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Shootin' the breeze with Guelph councillors

Grassroots forum for discussion about all matters civic.
20160405 Breeze ro
Two city councillors to host weekly breakfast sessions downtown.

Two Guelph city councillors want to engage the citizenry over breakfast on Thursday mornings, starting this Thursday from 8 -9:30 a.m.

Ward 2 councillor James Gordon along with Ward 3 councillor Phil Allt are starting ‘Shootin’ the Breeze at Breezy Corners,” at 44 Macdonell Street in the downtown. Billed as a “free range breakfast conversation, over easy,” the weekly gathering is a way for the councillors to listen to the concerns, advice, dreams and encouragement of the people of Guelph.

Gordon hatched the idea. He said he has been hearing from a number of people that following the demise of Guelph’s daily newspaper, the Guelph Mercury, the opportunity for public dialogue and engagement has been eroded. Something had to be done.

Gordon said there is definitely a place for grassroots initiatives that give citizens a chance to talk about anything they wish to, especially in a less formal setting. Formality tends to characterize many public discussions initiated by the city, he indicated.

A regularly scheduled morning discussion over breakfast, Gordon added, seemed like a good way to bring people together for open, free-flowing discussions about all manner of civic things.

“If it works, if people come out, then it will grow,” Gordon said.

Breezy Corners was chosen as a suitable venue because it is a large, open space, Allt said.

“I want to hear from people about what ideas they have, what concerns they might have, and how we can move things forward affectively,” Allt said. “We’re constantly monitoring blogs, Twitter, Facebook and other social media. But quite often when I talk to people one-to-one, I hear a completely different point-of-view. And very often people have ideas that are really worthwhile to pursue.”

Many citizens may be intensely interested in bigger picture political issues, he said. But perhaps more are focused on practical, local issues – things that impact them directly like how renovations to a city facility or infrastructure repairs will affect them personally.

“That’s the sort of thing I’m looking for – simple, straightforward talk,” he said.

Practical issues like snow removal, garbage pickup, and transit service are on the minds of many, he said. Others voice a concern that Guelph is getting too big, too quickly, and that is causing disconnections between different parts of the community.

“What people are really interested in are the day to day issues,” Allt said. “They are more concerned about real meat and potatoes issues. It gets right down to the micro-level of life.”


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Rob O'Flanagan

About the Author: Rob O'Flanagan

Rob O’Flanagan has been a newspaper reporter, photojournalist and columnist for over twenty years. He has won numerous Ontario Newspaper Awards and a National Newspaper Award.
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