Guelph Politicast

Every year, the Guelph Chamber of Commerce hosts an event called the State of the City, and like its more famous counterpart south of the border, it’s a chance for the head of the city to lay out the challenges and priorities facing the Royal City for the next 12 months. Make no mistake, there are no shortage of challenges, but in order to unlock the future, you must first find the keys to the past. This week, we get those keys out of the drawer. During Cam Guthrie’s time as mayor and delivering the State of the City, he usually uses some kind of gimmick like a board game, or Wordle, or a parody of The Office, but in 2023 Cam got very serious. No games, no gimmicks, just straight talk. "I need you to listen very carefully to my words today. To watch my demeanor, my body language. Listen to my tone,” he said. You can probably guess the content before listening to the speech. Last year’s State of the City was in the immediate aftermath of the 2022 municipal election, and the sweeping changes to planning and bud