We’ve got two methods for learning about Guelph City Council, Committee of the Whole (CoW) and Council Planning meetings, motions, and incumbent councillors’ votes, 2023-2026.
- Searchable Record Tool for quick searches. Search now
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We also used this record to chart council attendance: how often each councillor missed votes and meetings, who voted together on the closest votes, and who moved and seconded motions.
We used AI to summarize individual Council, CoW and Planning meeting minutes. The summaries do not include other meeting minutes, such as those of other committees.
AI can (and does!) make mistakes. To confirm accuracy, verify what you read in the reports against the actual meeting minutes, along with the full video recordings of the meetings on the City of Guelph website.
Note: the City of Guelph Council meeting video recordings provide the full discussion and are much more nuanced and informative than the meeting minutes. Visit the City’s website for past City Council meetings, including minutes and video.
Searchable votes tool
Every motion put to City Council, Committee of the Whole and Council Planning from January 10, 2023, with the record running to July 21, 2026 for City Council, July 7, 2026 for Committee of the Whole and September 9, 2026 for Council Planning: 915 in all, 867 carried and 48 defeated. Search the motion text, narrow by meeting type, year and topic, or follow how one member voted. Open any motion to see how each member voted on it.
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Showing 25 of 915 motions
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Download the 2026 City Council summary spreadsheet (.xlsx) Download the 2025 City Council summary spreadsheet (.xlsx) Download the 2024 City Council summary spreadsheet (.xlsx) Download the 2023 City Council summary spreadsheet (.xlsx) Download the 2026 Committee of the Whole summary spreadsheet (.xlsx) Download the 2025 Committee of the Whole summary spreadsheet (.xlsx) Download the 2024 Committee of the Whole summary spreadsheet (.xlsx) Download the 2023 Committee of the Whole summary spreadsheet (.xlsx) Download the 2026 Council Planning summary spreadsheet (.xlsx) Download the 2025 Council Planning summary spreadsheet (.xlsx) Download the 2024 Council Planning summary spreadsheet (.xlsx) Download the 2023 Council Planning summary spreadsheet (.xlsx)
| Meeting type | Motion | Outcome | Vote | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Link to this motion | Planning | 6.1 – Decision Report: 266-280 Clair Rd W and part of 950 Southgate Dr, Proposed OPA and ZBA, Ward 6 (2026-427) – Amendment: review the affordability definition (OZS25-018; 266-280 Clair Road West; part of 950 Southgate Drive) Housing | Goller/Caron. Notwithstanding the affordable housing commitment in Attachment 6, staff to explore the definition of affordability for this development, evaluate CMHC's income-based affordability definition, and report back with implications by Q1 2027. Goller first moved this as a separate direction; on Allt's point of order, Mayor Guthrie ruled it an amendment, and it was moved again with the 'notwithstanding' wording. How each member voted
| Carried 12–0 | |
| Link to this motion | Planning | 6.1 – Decision Report: 266-280 Clair Rd W and part of 950 Southgate Dr, Proposed OPA and ZBA, Ward 6 (2026-427) – Main Motion as Amended (OZS25-018; 266-280 Clair Road West; part of 950 Southgate Drive) Planning & Development | Goller/Caron. Applications approved against the staff recommendation. Staff had recommended refusal: the conversion of employment land was not justified, compatibility with nearby industry was not shown, and the narrower, realigned ecological linkage (with private stormwater facilities inside it) was not shown to keep its function. Council instead approved the OPA (Industrial and Natural Areas to High Density Residential, realigning the Natural Heritage System) and the ZBA (B and NHS to site-specific RH.7 with a Holding provision and NHS). Approval follows staff's alternative documents, Attachments 5 and 6: OPA No. 112 and zoning conditions. The holding provision requires at least 33 per cent of units to be affordable ownership units, not rented for 49 years from first sale. The applicant had offered 50 per cent based on CMHC's definition. The proposal is 940 units in two apartment towers (16 and 14 storeys) and 31 townhouse blocks. Also includes the affordability review from the amendment. Implementing by-laws were not on this agenda. How each member voted
