In her annual State of the City address this morning, Mayor Karen Farbridge asserted that Guelph is a “charismatic city” because of its capacity for collaboration and innovation.
The mayor told two stories to illustrate this capacity. The first involves a local company called Enpar, which is developing new technologies to treat water and waste water. The projects, which the Ontario government has said “have the potential to transform water treatment around the world,” will be tested at the City’s Waste Water Treatment Plant and a City-owned well, leveraging the City’s significant expertise in this area. A number of local organizations, including Innovation Guelph, the Chamber of Commerce, and the University of Guelph, have been involved as well.
As the mayor noted, the Enpar projects illustrate how Guelph is creating a more diversified and resilient economy through collaboration and innovation – key directions of the City’s economic development strategy, Prosperity 2020.
The second story involves the re-development of the former WC Wood plant in the St. Patrick’s Ward neighbourhood. The mayor noted the re-development of brownfield sites in established neighbourhoods are always challenging for municipalities, with concerns about whether the neighbourhood’s character will be maintained. In this case, thanks to an engaged Residents’ Association, owners who are committed to respecting the local culture, and the leadership of City staff, the planning process to date has been highly collaborative.
The mayor said, “We must replicate this new approach to meet the goals of our growth strategy and the downtown secondary plan…As Guelph continues to grow, some worry that our community will lose its character. The Woods project is an example of people determined to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
In her conclusion, the mayor stated that “the days of municipal government acting alone to drive the city’s future from inside the walls of City Hall are long over – if they ever existed. In today’s complex, interlinked and fast-changing world, municipalities need to work collaboratively across the public, private and non-profit sectors to jointly produce public value. At City Hall we are redesigning our structures and processes to do just that.”
Noting that this is a fundamental change to the way governments have traditionally done business, the mayor remarked that this is not an easy or comfortable process, but it is one worth undertaking in order to position Guelph for continued success.
As part of her remarks, Mayor Farbridge also referenced the City’s Making a Difference Community and Financial Report, which contains more details of the City’s progress and financial position. Some of the highlights include:
• A growth management strategy to accommodate 50,000 more people and 30,000 more jobs by 2031
• $50 million in federal and provincial funding to repair core infrastructure and establish a commuter hub downtown
• Land sales in the Hanlon Creek Business Park that are growing the industrial assessment base and jobs
• A Memorandum of Understanding with the Province of Ontario for the development of the Guelph Innovation District. Conestoga College has proposed a new Guelph campus on these lands.
• The first sustainable 10-year capital budget presented for Council’s consideration, and a proposed capital financial plan that reduces debt servicing over the next 10 years to accelerate contributions to reserves.