The Council Round-Up (February 2025)
A snapshot of what's happening in council chambers around Waterloo Region
While expected, last night’s results were not what I was hoping for, however, I think that’s less about a ‘strong mandate for Ford’ and more about a system that doesn’t accurately reflect what the majority of Ontarians want. Locally, I was heartened to see that Catherine Fife and Aislinn Clancy held on to their seats. As did Green leader Mike Schreiner, who consistently demonstrates what an elected can/should be.
Now back to our local council horseshoes…
Cambridge:
Cambridge is updating its facility accessibility design standards (FADS) to increase accessibility in municipal spaces. “FADS are technical design standards used by city staff to ensure accessibility goes beyond the Ontario Building Code. The guidelines aim to remove barriers and promote equitable access for all individuals, regardless of ability.”
After a provincial review of Cambridge’s 2023 housing targets, the city will receive nearly $4.5 million.
The city had been informed that it would not receive any funding from the Building Faster Fund as it had only reached about 75 per cent of its 1,393-unit housing goal, falling short of the 80 per cent needed to qualify for the fund.
However, Cambridge deputy city manager, Hardy Bromberg, “insisted a miscalculation by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) was to blame for inaccurate numbers. Recognizing (the error) would put the city at 88 per cent of its housing target. The mistake has now been corrected.”
Region of Waterloo:
Work continues on visioning for the Charles St. Terminal lands focusing on four key pillars identified by community members: affordable housing, climate action, equity, diversity and inclusion and a thriving economy.
“This site has evolved to meet the needs of each generation. Originally an industrial site in the 1880s, the site was transformed in 1949 by the Bullas brothers, who reimagined it as a vibrant, mixed-use development for living, gathering and working. Their vision led to the eventual expansion of Charles Street from a laneway into a critical urban street, fostering a sense of belonging and transformation that mirrors community sentiment today.”
Kitchener:
Thanks to warmer temperatures this week, we are finally seeing at least some of the snow melting away. Could more be on the way though? Just in case, Kitchener Councillor (ward 10) Steph Stretch shared some snow clearing updates in her most recent newsletter, including:
Sidewalk Snow Clearing - Property owners must clear the sidewalks around their property of both snow and ice within 24 hours of a snowfall. These sidewalks must be maintained to bare pavement on an ongoing basis.
If you see a sidewalk that hasn't been cleared within 24 hours, you can notify our bylaw department by calling our Contact Centre at 519.741.2345.
Snow Events - During a Snow Event, parking on city streets is not allowed until the Snow Event is declared over. Cars that are parked on a street during a snow event may be tagged or towed. You can subscribe to receive Storm and Emergency updates by subscribing to Storm and Emergency Update.
Speaking of snow events, crews have been working hard to clear sidewalks and roadways after this month’s snow storms - all of which impacts snow clearing budgets.
“The City of Kitchener set aside $5.6 million for winter maintenance. The city budgets for five snow events, but if they get less than five, the rest is put into a surplus account. If they go over five, they draw from that account.” So far this year, we have had six snow events.
The City of Waterloo hasn’t had to touch it’s reserve since 2022 and this year’s winter control budget is $4.2 million. While the City of Cambridge didn’t have current numbers available for this year’s budget, it has $1.2 million in its reserve fund, if they go over their budgeted amount.
Earlier this month, Kitchener Council considered the timing for a staff report to consider a renoviction bylaw. Several nearby municipalities have developed (or are developing) municipal renoviction rules, including Hamilton, London, and Toronto.
Staff have been asked to come back to council with a report which will explore:
How municipalities are implementing and enforcing their bylaws
Whether there have been any legal challenges
Any interactions between bylaw and the Landlord Tenant Board processes
The number and expertise of staff dedicated to the development, implementation and enforcement of the bylaws
Associated costs
The report will come to the Planning and Strategic Initiatives Committee on June 2nd. By this time, “Hamilton’s bylaw would be in effect for approximately five months, giving staff a better perspective on the opportunities, challenges and legal considerations.”
Kitchener planning staff have found some innovative ways to engage with the public on various planning policies. I’m particularly fond of this one, where staff held a workshop on the Growing Together East plan at St. Mary’s High School.
Staff note: “It was a priority for staff to speak to younger people throughout engagement on Growing Together East. Staff believe that young people may be living and working in the area a decade from now when much of the change implemented through our planning work is taking place. This demographic will be looking for housing they can afford, good jobs in a wide variety of industries, and amenities that meet their needs.”
While I have mixed feelings about public engagement on planning and development issues (as noted here and here), I love that staff took the time to engage with youth in an engaging way on this project.
Waterloo:
Waterloo council approved the City's first Reconciliation, Equity, Accessibility, Diversity, and Inclusion (READI) Plan. In an effort to become a more welcoming and inclusive place for all, the READI Plan aims to:
Improve Indigenous relations and foster Reconciliation
Enhance the built environment
Cultivate a culture of belonging
Increase diversity of staff and leadership
Focus on equitable distribution of resources
Build trust through systems of accountability
Earlier this year, Waterloo Council amended the Residential Rental Licensing By-law to only allow for the operation of a short-term rental in an owner’s principal residence in low-rise rental properties. This is an interim measure until a more comprehensive plan is prepared by staff and decided upon by Council.