| Carried 11–1 | |
| Link to this motion | Planning | 6.2 – Decision Report: 210, 214 and 222 College Ave E, Proposed OPA and ZBA (2026-230) (OZS26-003; 210, 214 and 222 College Avenue East) Planning & Development | Chew/Caton. Applications from GSP Group for EM Guelph Developments LP approved as modified by staff: a 7-storey, 117-unit purpose-built apartment building (student housing) replacing three detached houses beside Cutten Fields golf course. The OPA redesignates Low to High Density Residential, with a site-specific maximum of 324 units per hectare. The ZBA rezones RL.1 and RL.1(H1) to specialized RH.7-27(H). At the April 15 public meeting it was 10 storeys and 153 units; a revised submission followed on June 17. No further notice required for the minor modifications. Caron and Hauser declared conflicts and left. Enacted the same night as By-laws (2026)-21298 (OPA) and -21299 (ZBA). How each member voted
| Carried 7–3 | |
| Link to this motion | Planning | 6.3 – Decision Report: 220 Arkell Rd, Proposed Draft Plan of Subdivision and ZBA (2026-433) – Amendment: omit neighbours' addresses (OZS19-017; 220 Arkell Road) Planning & Development | Caron/Goller. Staff directed to omit the specific addresses of adjacent properties from the final draft plan conditions (Attachment 6). How each member voted
| Carried 12–0 | |
| Link to this motion | Planning | 6.3 – Decision Report: 220 Arkell Rd, Proposed Draft Plan of Subdivision and ZBA (2026-433) – Main Motion as Amended (OZS19-017; 220 Arkell Road) Planning & Development | Chew/Caron. Applications from MHBC Planning for Rockpoint Properties Inc. approved as staff recommended, with the amendment. The ZBA rezones RL.1 and NHS to RL.2, site-specific RL.4-23, NP, OS and site-specific NHS-1. The draft plan of subdivision, approved for three years, has 32 detached lots and one cluster townhouse block of 48 units, plus park, stormwater, natural heritage, open space, emergency access/trail, future road and reserve blocks. The public meeting was June 9, 2026 (then 31 detached and 70-94 townhouses). Enacted the same night as By-law (2026)-21294 (ZBA). How each member voted
| Carried 12–0 | |
| Link to this motion | Planning | 6.4 – Decision Report: 132 Clair Rd W, Proposed OPA, ZBA and Draft Plan of Subdivision (2026-419) (OZS25-011, OZS25-013; 132 Clair Road West) Planning & Development | Hauser/Chew. Applications from MHBC Planning for Mattamy (Truvilla) Limited approved as staff recommended. North of Poppy Dr W (Block 1, Plan 61M-265): Corporate Business Park to High Density Residential with small-scale commercial and townhouse permissions; zoned site-specific RH.7 (from BP-8). Per the report, this allows up to 12 storeys and 215 units per hectare, reduced from 14 storeys and 250 uph at the October 15, 2025 public meeting: 458 apartments in three mixed-use buildings, plus 72 townhouses. South of Poppy Dr W: Low-Density Greenfield Residential and Open Space; rezoned from UR.1 to RL.2, RM.6, OS and NHS. The draft plan (about 59 units) has 20 low-density blocks, 1 multiple-residential block, 2 open space blocks and 1 NHS block, approved for three years. No further notice required. Enacted the same night as By-laws (2026)-21289 (OPA) and -21290 (ZBA). How each member voted
| Carried 12–0 | |
| Link to this motion | Planning | 7 – By-laws: (2026)-21282, -21283, -21287, -21289, -21290, -21294 to -21299, -21302, -21303 and -21306 Public Safety & Bylaws | Klassen/Gibson. That the listed by-laws be approved subject to s.284.11(4) of the Municipal Act. Per the agenda: Part IV heritage designations, 21282 for 144 Dublin St N, 21296 for 245 Dublin St N and 21297 for 115 Nottingham St (notices May 12, 2026), 21287 for 65 McTague St (notice June 9), 21283 for 19 Dublin St S and 21295 for 7 Balsarroch Pl (notices July 14), and 21302 for 124 Liverpool St (notice November 12, 2025). 21289 (OPA) and 21290 (ZBA) are for 132 Clair Rd W (Item 6.4). 21294 is the ZBA for 220 Arkell Rd (Item 6.3). 21298 (OPA) and 21299 (ZBA) are for 210-222 College Ave E (Item 6.2). 21303 designates the Ward Heritage Conservation District and adopts its Plan, dated August 2026 (consent Item 5.3). 21306 confirms the proceedings of this meeting. No by-laws were presented for 266-280 Clair Rd W (Item 6.1). How each member voted
| Carried 12–0 | |
| Link to this motion | Council | 3 – Authority to Move Into Closed Session Governance & Appointments | Richardson/Klassen. That Council hold a meeting closed to the public, pursuant to the Municipal Act, to consider: Grant Agreement - 2026-399 (s.239(2)(h)). How each member voted
