What did City Council do?

Pedestrian Crossings

As part of Council’s commitment to traffic safety and Vision Zero on our streets, we approved 20 new locations for pedestrian crossovers (PXO’s).  PXO’s come in different types, but a PXO gives priority to pedestrians when crossing streets, compelling traffic to stop.  In some instances these include signage telling vehicles to stop, with striped crossing paintings to provide a visual cue to drivers.  In other instances they include beacon lights that the pedestrian can activate to further highlight to drivers that a pedestrian is crossing.  In Ward 2, 3 crossings were approved, all helping connect the Vista Hills/Clair Hills North communities to the rest of Clair Hills across Columbia Street.  There will be new crossings on Columbia Street at St. Moritz, Rhine Fall and Lucerne.  The crossing at Lucerne will include the beacon lights.  The selection of PXO’s was based on an annual screening/scan of data, including the number of vehicles, pedestrians, wait time and speed of vehicles.  In future some of the crossings may have beacon lights added to them and new crossings will be approved over time, based on that same data.  I am really excited to see the work of making our streets safer come to fruition and yet still know there is more to do.

Wilfrid Laurier University Stadium Project

Council followed through on our commitment to WLU to help support their stadium project with a one-time capital investment of $2.5M (towards the full project, which will cost the University between $80 and $100M).  The current stadium was built in 1958 and is in dire need of an upgrade.  The stadium is not only used by students and alumni, but has a host of community uses available to community members, including summer camps, intramurals and more.  This facility will also help assist the Region as we look towards sport tourism hosting opportunities, as it will include all of the wraparound facilities needed to host such events.  Lastly, the new stadium will include a bubble, making it functional 12 months of the year, a sorely needed addition to the recreation needs of our community.  Beyond supporting a strong community partner, the City has also secured 2,160hrs/year of bookable use for our affiliate groups.  This project is critical to the recreation needs of our city and post-secondary institutions and will support the growing needs of our community for years to come.

Corporate Climate Action Plan Update AND New Corporate GHG Target

Council received an update on where our Corporate Climate Action Plan (CorCAP) is headed, with more details about how CorCAP will look when the final plan comes to Council for approval.  It includes an expanded scope to include non-measurable climate impacts and a focus on reviewing and monitoring first adopter municipalities with respect to carbon budgeting.  All scope 1 and 2 emissions (those emissions within the direct control of the cities operation, alongside our indirect emissions from purchased electricity) will be included alongside select scope 3 emissions (indirect emissions coming from the upstream and downstream activities of the operations of the city).  It also touches on green purchasing strategies and is intended to ensure that a climate lens is included in all decision making within the city.  In order to increase the ambition of the city and to align ourselves with the Federal governments GHG emissions goals, Councillor Wright put forward a motion to adjust our corporate target from an 80% reduction by 2050, to a net-zero by 2050 goal.  I am proud of the fact that we are the first municipality in the region to codify this commitment and align with what science tells us is needed to prevent the most damaging impacts of climate change.

Funding Release – Generation Park

As a reminder, Generation Park is the name for the new West Side Employment park that is coming to Ward 2 (in behind the Costco, adjacent to Platinum Drive).  Funding was released to our Economic Development team to support the sale of these lands, including; advertising, a contract position to support planning approvals, studies to assess geothermal capabilities on-site and more.  Staff are optimistic as to the interest in the site and have already heard from interested parties in the desirability of the lands.  Residents will note that the dog park that is slated to be built on the site, had funding released early last year and it was intended to have been completed by now.  Unfortunately staff vacancies have caused a number of parks related projects to be delayed throughout the city, and the dog park was one of them.  During our Council meeting I took the time to inquiry publicly as to the status of the dog park and was assured that detailed design would be advanced this year, with a tender put forward in the Winter and construction planned for 2024.  I appreciate the patience of residents as this much needed piece of infrastructure in our community has been delayed, I share the frustration, but am eagerly awaiting the completion of the dog park next year.

Zoning Bylaw Change – Canadian Tire (Erb/Erbsville)

Council approved a zone change request for the Canadian Tire at the corner of Erb and Erbsville in Ward 2.  The project will see the Canadian Tire expand its footprint towards Erbsville Road, with a small addition in the rear of the site.  The amendment was needed to make minor adjustments to the side yard setbacks, parking requirements and total floor area.  I was pleased to see that staff have noted that during the site plan review of the addition, opportunities will be explored to enhance the walkability of the plaza, including potential improvements to sidewalks from the Bordeaux roundabout to Erbsville Road and across the plaza towards the A&W and Starbucks.  I was also pleased to connect with the condo board at 555 Chablis and to hear that Canadian Tire will make themselves available to the board on any issues that may emerge during construction.  Construction is slated to start in Spring 2025, ending in 2026.

Advocacy Motions

Council unanimously approved two advocacy motions, one related to guaranteed livable basic income (GLBI) and one related to intimate partner violence (IPV).  Councillor Vasic’s motion on GLBI advocates to higher levels of government to implement a guaranteed basic income.  I was pleased to support this as we know that income inequality is worsening across Canada and in Waterloo Region.  High income inequality diminishes economic growth, it undermines social cohesion and crucially this is a critical issue for municipalities who are on the front lines of the many crises that emerge from income inequality issues, whether housing and homelessness, mental health, economic development and more.  It is the role of Federal and Provincial governments to reduce income inequality through government transfers and it is time for them to create a new transfer to help tackle the myriad of issues discussed.  It is crucial that municipalities are the ones that push higher orders of government on solutions to the issues we see to frontline challenges every day.  Councillor Roe’s motion on IPV is in direct response to the CKW inquest from June of 2022, which provided the Province of Ontario with 86 recommendations, the number one recommendation being to declare IPV an epidemic in the Province.  Our community partners who do this work every day share the statistics that we receive over 1,000 calls per year, which is up over 55%.  More than 5,000 charges have been laid since 2022, with support being provided to hundreds of domestic violence survivors through organizations like Camino and Womens Crisis Services Waterloo Region.  Coupling these sobering statistics with the tragic events that took place in Sault Ste Marie recently and it is clear that IPV is indeed an epidemic.  Since the Province has yet to declare IPV an epidemic, municipalities across the Province are filling the gap, making the declaration and drawing attention to an important issue that affects all communities in the Province.

