatches Bylaw staff or if the call is beyond the ability of Bylaw staff to address the police will attend.

Q - I understand that the past (noise) pilot project was successful, was this the reason for Bylaw staff to enforce the noise Bylaw 24 hours a day?

A - As a result of recommendations from the Shared Rental Housing report, for the past 2 years, Bylaw staff did enforce the noise Bylaw on Friday and Saturday nights for 4 months of the year and this program was found to be successful.  The decision to have the Bylaw staff enforce the noise enforcement 24 hours a day was the result of the Bylaw Service Review report which was presented to Council in April of this year, this report made recommendations resulting in staff enforcing the Bylaws such as Noise and Licensing among others, 24 hours a day.

Q - Have the response times to noise concerns improved since Bylaw staff began to enforce this Bylaw.

A - Yes, our average response time for arriving at noise concerns is between 8 to 15 minutes from being dispatched.

Q - Is this better than the Guelph Police’s response time to noise concerns.

A - Yes, for the police, concerns regarding noise may be a lower priority compared to other calls they receive for assistance.

Q - What types of noise calls do Bylaw staff attend, what is the majority?

A  -Staff attend a variety of noise concerns including loud parties, music, barking dogs, construction and fireworks.  The majority of calls are for loud parties and music.

Q - What is the strangest call that Bylaw staff attended.

A - Not sure at this time, however we did receive a call regarding the noise created by someone moving.  The concern was there was too much noise being created from the lifting of items out the moving truck into their new home, staff attended and just advised them of the concern, there was no violation.

One of Guelph’s treasures is its enabling garden.  Never heard of it?  Well, read all about it in this article that appeared in Ontario Gardener magazine. geg-in-ontario-gardener-2008

The Guelph Community Foundation is developing an annual report on Guelph and Wellington County, called Vital Signs.  You can be a part of the survey for just 15 minutes of your time.

Vital Signs is an annual report card prepared by Community Foundations across Canada that measures the health of a community, identifies significant trends, and with your help assigns grades in 13 areas critical to quality of life. Please go to the following site to be part of the survey:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=UEifVkCTueRjq0WQWzzszg_3d_3d

The survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. If you are not able to complete it in one sitting, you can finish it at a later date and time. You have until August 14, 2008.

These surveys have helped municipalities and other organizations to better understand the needs of a community.  The more people involved the better. 

A recent prediction by CIBC economists, Jeff Rubin and Benjamin Tal (June 26) predict gas prices in the U.S. will go to $7 a gallon - our prices will follow with them.  They predict gasoline spending will exceed groceries, declining car sale and 10 million vehicles off the road by 2012.  Households under $25,000 will be hardest hit and the first to leave cars and take the bus.

These trends along with escalating social concern about climate change, air quality and energy consumption and policy changes promoting more compact development, energy conservation and alternative forms of transportation have pushed our staff to re-evaluate some of the assumptions that we have taken for granted about our transit system (e.g. the viability of Light Rail Transit and Bus Rapid Transit for Guelph) and to start to look more regionally at our transit needs.

Council will be considering a recommendation tonight to launch the development of a far-reaching Transit System Growth Strategy and Plan. 

This recommendation is very timely given the recent results of our Customer Satisfaction survey.  Here are the results.  They show :

• only 54% of residents are satisfied with transit service (bus/train) between Guelph and the Greater Toronto area
• only 42% are satisfied with public transit service between the City of Guelph and the surrounding communities such as Waterloo, Kitchener and Cambridge
• 22% used transit in the last week or month
• but 57% used transit no more than once last year ago or never

What will get people to use transit more often?

• 55% said better on-time service
• 54% more frequent service
• 56% more efficient routes
• 62% public transit promotions to and from special events and
• 42% lower prices

I have to be honest. I continue to be flabbergasted by people writing to suggest that all our blue bags are going to landfill.  Someone is doing a great job at spreading misinformation (or is that disinformation) to people.

So don’t take my word for it.  Come out and see our recycling facility with your own eyes.  Come and see where your blue bags go into the facility.  See the conveyor belt that takes the contents of your blue bags to the sorting line.  See where our staff sort your recyclables and thank them for a tough job.  See the bales of paper and aluminum ready to be sold to the private sector.

This ECO Day - August 4th - from 10 am to 2 pm, every half hour, our staff will be more than happy to show your facility to you and answer any questions you have about what happens to the recyclable you put in your blue bags.

Let me take this opportunity to thank you for sorting your waste.  Without you, the facility couldn’t work.

The answer to one of the recent comments posted is “yes”! 

Our local Farmer’s Market will join the World’s Longest BBQ, a national event created by local cookbook author Anita Stewart, by hosting a barbecue at the Market on Saturday, August 2.  

The World’s Longest BBQ is all about celebrating local foods. At the Market, local farm-fresh corn, hot dogs and sausages will be on the menu. A portion of the proceeds will go towards 4-H. The barbecue will run during Market hours, until noon.  

Even if you can’t make it to the Market, all residents are invited to join the party by hosting your own barbecue with a menu that will support local farmers, and registering your event at www.flavoursofcanada.ca.  