| Carried 13–0 | |
| Link to this motion | Council | 7 – Confirmation of Open Minutes Governance & Appointments | Downer/Allt. That the minutes of the open Council meetings held June 9, 10, and 23, and the minutes of the open Committee of the Whole meeting held June 2, 2026, be confirmed as recorded and without being read. How each member voted
| Carried 13–0 | |
| Link to this motion | Council | 9.1 – Site Specific Development Charges Bylaw Deferred Payment Agreement Budget & Finance | Downer/Caron. That staff be directed to offer a deferred payment agreement under s.27 of the Development Charges Act, 1997, for development charges owing at 100 Crimea Street Unit 8A (owner 531642 Ontario Inc.; tenant Royal City Musical Productions Inc.), for up to 15 years with no interest, first payment due on the first anniversary of the agreement; that staff explore a non-residential DC exemption/grant-in-lieu policy for non-profits and charities in the next DC By-law update; and that this evaluation include assessment of impacts on existing deferred payment agreements. How each member voted
| Carried 13–0 | |
| Link to this motion | Council | 9.2.1 – Authority to Move Into Closed Session (Public Space Use Bylaw Update) Public Safety & Bylaws | Busuttil/Allt. That Council hold a meeting closed to the public, pursuant to the Municipal Act, to consider: Public Space Use Bylaw Update (s.239(2)(f)). How each member voted
| Carried 13–0 | |
| Link to this motion | Council | 9.2.3 – Public Space Use Bylaw Update: Amendment to Main Motion Public Safety & Bylaws | Caron/Allt. That the target quarter for staff to bring back a report reviewing the Public Space By-law (2024)-20990 be changed from Q1 2027 to Q2 2027, considering setbacks, unauthorized structures/shelters near supportive medical/transitional housing facilities, playgrounds/waterparks, Sensitive Public Areas, and watercourses, and any other recommended revisions. How each member voted
| Carried 13–0 | |
| Link to this motion | Council | 9.2.3 – Public Space Use Bylaw Update: Main Motion as Amended Public Safety & Bylaws | Downer/Goller. That staff be directed to bring back a report reviewing the Public Space By-law (2024)-20990 in Q2 of 2027, considering setback from residential property lines, unauthorized structures/shelters near supportive medical or transitional housing facilities, playgrounds/waterparks/splash pads/wading pools, Sensitive Public Areas per Schedule A, watercourse boundaries, and any other recommended revisions. How each member voted
| Carried 12–1 | |
| Link to this motion | Council | 9.2.3 – Public Space Use Bylaw Update: Amendment to Second Additional Motion Public Safety & Bylaws | Busuttil/Caton. Amendment to the encampment response team pilot motion, broadening the scope from 'encampments' to 'structures and encampments,' and removing the JSSLAC/permanent-service-level clause language present in the withdrawn First Additional Motion. How each member voted
| Defeated 6–7 | |
| Link to this motion | Council | 9.2.3 – Public Space Use Bylaw Update: Second Additional Motion Public Safety & Bylaws | Downer/Goller. That staff be directed, on a pilot basis with a $260,000 budget for a seven-month period (August 2026–February 2027) funded from the tax operating contingency reserve (180), to create a dedicated response team working with community agencies on the growing volume of encampments in Guelph; that staff report back ahead of the 2027 budget with an evaluation of impact and need for a permanent service level increase; that staff and the Mayor increase advocacy with provincial/federal governments per the Ontario Big City Mayors' Solve the Crisis Campaign; and that the Mayor request the County of Wellington hold an emergency JSSLAC meeting or add an item to the September 2026 JSSLAC agenda on the growing volume of encampments. How each member voted
| Carried 13–0 | |
| Link to this motion | Council | 10 – By-laws Other / General Business | Hauser/Goller. That by-laws (2026)-21248, (2026)-21278, (2026)-21279, (2026)-21281, and (2026)-21285 be approved subject to Section 284.11(4) of the Municipal Act. How each member voted
| Carried 13–0 | |