Waterloo is working to simplify parking reduction agreements for affordable housing given “that parking demand at affordable housing buildings varies between locations, and does not always align with the minimum parking requirements.”
Parking reductions for affordable housing units will not require an amendment for developments that meet the following criteria:
a minimum of 25% of the dwelling units in the development shall be provided as affordable housing units;
affordable housing units be maintained at affordable prices and rents for a minimum period of 25 years; and
accessible and visitor parking spaces are provided in accordance with the requirements of the Zoning By-law, calculated based on the amount of parking required prior to any reduction.
Waterloo’s Fire Safety Box Bylaw comes into effect March 23, 2025 and requires owners of residential and industrial buildings who need a fire safety plan according to section 2.8 of the Ontario Fire Code, to also have a fire safety box and an approved lockbox. A fire safety box “is a condensed version of the fire safety plan and only includes the owner's contact information and building schematics.” Failure to provide a fire safety box or arrive at the scene of the fire within 45 minutes, may result in a fine of up to $5,000.
School Board Updates:
Community advocate and WRDSB parent, Lauren Weinberg, is back again this month to provide an overview of recent WRDSB meetings.
Scott Miller, who has worked for the WRDSB since 1995, most recently as its interim director, has been hired as the board's new director for a 3.5-year contract. When she announced Miller's appointment at the February 10th trustee meeting, board chair Maedith Radlein said, "Student achievement and well-being requires consistency, the collaboration of all our education partners, and strong partnerships with families and community.…After much consideration and discussion, [the board of trustees] decided that students, staff, parents, families, and caregivers will be best served by not conducting a director search at this time." Miller has been a teacher, principal, and administrator with the WRDSB, and he is a graduate of WRDSB schools.
The WRDSB presented its 2023–2024 Annual Community Report at the January 27th meeting. According to the report, the board's five-year graduation rate increased to 86.9 percent (from 85.2), and 87 percent of WRDSB school sites are now fully accessible. "Our plan is to have the remaining 16 [schools] fully accessible by 2026," Executive Officer Eusis Dougan-Mackenzie told trustees, adding that eight of those schools are already partially accessible.
WRDSB administrators also presented a report, "Staff Consultation Regarding Student Behaviour Incidents," at the February 10th meeting. During the 2023–24 academic year, there were 4,748 reported incidents of "student aggression" toward staff: a worrying 70.5 percent increase from the previous year. The report found that more students were responsible for such incidents (842, a 29.5 percent increase from the previous year), and most incidents (76.1 percent) involved students in JK through Grade 3. Staff compiled the report by interviewing union representatives from eight employee groups who work directly with students. All of them cited "staffing"—both decreased staffing and staff absences—"as a contributing factor to the increase in disruptive student behaviour," stated the report. Decreased funding has led to a decline in staffing and in employees' ability to get relevant training, explained Dir. Miller to trustees. That funding is determined by the province.
Upcoming Events:
The Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery (KWAG) is hosting a screening of the film ANTHROPOCENE: The Human Epoch on March 6th at 7:00pm. This film by Jennifer Baichwal, Nick De Pencier and Edward Burtynsky “follows the research of an international body of scientists who, after nearly 10 years of research, are arguing that the Holocene Epoch gave way to the Anthropocene Epoch in the mid-twentieth century, because of profound and lasting human changes to the Earth.”
Join the YWKW for “a series of conversations that connects the community with women who live in Waterloo Region and highlights the important work many of them are leading.” Tickets are $30 per session (or $150 for the entire series) and each session runs from 11:30am - 1:00pm at the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum, and includes a catered lunch.
March 3, 2025 – April 30, 2025: “Walk-in during business hours, complete a few forms, and drop off your documents. A volunteer will prepare and e-file your tax return. Then, you pick up your documents. Proof of identity required when dropping-off and picking-up tax documents.”
The Kitchener Public Library hosts free family movies every other Sunday at 1:30pm at its Central Branch. The next one happens March 2nd and they’ll be showing Paddington 2.
International Women’s Day Market: Friday, March 7th. “This market will showcase a diverse selection of businesses led by talented women selling jewelry, beauty products, home goods and more.”
Quartet for Garlic, Cello, Mouth & Telephone, as part of the Femme Folks Fest
“Interdisciplinary theatre performance from cellist Miriam Stewart-Kroeker and performer Ben Gorodetsky. These two powerhouse artists bring their distinct styles to a piece that explores memories, melodies, smells and fragments of love exploring Ben’s relationship with their maternal grandmother, Raiya. Her experiences with starvation, survival, and transformation are told through phone calls, live cooking, movement and translation.”
And given the focus of this newsletter, I’d be remiss to not mention Waterloo’s Council for a Day contest. “Each year, 8 (grade 5) students are chosen to be Council for a Day based on their ideas for improving life in Waterloo. Winners are invited to attend State of the City and spend the day with Mayor McCabe.” While I suspect there aren’t a lot of fifth-graders reading this newsletter (though if you are, you should definitely apply to this contest!), please consider sharing the opportunity with any fifth-graders in your life. Apply by April 6th.
And, before you go, it’s worth noting that as of Monday, March 3rd, CUPE 1656 members are in a legal strike position. This includes people who work in road maintenance, landfill services, airport services, clean water treatment services and emergency vehicle repairs. That means landfills may be closed and some regional roads may not be maintained if a strike happens on Monday.