Guelph Tool Library not getting the funding they expected

Claire Cowan, a Guelph Tool Library board member. (CTV News/Spencer Turcotte)

The Guelph Tool Library will no longer be getting funding they expected to come from the city.

This development comes as they settle within the Old Quebec Street Shoppes in downtown Guelph.

Part of what prompted the move in the first place is growing membership, which resulted in the need for more space. They were expecting a community benefit agreement (CBA) to be signed, which would’ve seen $80,000 go to the group for each of the next three years starting in 2025.

But that’s not the case anymore.

“Now we've been told that it's not available to us until 2027. And that means that we have to put all of our programing for non-members on hold,” said Claire Cowan, a Guelph Tool Library board member.

The not-for-profit organization has tools and household items available to members, and works kind of like a regular library.

The money they anticipated to receive was supposed to go toward new programming.

“It was going to allow us to have consistent programming to hire consistent staff and really be able to deliver all of the awesome programs that we want to deliver for the City of Guelph,” said Cowan.

While drafting the updated city budget for next year, plans to sign the CBA were eliminated. In a phone interview with CTV News, Jayne Holmes, the city’s deputy CAO, said it was a difficult decision.

“We cannot do everything, and wouldn't we love to? But there's no magic wand that provides, you know, instantly more money, instantly more people to do those things that we know benefit our community,” said Holmes.

She explained that when a multi-year budget gets approved, the current year is what’s being adopted. The remaining years are adopted in principle and adjusted as needed, which is what happened in this case.

“Housing and affordability have to go to the top of the list, there are inevitably going to be things at the lower end of the list,” said Holmes.

While the Guelph Tool Library isn’t going anywhere, and is still open to members, the lack of funding makes it much more difficult to operate.

The community will have another chance to change the minds of city staff on Nov. 19, when there will be public delegations on the draft budget.