Waterloo Council is considering ways to support urban tree growth. “Proposals include a new bylaw to compel owners to protect mature private trees, more and better tree planting, improved pruning, faster removal of dying ash trees and improved landscaping requirements.”
Kitchener’s Willow River/Victoria Park will soon be home to a dedicated Indigenous gathering space, which will include a fire space for local Indigenous groups to use throughout the year for sacred fires, ceremonies and traditional wellness practices. “Its design is based on Indigenous Thirteen Moons and Turtle teachings, where the shell of the turtle, representing Turtle Island (often referring to North America), depicts a traditional lunar calendar.”
Indigenous consultants, including Amy Smoke and Bangishimo from O:se Kenhionhata:tie and Willow River Centre, helped develop the vision for this space. “Taking into account the feedback from community and the many Nations who gather on these lands, we wanted it to include a variety of teachings, as well as recognizing our continued presence in this urban space, here on the Haldimand Tract today,” said Amy Smoke.
According to a report to Kitchener Council earlier this year, “efforts to electrify its fleet where and when possible are paying off both economically and environmentally.” The report also said that despite the higher purchase price, battery electric vehicles are expected to be more cost-effective in the long-term. At the end of 2025, Kitchener had 26 light-duty battery electric vehicles in operation, representing about 10% of light-duty fleet vehicles.
A taxi bylaw review, initiated after accessibility advisory committees identified a service gap, has prompted a pilot project which will see two accessible taxis on-call overnight, for rides between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. “The pilot will help us better understand demand throughout 2026 and determine whether additional improvements or expanded service may be needed,” reads a notice from the region. Full details on the pilot can be read here.
It’s municipal election season and in response to my spouse’s daily request, no, I am not going to stop talking about it any time soon ;) Regional Clerk, Tim Brubacher recently spoke with CBC’s Craig Norris “about the work involved in running the election every four years and what prospective candidates need to know.”
A report on Kitchener’s Vision Zero which outlines road work projects was shared with the Planning and Strategic Initiatives Committee last month. The report states, “Collisions involving pedestrians or cyclists account for approximately 34 per cent of injury-related collisions, despite representing only 3 per cent of total reported collisions. This demonstrates that pedestrians and cyclists face a disproportionately higher risk of sustaining serious injuries or fatalities, reinforcing the need to continue prioritizing safety measures for vulnerable road users.” Staff also shared that 80 per cent of collisions are caused by aggressive, impaired, or distracted driving, such as speeding and improper passing.
Kitchener’s Active Transportation and Trails Advisory Committee heard an update on the Vision Zero report as well. Here are a few highlights from that report:
A 10kph (18%) reduction in speeds, from 54kph to 44kph, were seen in areas where speed control measures were implemented.
2023 saw the lowest number of total collisions and lowest number of collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists in the last 20 years.
Collision reporting saw a spike in 2024 and while data from the end of 2025 has not yet been released, staff is aware of two fatal collisions.
Speaking of safer streets, I guess if Premier Ford won’t help slow down our streets, we’ll rely on the cute-kid brigade, instead! Yard signs featuring the children’s artistic creations have been put up outside 38 public and Catholic elementary schools in Waterloo Region. Then-kindergarteners Lotti, Emily, Aluna, and Danielle (now in grades 2 and 3), were motivated by a close call in their school zone. “It’s important because if [drivers] don’t slow down, serious stuff can happen,” Lotti said. The kids get it.
The Heritage Helping Housing program, proposed by the Architectural Conservancy Ontario, aims to incentivize owners to keep, fix and reuse older buildings through a provincial grant that would help owners and developers create new housing units in old buildings.
The Waterloo Region Police Services (WRPS) aims to install 52 CCTV cameras throughout Waterloo Region “as an additional tool to support investigations and to enhance public safety.” (My two cents: if WRPS ever wants more funding for new projects, it can seemingly rely on “it’s for public safety” argument pretty successfully.)
Kitchener’s cameras would be placed near Fairview Park Mall and along King Street in downtown Kitchener. Police are responsible for owning, installing, operating and maintaining the cameras. “The police promised there would be no live monitoring of neighbourhoods.” I certainly hope our local councils and Police Services Board are seeking more than a simple promise.
Staff report: Waterloo Regional Police Services CCTV Camera Installation on Regional Utility Poles
GRT’s Connect-to-GO program, which offers a rebate on its GRT fare when transferring to and from GO trains, is expanding to GO buses. “The new Connect-to-GO validators have been installed at the GO connection points at Sportsworld in Kitchener, Pinebush in Cambridge, and the UW station in Waterloo.” If interested, you can enroll through the GRT website.
The Working Centre hosts a monthly Community Walking Tour on the last Tuesday of each month. The 3km walk “will introduce you to the people, work, and 30 projects that make up The Working Centre.”
Well, these creatures are so sweet! According to a press release, Kitchener “has agreed to commission a series of five playful bronze sculptures by Canadian artist Pierre Poussin for the outdoor entrances of the Cowan Recreation Centre, opening late 2026. The artwork, titled Let’s Play!, will welcome visitors with imaginative animal characters captured mid-sport, celebrating movement, teamwork and the joy of play.”
