A United Vision
Guelph. We’re grounded in community and our deep connection to the environment. We look out for one another, celebrate our diversity and smile at each other in the streets. We are leaders who shape tomorrow. We tackle local and global challenges through innovation, art and action. And we’re committed to inclusive prosperity—because together, we’re stronger.
The Community Plan
Guelph is growing at one of the fastest rates in Canada, with a population projected to increase from 130,000 today to almost 170,000 by 2030. As our community grows and changes, we need a well-planned approach that steers us in directions we want to go. An aspirational vision that prioritizes the outcomes the community believes are most important. Guelph’s Community Plan is that North star.
Guelph is a special place. Regardless of who we are, what we do or which ward we live in, we are passionate about protecting the things that set Guelph apart and tackling the challenges that face our community.
Our Community Plan informs and inspires us as we move forward. It guides the work of local government and agencies that serve our community and provides a framework for monitoring our progress.
Above all, it lays the foundation for a strong, welcoming and prosperous future for Guelph—and for everyone who lives here.
This is the community’s plan—a plan for all of us to work towards.
Our Community’s Values
Creating this Plan began with a lot of listening — a year of engaging individuals and organizations through social media, community events, telephone surveys, sector round tables and more. And the same messages kept coming up again and again.
Regardless of our age, where we live or where we come from, people in Guelph agree on seven basic values.
Everyone’s well-being
Everyone’s well-being. We are a compassionate community concerned with nurturing healthy, active, happy people of all ages. We care about and want to provide support for those experiencing poverty, gender-based violence, mental health concerns, homelessness and addiction.
Environmental stewardship
We’re passionate about our green spaces and the beauty of our natural environment. We understand the crucial need to take care of it. We are proud to be environmental leaders, helping address pressing national and international concerns.
Fiscal responsibility
We believe that doing what’s right for future generations includes making the right investments for the greatest return. We realize the challenges faced by many in our community who are struggling to make ends meet. Affordability, or more to the point, lack of affordability is a consistent theme through our engagement.
Integrity
What we say matters, whether as individuals or organizations. How we behave matters even more. We believe in standing up for what’s right and standing behind our decisions.
Innovation
We value creativity and curiosity. We value the beauty that follows innovation in its many forms: how we collaborate, express ourselves and solve problems. We embrace the blank page, the whiteboard and the untouched canvas.
Inclusiveness
Everyone here belongs here. We celebrate our differences and learn from each other. We challenge ourselves to look beyond our own experiences. We know that decisions are better when a diversity of voices are welcome, included and shared.
Respect
For each other and the land we share. For civil discourse and picking up after ourselves. For our elders. For our life choices, our right of expression, our right to be heard and our right to have a say in the decisions that affect us.
Focus Themes
Seven themes also emerged through engagement that provided a glimpse of the kind of Guelph we want in the future. For each, there are directions we need to take and goals we aim to achieve to help us realize our vision together.
