GUELPH POLITICAST #341 – Election Economics

This week, the Guelph Chamber of Commerce posts the recorded Q&As they’ve done with the candidates running in each of Guelph’s six wards, and the mayor’s race, deviating from the live format they’ve done in years past. But today, it’s the Chamber's CEO and President turn to answer the questions as we dive into the election issues at the intersection of government, business and community.

If you ask any 10 people in Guelph what they think the number one issue of the election is going to be, you will get some variation on affordability. As we’re reminded all the time in politics, and you will hear it again on this podcast, municipalities are creatures of the province, so when it comes to these big, systemic economic pressures, there’s only so much that City Hall, and those in it, can do.

So what can City Hall do? They can help set the scene and establish their town as a place that’s appealing to do business. Through this lens, a lack of affordable housing doesn’t really make living in Guelph seem inviting to anyone other than the ultra-wealthy, and a lack of regional transit options doesn’t make Guelph appealing to anyone that hates the car culture. So  are the economic issues of this election bigger and more complicated than "affordability"?

Shakiba Shayani will help us analyze this and other questions as she talks about the role of affordable housing in encouraging business growth, and why the goals of business leaders and the rest of the community are not as different as you might think. She will also dig into regional transit, the number of hotel rooms in Guelph, and where our city stands in the great return-to-the-office or work-from-home debate. And finally, she will talk about the issue that she wants to get a full vetting before Election Day.

So let's talk about the economic issues this election on this edition of the Guelph Politicast!

You can now watch the seven different municipal election debates hosted by the Guelph Chamber on their YouTube channel, and you learn all kinds of things about the Guelph Chamber of Commerce at their website.

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Also, when you subscribe to the Guelph Politicast channel and you will also get an episode of Open Sources Guelph every Monday, and an episode of End Credits every Friday.