City of Guelph Installs Pinch-Point Traffic Zones

It's well known that being nice is part of Canadian culture. The most common words you'll hear in public are “thank you” and “I'm sorry”. These sayings are so ingrained in everyday life that there exits a law in Ontario where the words “I'm sorry” cannot be taken as an admission of guilt. Guelph is particularity known for being a nice city. But what makes it nicer than other Canadian cities?

Some people believe Guelph's greatness comes from the town's hippy culture as it consistently ranks in the top hippy towns in Canada. I think the greatness is more evident at the street level where Guelphites interact everyday. Guelphites are known for thanking the bus driver, holding doors for strangers, pass-it-along drive through purchases, returning lost items, and random acts of kindness. In particular, driving in Guelph is more enjoyable than other cities due to it's unique traffic policies. Most traffic lights in Guelph have advanced left turn signals and visual countdowns to help everyone cross safely. These policies allow for the most dangerous actions to proceed in a timed manner to minimize car accidents and road rage.

Recently Guelph City Hall changed some of the traffic policies with detrimental results. A month ago City Hall had the “great” idea of changing all the pedestrian signals to automatic so people didn't have to touch the buttons. This ultimately backfired as cars would stop for no reason from the signal's rotation and hindered traffic flow. The City eventually returned to the previous system after the Mayor got overloaded with emails and calls from the road rage with the new system. He stated in a social media video that he received “1,367,302 emails” about the lights when announcing the return to the regular pedestrian signals.

Now we are seeing another “great” idea coming from City Hall announcing that seven traffic pinch-points will get temporary sidewalk and road changes to help people stay two metres apart. This involves one-way sidewalks in five locations and closing one lane of traffic at the Speedvale bridge over the Speed River and the Eramosa bridge going into downtown after Delhi Street. These two bridges are main roadways into the Guelph core and are near the Riverside Fire Station and Guelph General Hospital. The new lane reductions will likely result in large traffic delays and difficult navigation for emergency vehicles. Will the new pinch-point policy cause more road rage and make Guelphites meaner? Stay tuned on June 8^th...

What do you think?
What makes Guelph a nice city?
Do good driving policies impact the overall feel of the city?
Will we see more road rage and meaner Guelphites starting June 8^th?
Will Mayor Guthrie get another million emails?

Trudeau Announces LEEFF Support for Large Businesses

Today Justin Trudeau announced the Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility (LEEFF) to provide financial support to Canada’s largest businesses. It will be open to for-profit and non-profit companies with annual revenues of $300 million or higher, with the exception of the financial sector. To qualify for LEEFF support the large businesses must be seeking financing of about $60 million or more, have significant operations or workforce in Canada, and not be involved in active bankruptcy proceedings.

There are many conditions attached to receiving LEEFF support. On the employment side these include preserving employment and maintaining investments, committing to existing bargaining agreements, and protecting workers pensions. For the financial part, the large businesses must agree to limits on dividend payouts, stock buy-backs, and executive pay. The environmental conditions include committing to climate-related disclosure agreements and keeping inline with the national climate goals for 2050.

Trudeau says the conditions for LEEFF are meant to support Canadian workers and hold companies accountable. As when any politician speaks, we must be weary of broken promises and virtue signalling. The news reporters at the event pressed Trudeau on the details. A Global News reporter highlighted the difference between limiting and stopping executive bonuses and stock buy-backs, then asked whether any safeguards will be in place to ensure compliance. A CBC reporter noted the difference between tax evasion and avoidance, then asked Trudeau what would happen if the government discovers a large business has been doing everything they can to pay as little taxes as possible.

What do you think?
Do large scale businesses deserve support?
Should executive pay be capped?
Should stock buy-backs be stopped?

How much should large businesses be taxed?

Three Local Businesses Close Due to COVID19 Shutdown

Many people are concerned about the long-term impact of the economic shutdown. We are starting to see this occur at the local level through the degradation of independently run stores and restaurants. These local shops are what make cities special and unique, and their loss could permanently change the welcoming and personal connection within the community. Here are the stories of three independent businesses in the local area that are closing long-term due to the shutdown.