Housing and Development Reports

Council received a number of reports highlighting the housing challenges and work that staff are doing to tackle the affordable housing crisis and related housing supply challenges in our City.

To start with, Council received a student accommodations report from our Town & Gown committee, the third such report since 2014.  Some of the key takeaways include that total student tenants appear to be higher than total student beds available by as many as 4,730 beds, continually increasing rent costs and a market vacancy rate of only 1.2%.  Council was encouraged to review housing supply capacity challenges during our forthcoming Official Plan review.

Council received a Planning Redevelopment Overview report from staff, highlighting the need to increase housing supply while still building community and achieving quality urban design.  The main tool highlighted in this report was related to Master Planning of potential areas of the City, notably the Northfield Major Transit Station Area, Conestoga Mall area, the area between Weber and King (from University to Columbia), and many more.

Council also received a Streamline Development Approval Fund report from staff.  This report spoke to the 12 initiatives that the City advanced with the $1M received from the Province to speed up housing development reviews.  These initiatives include hiring temporary staff to help with some backlogs, a number of studies that will guide our Official Plan review (parking review, a community planning permit system study, a built form review), a new online portal creation and more.  These initiatives are also intended supporting new housing types across the city.

Affordable Housing Commitment Motion

With all of the above housing discussion and a pending review of the City of Waterloo’s Housing Accelerator Fund grant proposal to the Federal government, I put forward a motion that reaffirms our commitment to affordable housing.  This motion highlights the work that Council and staff have done to increase height and density in our city and reaffirms the work we need to do with respect to housing supply as outlined in our affordable housing strategy including new ‘missing middle’ corridors, enabling a greater supply and mix of housing in the community, modifying our ‘nodes and corridors’ strategy with a ‘missing middle’ lens and more.  Additionally this motion directed staff to come back with regulations permitting up to four units and up to four storeys in low-density residential zones.  The Waterloo Region Community Foundation recently put out a report on Affordable Housing in our community, the statistics are staggering; we are growing twice as fast as the Canadian average, we are the seventh fastest large metro area in Canada AND the US since 2015, our population has increased by 363% since 2016.  In spite of the significant increasing in housing in our region (housing starts are up 50% since 2016), new home and rental units are simply not keeping up with supply.  Affordable housing is not an issue municipalities alone can solve and I do not believe the four unit/four storey direction will be THE solution to our housing supply issues, it will provide some increases to supply, increase the mix of housing in our neighbourhoods and signal that our neighbourhoods are not exclusive, that all family types and residents are welcome in all of our neighbourhoods.  This direction alongside partnerships with the Federal government on the Housing Accelerator Fund and more can help us make a tangible impact on the affordability of housing and availability of housing supply in our city.

Other Council Business

Council also received an update on our indoor community space master plan, an update from Rotary Waterloo on all of the incredible work that they do in our city and approved a contribution to help fund a new playground at KidsAbility.  We also approved a renewal of our funding agreement with Waterloo Region Economic Development Corporation, approved some bylaw amendments to permit e-scooters on multi-use trails and approved traffic amendments across the city, including in Ward 2 with new no parking signage on Violet Street and no U-turn signage near Laurelwood and Abraham-Erb Public Schools.  Lastly, development applications were approved on Dietz Avenue and at 203-207 King Street.  If anyone has further questions on these or any of the above topics, please don’t hesitate to reach out for further discussion.

Outside the Council Chambers

Outside of the Council chambers I was privileged to provide opening remarks for the United Way March of 1000 Umbrellas and to attend the Mayor’s Oktoberfest Market at City Hall.  I received a sneak preview of the upgrades taking place at WLU on University Avenue related to the music program, including an opportunity to view an area along University that was partially funded by the city.  What a wonderful, vibrant area this will be when it is all finished.

I attended the Macgregor Albert Community Association barbecue, which helps welcome students to the neighbourhood and it was so wonderful to see so many Vista Hills community members at their Diwali event at RIM Park.  Over 200 people from Vista Hills celebrating their culture, all thanks to the hard work of incredible volunteers.  Thank you so much for everything that you do to help build community in the City of Waterloo.  If you’ve ever thought of volunteering with your neighbourhood association, if you have any ideas about an interesting event you’d like to see the neighbourhood support, please reach out to me for a chat and I can help connect you with your association.

Lastly, September was LUMEN, the City of Waterloo’s festival of light and technology.  If you have never attended this event, please keep your eyes out for it next year.  Uptown Waterloo and Waterloo Park are never so vibrant and full of people.  There are a large number of art installations and it is such a wonderful way to spend an evening.  Tens of thousands of people attended this year and saw cool art installations, such as the light up see-saws, the kayaks on Silver Lake and many more.  The City also officially opened the Silver Lake/boardwalk improvements in Waterloo Park, which have contributed greatly to the look and feel of the area.  If you haven’t yet had a chance to take a stroll on the boardwalk, picnic in the park or wander around Silver Lake check it out.