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Local Guides
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GUELPH BEAT
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by Adam A. Donaldson
February 11 - 17, 2010 |
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Union to City: No dice.
The city’s unionized workers have said forget about it to taking
five unpaid days off in 2010 and instead temporary lay-offs may
be implemented in order to save $1.2 million from this year’s
budget. Both the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1189 and the
Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 241, which represent
the city’s transit and outsider workers respectively, voted against
the budget proposal by a “very clear majority,” according to CUPE
241 President Brad Kelloway. The result, according to director of
human resources Mark Amorosi, is that some city services could
be outright closed for five days, and that might include Guelph
Transit. Exact details weren’t given, but chances are good that the
disruption to city services isn’t going to be nearly as invisible to
citizens as city hall had hoped. CUPE Local 973, which represents
the city’s inside workers, have yet to vote on the proposal. For
updates, see my blog at guelphpolitico.blogspot.com.
Cool Deal for Family Thrift Store
Milan Lesic is undoubtedly a happy man. The businessman landed
a cool $1.25 million in selling the Wyndham Street storefront that
he owns that was most recently the home of Ray Mitchell’s Family
Thrift Store. The final figure Lesic is receiving for the sale was
revealed last week after the deal to buy the property was officially
closed. Next items up for bids are the buildings on either side of
the old Family Thrift Store including the former Wyndham Arts
location, which has a closure date set for a few months hence.
But if you were ever a patron of the Family Thrift Store and that
amount seems exorbitant to you, Mitchell himself agrees. “It's
funny, because the standard formula to estimate the value of a
building is to multiply by ten the yearly gross rent,” said Mitchell
in an online post. “In this case, the three businesses fully rented
paid about $85,000 a year, so we should have paid at most less
than a million. And, in this case, since two of the three stores had
no working furnaces and therefore no tenants, the amount should
have been even less.”
City Wants You To Name Stuff
For your information, today’s the last day for you to be able to
submit your suggestions to name new city properties. As part of a
new Commemorative Naming Policy, the city wants your
suggestions for names for six new city assets. These sites include
the Northern Heights, Morningcrest, Conservation Estates and
Westminster Woods subdivisions; a park on the former Eastview
Landfill site; and the Civic Square in front of City Hall and the new
Provincial Offences Court.
“Names will be reviewed by the City’s naming committee,”
said a City of Guelph press release. “First consideration will be
given to those names that have geographic, civic or historic
significance of the neighbourhood where the asset is located.
Second consideration will be given to names of individuals who
have achieved at least one of the following: excellence, courage
or exceptional service to the citizens of Guelph, Ontario or
Canada; worked to foster equality and reduce discrimination; or
risked or given his or her life to save or protect others.”
For more information, visit the city’s website at
guelph.ca/parks.
Valeriote Brings in Trudeau
With Parliament prorogued and nowhere to go it seems, our
local MP Frank Valeriote is welcoming Member of Parliament for
Papineau, PQ (and son of a former Prime Minister that needs no
introduction) Justin Trudeau to the Royal City. Trudeau’s coming
into town Friday to be part of Our Lady of Lourdes high school’s
annual Flag Day festivities where the school will give the Liberal
MP their National Leadership Award. The awards ceremony will
take place in the morning, and will be followed by an open house
at the Italian Canadian Club where members of the public can
meet and greet with Valeriote and Trudeau from 1:30 to 3 pm. For
more information contact Valeriote’s office at 519-837-8276 or
valerf1@parl.gc.ca.
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