A Touch of Scotland, a popular gift shop in St. Jacobs for almost 45 years has announced they will be closing. As one of the only original stores still standing in St. Jacobs it started as a place to buy wool, and eventually evolved into a shop selling items rich in Scottish heritage. It will continue to sell online through its website, but its token physical storefront is closing for good. Their online store is currently offering free delivery for orders over $50 in the K-W area, which will likely be hand delivered by the owner herself.

Dis-A-Ray Antiques opened in downtown Guelph over 10 years ago by Ray Mitchell. Over the past few years the regular customers of university students, low-income residents and antiquity fans has been slowing dwindling. Ray attributes this to gentrification and the opioid crisis which together created a really bad business economy downtown. The economic shutdown was the final blow as he is closing the doors for good at the end of May. Dis-A-Ray Antiques was unable to qualify for any of the relief funds available for small businesses mainly due to the store not having any employees.

At The Crossroads has been serving hearty home-style cooked buffet and menu dining in Elmira for 24 years. A popular stop for tourists on the way to St Jacob's Market and for local diners, it was a staple in the Elmira community. Last month the owners announced its closure due to the economic shutdown. In a post on their Facebook page, the owners said they were unable to stay afloat during the sudden and forced closure in the long-term.

What do you think?
How will the loss of these local businesses change our community?
What are your memories of A Touch of Scotland, Dis-A-Ray Antiques, & At The Crossroads?
Is the economic shutdown destroying independent living?

Guelph City Council Votes to Keep Fenced-In Dog Park

In controversial canine news, Guelph City Council voted for the fenced-in leash-free dog parks at Peter Misersky & Bristol Park to remain open. Around 150 people attended the Council meeting with 27 delegates registered to talk. An additional 225 people contacted the city about the dog parks and the “Keep Misersky Park Open” online petition had 4,936 supporting signatures.

Last June City Council approved a plan to build three dog parks within Guelph, spending $100,000 of tax payers money to setup the first fenced-in area at Peter Misersky Park. Earlier this month Council reversed that decision, voting to close the first dog park and cancel the two others after continuously hearing complaints from a few residents living near Peter Misersky. 

Today City Council agreed with Mayor Guthrie that the decision made earlier this month at their Committee of the Whole meeting was out of order, going against their procedural rules. As Council's vote took any mention of Peter Misersky & Bristol Street off the table, the 27 delegates scheduled to speak did not get the chance to say a single word.

By labeling discussion of Peter Misersky and Bristol Park as out of order, the only remaining topics that could be talked about were the dog park operations and possible setup of another at Lee Street Park. The proposed third dog park at Lee Street was cancelled. City staff were also tasked with reviewing procedures for locking the parks overnight along other measures such as video cameras to help address issues raised by residents living near the parks. Mayor Guthrie jokingly suggested they train a dog to do the job. They could name him Nimby!

What do you think?
Is Guelph going to the dogs?
Does it really cost $100,000 to build a fence?
Will Mayor Guthrie hire a dog named Nimby?

Trudeau's Stimulus Package Could Fully Fund Basic Income Twice Over

In national news, Trudeau has announced his economic stimulus plan to help push Canada out of the current economic downturn. It amounts to a total of $82 billion, with $27 billion in direct spending and $55 billion in tax deferrals. The stimulus package includes increasing the HST rebate and Child-Care Benefit, reducing EI waiting times, and giving liquidity to banks and employers. But there is a simpler and more direct approach for Trudeau's package to stimulate the economy by implementing a Basic Income for all Canadians.

According to a 2018 Parliamentary Budget Office report, a Canada-wide Basic Income would cost $43 billion, which is a little more than half the cost of the total stimulus package. Under that plan, an individual would be guaranteed a minimum annual income of $16,989 and couples would be guaranteed a minimum $24,027 a year. By the PBO’s estimate, Trudeau could have implemented this amount of Basic Income and still have $39 billion left over for helping businesses and his bank buddies.

From another viewpoint, Income Campaign2000 and Basic Income Manitoba(BIM) have estimated the overall cost of a Basic Income of $16,989 for all adult Canadians. When other social assistance programs remain in place, it would cost $80 billion. If federal and provincial social assistance programs are transferred into Basic Income then the cost drops down to $23 billion. Trudeau could eliminate poverty for all Canadians with only the direct stimulus plan and still have $4 billion left over to buy himself a new winter jacket.