Planned affordable housing in Kitchener which would have seen more than 300 affordable units built on Mooregate, has been paused as the $300-million in needed funding has yet to be secured. Peter Sweeney, the region’s commissioner of community services told regional council that, “the financial realities of cost of construction and the mix we’re trying to achieve here,” mean the project is not currently feasible.
There are currently 11,500 applications for affordable housing in the region.
Kitchener’s tiny home community A Better Tent City is facing significant change in the coming months. Citing significant health and safety challenges as well as losing “several key volunteers who provided operational leadership”, the volunteer board will dissolve with The Working Centre leading operations as of July 20th.
“It was only (earlier this month) that the region approached The Working Centre with the question of whether we ... could operate A Better Tent City as a regional shelter project, not unlike the Erbs Road shelter,” Joe Mancini, co-founder of The Working Centre said.
Ryan Pettipiere, the region’s director of housing services, said the region will “provide support and some stability to the site” as they work towards The Working Centre taking over operations.”
While I’m excited that it’s a municipal election season, it should be noted that there will be a significant change to the voting ballots in Waterloo region. Thanks to the Better Regional Governance Act, which allows the Progressive Conservative government to appoint chairs, there will be no opportunity to elect our own head of Regional Council this year. According to a government release, the appointed chair “will be given strong chair powers to help deliver on government priorities, such as housing and infrastructure.” Additionally, the appointed chair can “appoint and fire senior regional staff, propose budgets, and veto bylaws that could interfere with provincial priorities.” This sounds much less like democratic representation and more like a personally selected puppet for Premier Ford.
Impacted regions include: Durham, Halton, Muskoka, Niagara, Peel, Waterloo and York, as well as the warden of Simcoe County. The provincial government will appoint the chair after this Fall’s municipal election.
Doug Ford’s government wants to “roll back municipal enhanced development standards that require developers to improve park access, add tree canopy, install electric vehicle-ready parking spots, apply bird-friendly window coating or implement other mandatory sustainable design features beyond what's set out in Ontario's building code or required to maintain health and safety.”
Ford’s new legislation “will eliminate the requirement for cities to set greenhouse gas pollution reduction goals and could even remove existing tools they have to promote green building.”
Late last fall, the province quietly ended Toronto’s green roof bylaw, “a policy that propelled the city to become a world leader in environmental construction. Toronto’s green roof bylaw was the first in North America and has been imitated around the world. London, Seoul, Sydney, Copenhagen and Chicago have all enacted similar legislation.”
After 33 years in business, the owners of Kitchener’s Hong Kong Fashion are retiring, with the store closing this month.
A report that went to Waterloo Council last fall stated that there have been 2,808 collisions on Waterloo streets over a five-year period, including 71 collisions involving pedestrians and 54 collisions involving cyclists.
Citing privacy and security concerns, online voting won’t be making a return in Guelph in time for this fall’s municipal election.
The City of Waterloo and the Grand River Conservation Area are working together on the future of Laurel Creek Nature Centre. “The City intends to maintain the property as publicly usable parkland and community green space, while exploring opportunities for a portion of the property to be developed as an Indigenous gathering space.”
Cambridge’s only homeless shelter for women marked their one-year anniversary this past February.
The Region’s transportation capital plan has identified several key corridors to be rebuilt or upgraded in 2026.
Cameron Heights Grade 9 student Shaun Goyal has created Youth Government in the hopes of helping fellow students become more engaged with local politics and politicians (CBC video link).
Waterloo Park’s aging bandshell was demolished earlier this year. As the city works through a new vision for this space, you can stay up-to-date on their Engage Waterloo page.
If you have thoughts about how to make Kitchener’s playgrounds “safe, welcoming, inclusive, and well‑distributed so residents in every neighbourhood have access to great places to play,” you’ll want to fill out this Engage Kitchener survey.
The City of Waterloo “continues to lay charges against property owners who fail to obtain and renew the required rental licenses, or otherwise do not comply with the City’s Residential Rental Licensing By-law.”
Kitchener’s popular Christkindl Market is expanding as it celebrates its 30th anniversary.
The Kitchener 2051 Official Plan will be discussed by Kitchener Council on June 1st, 2026. You can attend or delegate if you want to speak to this plan.
Grand River Transit, Waterloo Region Age-Friendly Network and Cambridge Council on Aging are hosting a GRT Ride-a-Bus event on Wednesday, June 3. This sounds like a great way to help older adults feel more comfortable riding transit.
Beats in the Square is a free community event on June 5th (6:30-10pm) that celebrates 2SLGBTQIA+ people and Indigenous history and identity through music, dance, performances and community connection.
The annual Waterloo Service Centre Open House is on Saturday, June 6, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This free event highlights city services, equipment and a behind-the-scenes look at city operations and is perfect for the entire family!
Did you know you can bike from The Boardwalk to Downtown Kitchener in just 26 minutes – and almost entirely on trails? Join fellow riders on June 7th for a community bike ride to explore the new Route 1: The Boardwalk to Downtown Kitchener.
My next post will focus on the recent court decision regarding the 100 Vic encampment, so stay tuned for more on that.
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