We are so fortunate in Guelph to have such a variety of incredible local foods at this time of year, and this is the perfect way to celebrate it.  

For more information about the World’s Longest BBQ, see the City’s news release here.

While Guelph has had its share of manufacturing losses over the last few months and we can never take lightly the impact on those who have lost their jobs, it is good to read overall our City and region is doing better than most.  This news is a testament to our local businesses and entrepreneurs.

Growth in Waterloo-Guelph Area Will Exceed Rates in Both Ontario and Canada - BMO Capital Markets

Area’s economy still enjoys solid underpinnings, with unemployment below and incomes above provincial and national benchmarks

KITCHENER-WATERLOO, ON, July 22 /CNW/ - With youthful demographics, strong educational institutions, and its diversified industrial mix, the area encompassing the Waterloo Region and Guelph should perform well as the broader North American economy remains slow, according to a new report from the BMO Capital Markets Economics Department.

“Waterloo-Guelph has developed a reputation for innovation,” said Dr. Sherry Cooper, Chief Economist, BMO Capital Markets. “Its entrepreneurial spirit has allowed it to reinvent itself over the years. Old companies close their doors, but new ones are continually opening up.

“Waterloo-Guelph is leading the charge from the old economy based on traditional manufacturing to the new economy based on high technology manufacturing and services,” stated Dr. Cooper.

The Waterloo Region (which includes Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge) and Guelph have endured a couple of challenging years. The local economy has grappled with the surge in the Canadian dollar, a pronounced drop in U.S. auto demand, and record energy prices. Along with rising competition from China, these forces have all weighed heavily on the Region’s manufacturing base.

Even so, the area’s economy still enjoys solid underpinnings, with unemployment below and incomes above the provincial and national benchmarks.

“Through the second half of this year and into 2009, the area’s economy will continue to face the challenges of a high Canadian dollar and weak U.S. demand,” according to Dr. Cooper. “Nonetheless, the economy should see the start of a turnaround next year, and then enter a period of strong growth by  2010. We expect real GDP growth of 0.5 per cent in 2008, but closer to 2 per cent next year.

“Once the current weakness passes, we expect growth in Waterloo-Guelph to exceed both the Ontario and Canadian rates over the 2009-12 period,” she said.

The complete report can be found at www.bmocm.com/economics.

For further information: Media Contacts: Peter Scott, Toronto,

PeterE.Scott@bmo.com, (416) 867-3996; Paul Gammal, Toronto,

paul.gammal@bmo.com, (416) 867-3996; Internet: www.bmo.com

While the responsibility for reviewing the types of services we provide, and level of service provided, is a direct responsibility of Council, finding operational efficiencies is an ongoing responsibiltiy of City staff.

Staff identify priority areas for operational reviews in their annual workplans. The new budget process also provides an opportunity for Council to provide input on those priorities.

There are several areas under review this year.  These are a few of them:

Fuel cost and usage - The price of fuel has increased dramatically.  Our fleet service is implementing an anti-idling program to reduce fuel consumption.  They are purchasing high efficiency vehicles.  And they are seeking E3 certification.  In early 2008, the City of Guelph was selected to participate in an E3 (Energy, Environment, Excellence) review.  Through this independent and comprehensive audit of fleet service, we will identify additional ways to improve fuel efficiency.

By-law enforcement - By improving the way by-law enforcement is administered, we will be able to accommodate the growth in demand for service with existing resources.  This work has allowed us to enhance the quality of service by offering 24 hour a day by-law enforcement, 7 days a week.  As our CAO notes, this work represents a good example of cross-departmental collaboration to improve quality of service and be more cost-effective.

Faciltiy Energy Conservation - The City operates many facilities.  Our Energy Conservation Project Manager is dedicated to finding cost savings through energy conservation.  This work, and the work on fuel efficiency, also supports the goals of the Community Energy Plan.

Dear Mayor Harding,  

It is with great enthusiasm that I throw the City of Guelph’s hat into the ring and accept your 2008 Blackout Day Challenge.   

Guelph is up for the challenge! We are very excited to be taking part in the challenge again and hope to achieve even greater energy savings this year.  

August 14, 2008 is a very important date as it now represents the fifth anniversary of the 2003 Blackout. That is why, this year we plan to do even more to engage our residents, our businesses and our City staff to reduce their energy use and discover how easy – and fun – it can be.  

The Guelph community, more than ever, is making meaningful changes to their environmental footprint. The Blackout Day Challenge is yet another opportunity to share good energy saving ideas with our community and with our neighbours.

I would like to take this opportunity to commend Mayor Michael Harding and the City of Woodstock for their leadership in developing this Blackout Day initiative. 

It is also great to see the new organization which has spawned from this challenge. The Blackout Day Group reminds us that we all have a role to play and I encourage everyone to check out the website – www.blackoutday.ca – and sign up for the challenge.  

Thank you again to the City of Woodstock and to Mayor Michael Harding for organizing this great initiative and best of luck to everyone.