Meanwhile, south of the border, Trump has proposed implementing Andrew Yang's version of Basic Income with $1000 a month for every U.S. citizen.

What do you think?
Can the Federal Government afford Basic Income?
Does Trudeau's package stimulate liquidity in your assets?

Basic Income Chats with Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner

On April 23rd Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner hosted an online discussion and Q&A with Universal Basic Income leaders Josephine Grey, Floyd Marinescu, and Jessie Golem.

Josephine Grey is a human rights activist, food security expert and founder of Low Income Families Together . Floyd Marinescu is an IT business leader and founder of CEOs for Basic Income and UBI Works. Jessie Golem is a photographer, Ontario pilot project participant, and Founder of Humans for Basic Income.

Question & Answer clips available here.
Full video available here.

Home Production versus GDP

There's an old saying that crisis and opportunity are synonymous. We are seeing this play out in the current shutdown as it's giving people the opportunity to sit at home and ponder what has real value and is essential to their well being. It could be time for this thought process to trickle-up and for us to re-evaluate the important aggregate measures of our overall economy. Many people are conflicted between restarting the business economy and weighing it against other outcomes such as health, safety, and sanity. Do these outcomes necessarily need to be in conflict with each other? Before the shutdown started Andrew Yang outlined this issue in his speeches during his US presidential campaign.

Over 100 years ago GDP was invented as a way to measure the aggregate value of a country's production. It provided a starting point for measuring standard of living but is rife with problems as it is difficult to determine if GDP growth comes from either real growth in the quantity and quality of goods and services, or simply inflationary growth through higher prices. The GDP Deflator and CPI methods were created to mathematically tease out these effects on average. But the big hidden problem with using GDP as a measure of well being is that it doesn't include non-market transactions such as hidden markets and home production. Home production includes cooking, cleaning, caring for children, shopping, and doing odd jobs around the house. As Andrew Yang points out in his speeches, the economic value assigned to his wife staying at home and caring for his children is zero.

So how can we measure home production to infer its economic value? According to an OECD report in 1992, there are three possible methods: Global Substitute(GL), Specialist Substitute(SP), and Opportunity Cost(OC). The GL method measures housework based on the average market wage of hiring an average person to do the work. The SP approach uses the specific market wage for that household task, whereas the OC method uses your own wage to represent the lost time. Housework as a percentage of private consumption in Canada in 1986 was measured using these methods. It was 82.7% with the OC method, 70.7% using SP, and 38.4% with the GL approach.

Whatever measure is used to account for home production, it is clearly a large part of the real economy. I believe that in this current economic shutdown the economy didn't fully shutdown, it merely shifted to the hidden parts of society. You can see this at a local level in Guelph. Local Boy Scouts are using 3D printers to make medical safety masks. Local seniors are dusting off their sewing machine to make cloth masks. Local car drivers are offering free grocery delivery for the house ridden. Local environmentalists are cleaning up garbage near highways and rivers. All of this hidden work is real and adds value to our community.

What do you think?
Is GDP per person an accurate measure of your personal well-being?
Should home production be counted as part of GDP?
Is Basic Income a way to give a flat economic value to home production?
Can you estimate the economic value of your housework through the OC, SP, or GL method?

Guelph Non-Profit & Charity Tax Grants 2020

In productive tax news, a total of $307,200 in taxes was granted to 49 non-profit or charitable organizations in Guelph. The grants range from $1,200 to $12,000 to be used for core operating costs or special events. The types of organizations awarded involve music & art, festivals & events, and schools & camps.

The majority of grants were given to core Guelph community groups. For instance, Hillside Festival received $7,000, 10 Carden Street was awarded $8,000, the Guelph Tool Library earned $6,000, and the Drop-In-Center got $11,000.

The most accessible use of our tax dollars comes from organizations offering FREE services, as no-cost services are available to all members of the public by removing any financial barrier. The Action Read Community Literacy Centre received $11,000 to support their FREE literacy, numeracy, and essential skills training for all residents of Guelph. $7,000 was awarded to Emerge Guelph Sustainability to fund FREE home energy and water assessments and help Guelph residents reduce their environmental impact and save money.

This is your tax dollars at work. Get out there and enjoy the return on your investment!