The Upside (December 2024)
Let's focus on good things happening in and around Waterloo Region
While there’s no shortage of challenging news to deal with lately, there’s also some really great ‘good news’ stories, too. Here are a few that stood out to me recently. I’m glad to see so many of them involve housing.
Kitchener Council approved a new program this year aimed at creating more not-for-profit affordable housing in the city. The program provides grants of $10,000 per unit (to a maximum of 50 units) to offset upfront costs for the construction of not-for-profit supportive, affordable rental, or affordable co-op housing units.
The first recipients of these grants were recently announced:
KW Habilitation Services: 18 units at 878 Frederick St.
Thresholds Homes and Supports: 30 units at 667 Victoria St. S.
Eleven Housing Corp.: 22 units at 59 Franklin St. S.
On December 2nd, Waterloo Council approved staff’s recommendation to provide, at no cost, vacant land worth $20 million to Habitat for Humanity, as part of the Build Now WR team, allowing them to build 1,010 affordable and attainable homes at 2025 University Ave. E.
According to the press release, “proponents were encouraged to submit innovative proposals to address the City’s short-term objective of creating affordable and attainable housing quickly, while also supporting the medium- and long-term objectives of long-term housing affordability, creation of vibrant, inclusive, complete communities, and transition to a low carbon future.”
Philip Mills, CEO of Habitat Waterloo Region, says, “this has the potential to be the largest Habitat for Humanity led project ever in Canada. And these homes will stay affordable in perpetuity, ensuring people in our community have access to attainable housing for years to come."
A three-bedroom unit is proposed to rent at $1,641 per month, whereas market rent would be ~ $2,600. Purchase costs for a three-bedroom unit are estimated at no more than $490,000. City Hall hopes to issue the first 50 building permits by next December.
While our premier contemplates tearing out municipal cycling infrastructure, a group of local volunteers are helping cyclists keep their bikes working well. Red Raccoon Bike Rescue assists with a variety of repairs and maintenance issues. And while “repairs can often cost anywhere from $50 to $100 or more, through the program, it’s free.”
“We are providing a free bike repair service with a specific focus on vulnerable people that are counting on bikes to get to the grocery store, to get to school, to work, to apply for jobs, just to get around the region,” said Darin White, a volunteer with Red Raccoon Bike Rescue.
Learn more about Red Raccoon’s services.
Work has begun on Kitchener’s first net-zero carbon building, the RBJ Schlegel Park indoor recreation facility on Huron Road. The building “will feature advanced geothermal heating and cooling systems and an array of rooftop solar panels, enabling the complex to reduce carbon emissions by 22 tonnes annually and save the city about $100,000 in utility costs each year.”
The Chandler Mowat neighbourhood saw more than 100 trees planted through the Community Canopy program, in partnership with Reep Green Solutions. The program is a part of Kitchener’s Sustainable Urban Forest Strategy, which is “focused on creating more equitable access to green space through planting events, while also giving neighbourhood residents opportunities to get involved.” The goal is to have 30% canopy coverage in each ward by 2050.
Learn more about Community Canopy’s pilot year at kitchener.ca/trees.
I love learning different languages (although that semester in University when I took French, Latin, Italian, and Spanish, was probably a mistake). I’m especially grateful for folks working to keep languages alive that are under threat of disappearing, which is why I appreciate Barbara Nolan, an Anishinaabe elder working to promote her nation's language.
Nolan launched a series of online videos recently to introduce the Anishinaabemowin language to children. “Her content tackles a wide range of topics from Halloween to animals to the blight of residential schools, presented in a way that a child can understand.” Check it out here.
Have you noticed the transformation of some of Kitchener’s concrete-lined creeks into more naturalized spaces? Kitchener was recently recognized for this stormwater strategy which rehabilitates these creeks to build resiliency against flooding.
“Stewardship of our public water supply is one of the most sacred trusts we hold as a municipal government,” said Denise McGoldrick, General Manager of Infrastructure Services at the City of Kitchener.
Speaking of awards, Indwell’s St. Mark’s Place is the recipient of the Paul Oberman Award for Adaptive Reuse.
“St. Mark’s Place provides a new option for supportive housing in Kitchener, directly addressing the encampment and homelessness crisis many are unfortunately experiencing at this time. By transforming a former Place of Worship for supportive housing, Indwell provides a model for a socially responsible and sustainable approach to our built environment,” reads the announcement.
Welcome back to the KW Symphony! Their next concert series is “A Holiday Celebration” on December 20th and 21st at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church.