| Link to this motion | Planning | 6.1 – Public Meeting and Decision Report: Proposed Rental Replacement By-law and Enabling Official Plan Amendment (2026-351) Housing | Allt/Caton. Combined statutory public meeting and decision. Approved the report and three by-laws, enacted the same night: Rental Replacement By-law (2026)-21270, Official Plan Amendment No. 117 (2026)-21271, and Demolition Control By-law amendment (2026)-21272. No further public notice required. Per the report, the by-law applies when a Planning Act application would demolish or convert a rental property of six or more units (not co-ops, non-profits or rented condos). Affordable units (at or below Average Market Rent) must be replaced with units of the same size and type, kept affordable for 10 years. Displaced tenants get more than the RTA's three months' rent: either a comparable temporary unit subleased for them, or rent-gap payments for the whole displacement period. Annual cost $193,000, funded from the Affordable Housing Reserve in 2026, then added to the base budget in the 2027 update. Council gave this direction on June 10, 2026. How each member voted
| Carried 12–0 | |
| Link to this motion | Planning | 6.2 – Statutory Public Meeting: 266-280 Clair Rd W and part of 950 Southgate Dr, Proposed OPA and ZBA, Ward 6 (2026-306) (OZS25-018; 266-280 Clair Road West; part of 950 Southgate Drive) Planning & Development | Allt/Goller. Statutory public meeting report received (no decision). GSP Group for 2742707 Ontario Limited proposes converting industrial land to High Density Residential: 940 units in a 16-storey and a 14-storey apartment building plus 31 townhouse blocks, with a 6-storey parking structure. Requested zoning is RH.7 with site-specific rules: up to 154 units per hectare, 16-storey maximum, no floorplate or stepback limits, and 1.1 parking spaces per unit. The 100 m ecological linkage on the east side would move to a 60 m linkage on the west side, partly on land from the neighbouring Tim Hortons (TDL) distribution centre at 950 Southgate. A holding provision would require the land exchange and a commitment that at least 50 per cent of units be affordable. 18 delegates spoke. How each member voted
| Carried 12–0 | |
| Link to this motion | Planning | 6.3 – Ward Heritage Conservation District: Draft Plan and Guidelines (2026-321) Planning & Development | Caron/Downer. Draft Ward Heritage Conservation District Plan and Guidelines received; no decision made. This was the statutory public meeting required under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act. Presented by staff and ASI, the consultant. The final plan, a by-law designating the district, and a by-law adopting the plan are expected at the September 9, 2026 Council Planning meeting. Follows the June 10, 2025 approval of the district boundary. How each member voted
| Carried 12–0 | |
| Link to this motion | Planning | 7.1 – Guelph Growth Management Monitoring Report 2025 (2026-249) Housing | Goller/Richardson. Report received. CMHC counted 531 housing starts in Guelph in 2025, 29.5 per cent of the 1,800 target; starts fell 13 per cent across Ontario, and CMHC expects further declines until 2028. Guelph has land for up to 26 years of housing growth, including 7.7 years already zoned and serviced. The City reports meeting its built-up area intensification and greenfield density targets. Nearly $83 million in provincial and federal infrastructure grants received over the past two years. How each member voted
| Carried 12–0 | |
| Link to this motion | Planning | 7.2 – Proposed Urban Design Master Plan (UDMP): 64 Duke Street 'Mid-town Village' (2026-339) (64 Duke St; 33, 37, 39 and 45 Elizabeth St; 69 Huron St; 60 Alice St) Planning & Development | Klassen/Goller. UDMP concept plan for Wood Development Group's Mid-town Village supported. This approves no zoning; the UDMP is required before a Community Planning Permit application under the Downtown CPP By-law, which is under appeal and not yet in effect (an OPA/ZBA would be needed otherwise). Concept: about 800-850 units in seven buildings on former industrial land in The Ward, from 23 storeys for the two tallest down to 3 storeys for the retained historic building on Huron St. Includes new public and park space and small ground-floor commercial or community uses. How each member voted
| Carried 12–0 | |
