About

There are many wonderful elements that contribute to the governance and operation of our city and these need to be identified and acknowledged.

We are however coming under increasing challenges that are impacting citizens now and will continue to do so in the future. These include rising housing costs, increased food vulnerability, growing numbers experiencing mental health challenges, and the escalating climate crisis, to name a few.

Voting is an important element of democratic practice however it is not enough. To better meet the challenges we face, we invite citizens to join Get Involved! Guelph.

We can help make local government more effective and democratic by identifying some of its current shortfalls:

• Thirteen elected members bringing a wide range of experience and views to Council can make it difficult to achieve council-wide agreement on which to base overall city direction.
• The diversity of our city is not represented around the council horseshoe.
• Municipal issues are increasingly complex and challenging.
• It is very difficult for individual, part-time councillors, to be well-versed and well-positioned to lead and make decisions.
• Many people are confused about what is the responsibility of the municipal government as compared to provincial and federal jurisdictions.
• Guelph residents need easy access to information at city hall to improve public participation. 

We are not intending to create another single-issue community interest group (e.g. relating to water, homelessness, tourism), but a group that will work to improve how we as a community address all issues at the municipal level by creating conversations, and connections. As a new organization still in its formative stages we can offer some tentative insights as to what guides us.

Draft Mission & Vision

Our Vision

Our ultimate goal? Residents of Guelph, from all communities, deeply engaged in the workings of city government for the benefit of all…

Theory of Change

If we engage more citizens in the working of local government, then we will enhance its effectiveness because we will rally the interests, energy and creativity of the community in aid of making local democracy more inclusive, participatory and effective.

Our Mission

We will bring together information citizens need to make good decisions, create opportunities to listen to each other and engage in projects and campaigns to ensure that every citizen benefits from an effective local government.

Our Draft Values

Non-Partisan Coverage

Our goal is to work with all elected to council to help our city function better.

Democratic Governance

We support democratic governance with all its benefits and limitations.

Community Engagement

We believe that maximizing citizen understanding and participation benefits democratic governance.

A Passion for Change

We have a passion for finding ways to make local government more effective for more citizens.

Citizens in communities around the world are looking for ways to make local government work better. We invite you to join us in this effort in Guelph!

Our Team

Members of our Organizing Steering Committee are in the process of establishing the organization leading up to incorporation.  We anticipate the formalization of the organization later in 2023.

Our History

Get Involved! Guelph (GIG) is still in its formative stage, but it is evolving quickly.

Prior to the pandemic, several informal meetings were held to discuss our experience with City Hall and how a group of residents might contribute to enhancing the effectiveness of local government. These meetings were reconvened this year, prompted by the 2022 municipal election.  In our discussions, we made several observations:

1. We had a good group of city councillors – and yet, they lacked an overall sense of direction and the ability to respond to emerging challenges and opportunities;
2. Public participation in local government is sometimes a significant challenge, including accessing information, understanding the processes involved, as well as the underlying sense that citizen participation is not a central commitment in the City of Guelph.

Throughout 2022, a steering committee met to consider how we might address some of the local democratic shortfalls that have been observed.  This group consisted of residents, including Ron East, Lin Grist, Stan Kozak, Susan Watson and occasional participation from other Guelph residents.

This group expanded its participation through five informal discussions involving approximately 30 other individuals. Out of these discussions arose Get Involved! Guelph.

Our First Project

We have prepared a survey of candidates, addressing a broad range of key issues, which will provide background information and help you with your voting choices.

In addition, we have brought together a number of resources relevant to the election to assist with communication with candidates and provide practical voting support.

The survey of candidates project team members include: Peter Cameron, David Douglas, Donna Jennison, Emily Kerr, Stan Kozak, Andrew (Andy) Pappin, and Hilary Stead, with others providing input.

Let us know about your experiences with local government and ideas for making these better by sharing them at .