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CTV News
24-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
New Guelph councillor sworn in
The City of Guelph officially has a new councillor. City council held a special meeting on Wednesday to fill the Ward 6 seat vacated when former councillor Dominique O'Rourke successfully ran during the federal election in May. Councillors decided to directly choose the replacement by voting from a pool of candidates instead of holding a byelection or asking the runner up in the last municipal election to fill the role. Over the course of almost three hours, 26 candidates got their chance to address council and gave a 5-minute pitch for why they should be chosen to fill the vacancy. After that, the voting process began. The candidates were read aloud in alphabetical order and councillors were asked to cast a vote for their preferred option. Any candidate who received no votes would be removed from contention and another vote would be held. If anyone received at least seven votes during a round they would be declared the winner. The candidates were whittled down to two finalists after one round of voting, leaving only Rebecca Adam and Katherine Hauser. The second round of voting ended in a tie, with six votes apiece. To break the tie, both names were written on a piece of card stock and put inside a box. A name was drawn out and Katherine Hauser became the newest Guelph city councillor. She was sworn in moments later and will now be representing Ward 6 alongside Councillor Ken Yee Chew. Who is Katherine Hauser? According to Hauser's personal statement submitted to council, the single mother of four has lived in Guelph since she was 16 years old. A former downtown business owner, Hauser and her husband owned two bars – Doogie's and Pablo's – until 2012. Hauser attended the University of Guelph, majoring in political science, as well as criminal justice and public policy. In 2022, Hauser was elected as a trustee with the Upper Grand District School Board, representing Ward 6 and Puslinch Township. For the last three years, she's served the board as vice chair and has sat on several committees. Hauser also serves as a steward with the United Steelworkers. 'In every space I occupy, I have earned a reputation for showing up, having done the work and I bring a steady, thoughtful and collaborative approach to complex issues,' she said. 'While my qualifications and experience are both relevant and strong, they are only part of why I am here. I am also a renter, a transit user, a longtime Guelph resident, a single parent of four now grown children and a former downtown business owner and employer. I know the squeeze that families are feeling and empathize with the seemingly unattainable goal of homeownership. I understand the urgency of issues like sustainable growth, affordability and inclusive planning.'
CTV News
24-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Guelph city councillors choose new colleague from 26 candidates
There are 26 candidates who want to be Guelph's newest city councillor. CTV's Heather Senoran explains how picking process works. City councillors in Guelph are choosing who will be their next colleague during a special council meeting. City staff put out an open call for residents in May after former Councillor Dominique O'Rourke's seat was vacated following her successful run for federal politics. Nominations were open from June 9 until July 7. In total, 26 people submitted applications. On Wednesday, all candidates were given 5 minutes to make their case before councillors during a special meeting. After that, council will vote on who will fill the seat. 'The first individual to secure seven votes will be the selected candidate,' said Stephen O'Brien, Guelph's general manager of clerks. The meeting started at 4 p.m. with some very passionate candidates. 'It's not about ideology or different things,' candidate Gregory Cawsey said during his 5 minute allotment. 'I think what people are yearning for is good government, good people in those positions so that people have the confidence that they know that their tax dollars are being spent in a judicious manner.' Another candidate listed reasons why she should be chosen. 'Because I live in the ward. Because community engagement has been my life's work and finally because I intend to make this role my full-time job, giving it the full care and commitment that this council and the residents of Ward 6 deserve,' candidate Dakota Cherry said. There are other ways the process to find a replacement could have played out. The city could have held a byelection or a runner-up from the previous municipal election could have been called to the position. 'I think it's unfortunate because it looks like you're applying to become a member of the club. And it's not a club. It's a political organization,' said Peter Woolstencroft, a retired political science professor with the University of Waterloo. Woolstencroft said he's hoping city councillors keep an open mind. 'They're not likely to choose somebody who says, 'I think this council's doing a terrible job and I want to address some issues and bring about some change.' I doubt very much a councillor wants to hear that, but maybe they should hear it,' he said. Councillor Phil Allt admitted having councillors choose wasn't his favourite option, but he understands why it is happening. 'We're put in the awkward position of selecting a colleague rather than electing one,' Allt said. 'And it's because realistically the person has eight to 10 months of work experience before the next election. So ideally, I would in some ways, like to have a person who is not seeking re-election.' He said there a lot of traits he's looking for in the next city councillor. 'Being sensitive to planning issues, recognizing the needs of the community, including those such as for the redevelopment of downtown or facilities, being mindful of taxation, but not putting taxation as the first priority in a city that is quickly growing,' Allt said. After two and a half hours, some candidates were still making their pitches. 'If I can sneak a pillow in, maybe I will,' Allt joked. 'Hopefully, we will be done quickly. But democracy sometimes moves slowly.' After the vote, the rest of the process will move quickly. The chosen person will be sworn in immediately and will be able to participate in the rest of the meeting.
CBC
23-07-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Guelph council set to pick new colleague from 26 candidates who applied to take over vacant seat
Guelph councillors are set to hear from 26 people on Wednesday who want to fill the currently vacant council seat. The seat became open after Dominique O'Rourke, who was serving as a councillor for Ward 6, was elected Guelph's MP on the April 28 federal election. After the win, O'Rourke resigned from council. On May 27, council voted to fill the empty seat through an open call for nominees. Council also could have opted to hold a byelection or go with a previous runner up from the 2022 municipal election. Nominations were open between June 9 and July 7. In order to put their name forward, a person needed to be a resident of Guelph or own or rent property in the city, be a Canadian citizen, be at least 18 years old and not be prohibited from voting or holding municipal office. Each candidate sent a statement to council ahead of Wednesday's meeting to indicate why they wanted the position. Some also received letters of support, which were given to councillors ahead of time to review. The vote on Wednesday will follow an open voting process for transparency. Each councillor will vote for one person. A candidate must receive 50 per cent of the vote to win. If that doesn't happen in the first round, then the candidates with the fewest votes are removed from the list and there's a new round of voting. That continues until someone has 50 per cent of the vote. Once the vote is over, the person chosen by council will join the city clerk at the council horseshoe to take part in the declaration of office. The person chosen will go through orientation before council's next committee of the whole meeting scheduled for Sept. 3. A report by the city clerk notes the seat must be filled by July 26 under the law. The special council meeting on Wednesday to choose the next councillor starts at 4 p.m.