| Link to this motion | Planning | 8 – By-laws: (2026)-21255, -21261, -21270 to -21272, -21275, -21276 and -21280 Public Safety & Bylaws | Goller/Caron. That the listed by-laws be approved subject to s.284.11(4) of the Municipal Act. Per the agenda: 21255 is the new Procurement By-law, approved at Committee of the Whole on June 2, 2026 (2026-295), in effect September 1, 2026; it repeals (2018)-20529. 21261 designates 140 Suffolk St W under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (notice authorized May 12, 2026). 21270 (Rental Replacement), 21271 (OPA No. 117) and 21272 (Demolition Control amendment) are from Item 6.1. 21275 amends the Delegation of Authority By-law (2024)-20994, replacing and repealing (2026)-21218 from April 15. It extends development-agreement signing authority and delegates two new powers to staff: extending draft plan approvals under Planning Act s.51, and making minor administrative amendments to the Affordable Housing CIP. 21276 dedicates Part of Burying Ground, Plan 8 (Parts 2 and 3, 61R-22635) as public highway. 21280 confirms the proceedings of this meeting. How each member voted
| Carried 12–0 | |
| Link to this motion | Committee | 10.1 – 2026 Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Risk Register Update (2026-363) Governance & Appointments | Allt/Klassen. That the report titled “Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Risk Register Update”, dated July 7, 2026, be received. How each member voted
| Carried 10–0 | |
| Link to this motion | Committee | 12.1 – Finance Policy Updates (2026-357) Budget & Finance | Allt/Hauser. That the updated Budget Policy (Attachment-1) be approved. That the updated User Fees and Charges Policy (Attachment-2) be approved. That the existing Budget Monitoring Policy, Revenue Budgeting Policy, and Year-end Operating Surplus Allocation Policy be repealed. That the updated Debt Management Policy (Attachment-3) be approved. That the updated Reserve and Reserve Fund Policy (Attachment-4) be approved. How each member voted
| Carried 10–0 | |
| Link to this motion | Committee | 12.2 – 2026-2029 Guelph Community Safety and Well-being Plan (2026-277) Public Safety & Bylaws | Klassen/Allt. That the 2026–2029 Guelph Community Safety and Well-being Plan, included as Attachment-1 to report 2026-277, dated July 7, 2026, be adopted. How each member voted
| Carried 10–0 |
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These rows are AI-assisted summaries of the post-meeting minutes, not the minutes themselves. Verify anything you intend to quote against the City of Guelph's own record. Never cite a per-member vote from this page without checking it first. The official minutes and meeting video carry the full discussion.
Reading the votes. The number beside a member's name in the Member list is how many of these 915 motions they held a seat for. Hauser and O'Rourke share one seat across this period, so their records cover different motions and are not directly comparable. "Not recorded" means the summary did not capture that member's vote, which is not the same as an abstention. On 18 motions the per-member breakdown does not add up to the tally recorded beside it; those show the tally only, and say so.
Meeting minutes summaries
We created these reports with AI, which we used to summarize each of the City of Guelph Council meeting minutes, each of the Committee of the Whole minutes and each of the Council Planning meeting minutes. We then used AI to create combined annual spreadsheets.
You can take a traditional approach and read through each meeting summary, or use the Excel search function to look for keywords.
The best way to use them is to upload the meeting summaries to an AI LLM such as ChatGPT or Claude and write a prompt to answer a specific query (or multiple queries).
For example:
- Ask about councillors’ voting patterns on specific issues
- Do keyword searches across agenda items or motion text (e.g. “housing,” “budget,” “transit,” “tree canopy”)
- Find out how often and when issues related to a specific topic have arisen, what motions were put forward, and what the outcome was
- Look for vote outcomes: all defeated motions, close votes, unanimous votes
- Look for info in specific date ranges: all items from a specific meeting or period
Remember that AI can (and does!) make mistakes.
To confirm accuracy, verify what you read in the reports against the actual meeting minutes, along with the full video recordings of the meetings on the City of Guelph website.
The City of Guelph Council meeting video recordings provide the full discussion and are much more nuanced and informative than the meeting minutes. Visit the City’s website for past City Council meetings, including minutes and video.
Download the summaries
Each spreadsheet has three tabs: a Summary of every motion and amendment for that body and year, Vote Details (how each councillor voted), and Important Details (absences, conflicts, and other notes). The same 2023-2026 record is also searchable in the Searchable Record Tool above — the spreadsheets are for offline reading or uploading to an AI.