Cambridge welcomed 30 new affordable housing units for First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in October. The Kitchener-Waterloo Urban Native Wigwam Project’s new building at 27 Cambridge Street provides one- and two-bedroom units for Indigenous households in need of stable housing. It also has a community room, conference room and a rooftop terrace that will be used to hold sacred fires, workshops and other Indigenous events.
Executive director for KWUNWP, Lee Ann Hundt, says, "There are so many things that we purposely built here that will help those living here and the broader community engage with our culture and practice it. The roof also has such a great view of the Grand River that is so special to us and the fact that they can see it from here is so beautiful and a change for many of them."
The SHORE Centre recently received funding to provide supports for those seeking gender-affirming care. The funding, provided by the Waterloo Region Community Foundation and United Way Waterloo Region allowed SHORE Centre to “hire a specialized coordinator, assess needs within the community, collect data and receive feedback, which paved the way for the establishment of the barrier-free gender-affirming care clinic.”
The clinic’s services include gender-affirming hormone therapy, surgical referrals, and referrals to local peer support, counselling, and non-medical gender-affirming care providers. For more information about SHORE Centre and the services they provide, visit shorecentre.ca.
The Kitchener Public Library shared details about the Whispering Dome which we be a part of the new Southwest Library branch.
“The Whispering Dome is a special light fixture that will be paired with a circular floor pattern. Chairs will be set up below it to promote sharing and community building. The Whispering Dome came out of consultations with the Six Nations of the Grand River and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. They shared the importance of circles in design. Circular designs create spaces that encourage gathering and open dialogue.”
Well now, this is just about as adorable as you can get! Local toddler waves to over 240 GRT buses. “For the past two months, 16-month-old Joey Whiteside has been waving to GRT buses passing by her front step after evening walks with her parents.”
While I eagerly await the Working Centre’s Queen Street Commons to reopen, I was happy to see the Fresh Ground Cafe is now open again.
Have Your Say:
As shared by TriTag: The City of Kitchener is looking for feedback on the design concepts for the former Charles Street Terminal site. The survey on EngageWR closes on December 16.
Regional Council Budget Day is December 11th. Council is trying to keep the tax increase in the single digits. In order to do so, Council is considering a number of cuts, many of which seem worrisome to me.
Potential cuts include:
• Reduce GRT’s Route 26 trips by 50 per cent
• Reduce GRT’s Route 55 frequency from 30 minutes to 60 minutes
• Eliminate regional funding of downtown waste collection
• Removing bus stop garbage cans
• Reducing core funding for Children's Services
• Stop providing Adult Emergency Dental Services
• Stop providing Children and Youth Dental Services
• Decrease discretionary benefit (OW/ODSP) by 30 per cent
If you have concerns about cuts to these services, please reach out to Regional Council before December 11th to let them know.
Reaching out to council can be as simple as an email saying that you agree or disagree with a proposed motion. You can also go into more detail, such as this submission which was shared with me by a resident (slightly edited for length):
I'd like to begin with acknowledging the difficult place councillors find themselves in; it's essentially a no-win scenario when you have to balance the needs of residents concerned with cost-of-living increases from higher property taxes, and those who fear the effects of budget cuts. Both of these concerns are legitimate.
We cannot just view taxes as a cost imposed on residents in exchange for services; in many cases, it is an investment in community well-being. For many marginalized communities, and/or people on low incomes, the services our property taxes pay for lower their cost of living.
Eliminating supports like emergency dental services or decreasing discretionary ODSP/OW benefits could have drastic financial consequences for residents living in poverty. Changing a bus route from half-hourly to once-an-hour frequency could mean the difference between someone keeping a job, or getting fired for lateness they can't control. Cutting funding used to stabilize childcare operators during transformation could threaten the financial viability of a service that lets parents stay working.
All of these services could mean the difference between financial precarity or relative stability for some in our community. Others are quality of life services that should never be cut. To cite just one example, removing waste disposal at bus stops goes against both our climate goals and promotion of high quality public infrastructure.
It is deeply concerning to think we might cut any of these - services that help prevent poverty and crime - while the police have not brought their budgetary increase in line with the 8% target the Region is aiming for.
Please know that I write with immense respect for the public service you are doing and do not envy the difficult decisions you must make. As you deliberate over the coming weeks and listen to more resident feedback, I hope that it becomes clear that retaining these programs and services is vital for our continued, shared community well-being.
Upcoming:
2nd Mini Merry Market on December 7th 2024 from 11am-4pm at the Willow River Centre
Shop small and local this season and pick up a gift for the ones you love or a little treat for you!