The Council Round-Up (August 2024)
A snapshot of what's happening in council chambers around Waterloo Region
While most of our local councils don’t meet in July, there are still several items to catch up on. Take a look.
Region of Waterloo:
As you may have heard by now, the Region has selected a site for a new acute care hospital. The new location is part of the David Johnston Research + Technology Park at the University of Waterloo (west of Bearinger Road and Hagey Boulevard in Waterloo).
The press release states, “The new state-of-the-art hospital, if approved by the Government for implementation, will bring more hospital beds and acute care capacity to the region, introduce new services, and bring more care closer to home for patients.”
In transit news, Regional council approved nearly $16.5 million in debenture financing to buy a 25-acre property in Breslau for a future GO station and mixed-use development.
“This is a milestone investment in Breslau, supporting a significant transit connection for Woolwich and the wider Waterloo region,” said Region of Waterloo Chair Karen Redman. “The parcel along Fountain Street is adjacent to the recently upgraded rail line and is perfectly suited for transit-oriented development, setting the stage for two-way, all-day GO service and greater connectivity to the Region of Waterloo International Airport,” Redman said.
Like many communities across Canada, Waterloo Region is struggling to adequately address drug overdoses. Sixty-five people died of opioid-related drug overdoses in the region last year, and another 28 have died so far in 2024.
Council is seeking additional provincial funding for increased community-based addictions and mental health crisis and treatment services. “Access to treatment and services for addictions and mental health is a major need in the community and is currently limited with long wait lists, gaps, and insufficient funding.”
Almost two years ago, I wrote about a rather galling decision by Regional Council to give themselves benefits for life, without any citizen input or review. I argued at that time that a conversation around councillor compensation is important, but it must follow certain protocols that were seemingly abandoned during that 2022 vote. Fortunately, council eventually reversed that decision, with a plan to review the renumeration and benefit plan, with public input, at a later date. That time has come.
“Council has asked staff to hire an independent consultant to review the remuneration, benefits, and staff support provided to them. The review includes opportunities for the public to provide input.” I will share more details once the public meeting of Council is scheduled. (Click below for a link to the original 2022 post).
Regional Council: Benefits for Life
Did you know that with the closure of 84 Frederick (a women’s shelter run by the YWKW) that there are no women’s only emergency shelter spaces in Waterloo Region? Zero! Some folks are working to bring attention to this important issue. Follow them here and consider signing the petition calling for an interim women’s emergency shelter. I will be sharing more about this pressing issue in an upcoming series.
Cambridge:
Cambridge staff recently informed Council that while 70% of the city’s assets are classified as "very good or good”, 13.9% are classified as "poor or very poor” (up from 9.5% in 2017).
Drinking water assets seem particularly worrisome. “Ward 1 Councillor Helen Shwery pointed to a section of the report which says 27% of the city's drinking water assets are in poor or very poor condition, saying that's concerning."
Yogesh Shah, the deputy city manager of infrastructure services, said those results don't necessarily mean that the city is not meeting current standards. "They do good enough to provide the services [but are] prone to frequent failures," he told councillors.
It may however result in more water main breaks or other failures. "If more assets are in poor and very poor condition it means you need more dollars to operate those assets.”
The staff report was not all dire news however. The city's stormwater system is rated as ‘good’, with 7% of stormwater assets in poor or very poor condition. The wastewater system is ‘very good’, with just 6% of those assets listed as poor or very poor.
Water issues seem to be a theme in Cambridge right now, though, as Council also debated whether water billing should be reverted back to being the responsibility of the tenant and not the landlord, which would reverse a decision made in 2015.
That 2015 decision was made “due to the city incurring additional expenses for writing off accounts that weren’t collected, and cost efficiencies were found under the new process, including the elimination of three full-time employees,” says Sheryl Ayres, the city’s chief financial officer. “As well, the city required a $230 deposit, split over the first two water bills, and tenants found that a financial burden.”
The issue was first discussed in April of this year where Landlord Lillo Ognibene told council “putting the water bill burden solely on landlords and property owners creates an imbalance of responsibility. It’s a fundamental principle of fairness that those who use the service should be the ones who pay for it.”
