Not Toronto's Suburb: Preserve Guelph's Character

Written by: Dakota Cherry, Ward 5 Candidate

The construction happening downtown is necessary. Aging infrastructure, including cracked pipes, has been an issue for years, and these upgrades will ultimately make the area more functional and more inviting.

But there’s a bigger question we need to ask: what will downtown look like when the construction is done?

Because if the only businesses left are big banks and chains, we’ve lost something important along the way.

We’re already starting to see the impact. The closure of places like the Latin American grocery store, Harmony Jewelry, and Feather and Foe points to a troubling pattern. These aren’t just businesses but a key part of the character, spirit, and culture of downtown.

Many of them closed because construction made it or will make it harder for customers to get to them. Small storefronts depend on foot traffic. When that disappears, even temporarily, the margins get tight very quickly.

This isn’t unique to Guelph. Cities across the country face the same challenge. Infrastructure projects are necessary, but without the right support, they can unintentionally push out the very businesses that make a downtown worth investing in.

If we’re going to invest in rebuilding downtown, we also need to invest in the people who give it life.

That could mean finding ways to ease the pressure during construction; whether that’s temporary financial relief, interest-free loans, or creating reasons for people to still come downtown despite the construction and chaos.

These are all feasible and necessary actions that municipal governments can and must take to show that the 'I <3 Downtown Guelph' campaign is more than empty words.