The Council Round-Up (Nov/Dec 2023)
A snapshot of what's happening in council chambers around Waterloo Region
There have been many important council discussions happening locally in the last month or two. Here are a few of the discussions and decisions that stood out to me.
Region of Waterloo:
The Region of Waterloo is permanently reducing speed limits in school zones which are on Regional Roads. For most of these school zones, the new speed will be 40 km/h. These limits will be in effect year-round, 24 hours a day, which is in line with what local municipalities are already doing. “In 2022, the Region tested lower speed limits from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and found they did result in lower speeds.”
You can read the staff report here.
Perhaps, like me, your list of podcasts to listen to grows at a faster rate than your ability to listen to them. However, this may be one to add to that list! The Region has a new podcast called Your Region Pod which will “cover topics that affect your life and explore services not everyone knows we deliver. The podcast will feature guests from the community and bust some myths along the way.”
Cambridge:
The new Cambridge recreation complex is nearing the final design stage and there have been several public engagement sessions offered this month.
City staff and project architects were “on hand to answer questions and engage residents in conversations on a number of topics, including proposed amenities and activities, library design priorities, programs and services, outdoor spaces and washroom/change room design.”
And, here’s an idea that I hope catches on for engagement sessions: The Idea Exchange provided refreshments as well as activities for the kids to ensure the engagement sessions are family friendly.
The recreation complex will be located in south Cambridge and is expected to be completed in 2026. It will feature a 10-lane, 25-metre swimming pool and warm water leisure pool, three FIBA-sized gymnasiums, a running/walking track and fitness area, multi-purpose rooms and an Idea Exchange library location. Click here to learn more.
Cambridge has asked for public input on the fate of two pedestrian bridges in Galt’s Mill Race Park (that survey closed earlier this month). Options include removing both bridges, rebuilding both, or rebuilding one and removing the other.
“The pedestrian bridges have been closed since 2022, following a structural engineering review that found them to be unsafe and recommended they be removed or rebuilt.”
Public input will be shared to help determine the preferred option and will be presented to council for a final decision in March 2024. More details about the three options can be found here.
In a move that I simply can’t understand, Cambridge Council opposed Councillor Hamilton’s motion for staff to bring back a report on the feasibility of creating affordable housing on city-owned parking lots. With over 8,000 households on the Region’s waitlist, I can’t fathom how Council could pass on this opportunity to potentially create more affordable housing in Cambridge. Mayor Liggett stated, “This is not the best use of valuable real estate in the public realm...These are not surplus lands. These are in-use parking lots." How council considers parking as a better use of this real estate than affordable housing (which would still provide the parking that council seems so concerned about) is beyond me.
You can find more coverage on this disappointing decision in the WR Record, including the above image of what this proposed motion might have been able to create. I’ll be emailing the councillors who opposed this (Jan Liggett, Adam Cooper, Mike Devine, Nicholas Ermeta and Helen Shwery) to encourage them to reconsider. If you’d like to do the same (especially if you are a Cambridge resident), you can find their contact information here.
Kitchener:
Last month, Kitchener Council approved its Downtown Kitchener vision which was created by a working group consisting of dozens of residents from throughout the city, who were supported by staff in this process. “Downtown Kitchener is at a critical point in its evolution due to unprecedented growth, housing affordability challenges, social factors and the lingering effects of the pandemic on businesses.”
The three guiding principles of the Downtown Kitchener vision are:
Radiating vibrancy;
Cultivating connection; and
Belonging.
Read the full report here.
Kitchener also recently launched its 2023-2026 Strategic Plan as well as the city’s new vision: Building a city for everyone where, together, we take care of the world around us – and each other. Mayor Vrbanovic noted that, “this new vision articulates that Kitchener is a community built on a foundation of caring and connection. The lessons of our past – and the promise of tomorrow – remind us that people who love their city can always change it, and our world, for the better.”
Public feedback solidified the five Strategic Plan focus areas, which are:
Building a Connected City;
Cultivating a Green City;
Creating an Economically Thriving City;
Fostering a Caring City; and
Stewarding a Better City.
Alongside the full strategic plan, the City of Kitchener released a short video explaining the plan in the words of the community members who brought it to life. It can be viewed on the City’s YouTube channel.
Waterloo:
While a number of local municipalities have approved denser housing options ‘as-of-right’ this fall, Waterloo earns a gold star for not only allowing (up to) four residential units, but including housing up to four storeys in low density residential zones. That means that up to four residential units would be allowed without the need for a separate zoning bylaw amendment where existing zoning permits single detached, semi-detached or street townhouses, provided lot size is sufficient.
Council also confirmed their support for higher density housing options in areas supported by transit and near post-secondary institutions, and to increase the supply of missing middle housing. Staff will report back to Council on the amendment in the first quarter of 2024.
Waterloo Council unanimously approved a new Boulevard and Cul-de-sac Garden guideline. “The new guideline presents a balanced approach that supports the environmental and storm water management functions of gardens with the necessary functions of boulevards.” While boulevards provide space for utilities (including telecommunications and buried hydro), snow storage, leaf collection and regional waste pick up programs, council sees that they can also be an opportunity “to encourage beautification, biodiversity and environmental awareness of Waterloo’s bee city initiative by allowing the planting of flowers, grasses and other native species that support pollinators.”
Townships:
Budget discussions are underway in Waterloo Region’s townships with draft increases ranging from 3.5% to 8.5%.
Proposed increases are as follows:
Wellesley: 5.4%
Woolwich: 8.5% with 1.5% going to the infrastructure reserve and 1% for township greening efforts.
North Dumfries: staff were directed not to exceed a 3.5% increase, following a 5% increase last year.
Wilmot council met December 11th to discuss budget pressures, after losing two of its top finance staff in recent months.
School Board:
Waterloo Regional District School Board trustee, Mike Ramsay, “has lost his bid for a judicial review of the public school board’s ruling that he breached the trustee code of conduct.”
The Divisional Court panel concluded that the Board “was rational and wholly reasonable. In his online activity, Ramsay amplified, agreed with and ‘retweeted’ commentary that described the WRDSB as a ‘farce,’ and made strong criticisms of the chair’s handling of the delegation issue at the Jan. 17, 2022, meeting.”
The Board is entitled to $7500 in legal costs, to be paid by Ramsay, if they so choose.
That is just a snippet of some of the interesting decisions happening at our local councils recently. I have been busy reading through municipal budget documents and watching many (many!) hours of council budget discussions which I hope to summarize in some upcoming Citified posts. I will be taking a few weeks away from posting, but you can expect to hear from me again in early 2024. Until then, I wish everyone a peaceful and wonderful holiday season. Thanks, as always, for reading!