Shannon Down, executive director of Waterloo Region Community Legal Services, disagreed since “many tenants have complained of high water bills due to the landlord’s failure to maintain and repair dripping taps and running toilets. Shifting the ultimate responsibility for these costs to low-income tenants is unfair and is a poor policy when the tenants don’t have the ability or the means to fix these issues.”
Council revisited the issue last month and decided to establish a task force, comprised of nine members (3 council members, 2 tenants, 2 landlords and 2 citizens that are not landlord property owners) to further explore options for water billing. That group will “review the proposed options in the report and compare similar programs in Kitchener and Waterloo. As well, the task force will be mandated to provide feedback on the proposed program, implementation, timelines and cost in comparison with similar programs and try to find any efficiencies.”
Cambridge Councillor Scott Hamilton is not supportive of changing the existing approach. “I cannot accept that as a councillor; I can’t get behind that. I cannot in good conscience tell (residents) now you’re going to subsidize landlords in your neighbourhood for taking on the risk for making a profit out of their own business.”
Kitchener:
Last December, Kitchener Council approved a motion for staff to investigate and develop criteria for a pilot project to allow alcoholic beverages to be consumed in Victoria Park. Kitchener ward 3 Councillor Deneault, who brought the motion forth, said it would give people the freedom to get together and host small events in the park. However, at the June 24th meeting, Council “voted to defer the 2024 pilot program allowing alcohol consumption in select parks due to concerns about capacity, public health and safety, and monitoring and enforcement capabilities. Instead, the city will continue collaborating with Waterloo Regional Police Services to explore the potential for a future pilot, while also monitoring the effects of the Province’s expanded alcohol sales on local communities.”
Have you had a chance to use the fitness equipment in Victoria Park? A recent post from the City of Kitchener reminded folks about this great park feature (found near the children’s playground).
“Pumping up the community spirit on #NationalHealthandFitnessDay! Shoutout to all the amazing neighbourhood champs, sponsors, and community members who made the Kitchener Rangers Outdoor Fitness Area possible with a #LoveMyHood placemaking grant. The equipment demo was a blast!”
In a time when everything feels so expensive, we can welcome news that “Council approved a decrease to the natural gas supply rate to 11.63 cents/cubic meter (from 16.7 cents/cubic meter) for Kitchener Utilities gas customers”. This will result in savings of approximately $80.69 or 9.3% this year for the average residential customer. Read the report online.
Waterloo:
In May 2023, Waterloo Park welcomed the first phase of the Eby Farm Playground which is the first accessible surface playground in the City. Council recently approved funding for phase 2 of that project. According to ward 2 Councillor Royce Bodaly’s newsletter, the Eby Farm Playground expansion will include numerous accessible elements, such as: sensory panels, a sensory tunnel, communication board, an elevated sand table with built-in shade, and a sand pit with transfer stations. Construction is expected to be complete by the end of November 2024.
Waterloo is also considering the future of the Eby Farmstead in the park and are accepting feedback throughout the summer. The space, which currently houses donkeys, alpacas, and llamas, used to house “black bears, cougars and timber wolves before transitioning to domestic animals in the ‘90s over safety concerns.”
Waterloo Mayor McCabe says one of the other aspects council will consider is whether there is enough space for the animals. “The idea of keeping animals that really are used to being able to graze in a much bigger area, is that the right place to have animals?” Share you thoughts here.
Waterloo is updating its noise bylaw and your input can help inform new noise regulations, exemption processes and bylaw updates. The bylaw was last updated in 2017 and with continuing growth and changes, the City “wants to gather information about new noise sources, emerging challenges, outdated regulations and/or exemptions. Community input will be used to help create a harmonious environment for residents and businesses.” Fill out the survey today.
Earlier this year, Regional Council passed a bylaw to allow a property tax exemption for affordable housing. The City of Waterloo is following their lead. The exemption applies to units at 80% of average market rate, where at least 30% of the total units are guaranteed to be affordable for 60 years. Sean Campbell, with Union Co-operative, “supports the new by-law, noting it would make it easier to bring more buildings into community ownership and provide even more permanent affordability.” Click to learn more about the program with CKMS coverage.
As always, thanks for reading!