Making Decisions That Matter - December 11, 2024
With input from the community, Regional Council sets the direction for the Region as an organization and makes decisions that help improve the lives of Waterloo Region residents every day. Please refer to the minutes for an official record of the meeting.
First Indigenous-led Child Care Centre in Waterloo Region coming to 30 Christopher, Cambridge
The Healing of the Seven Generations will use Region-owned property at 30 Christopher Drive in Cambridge to create a licensed, Indigenous-led non-profit child care centre for 65 children in the community. Ga'nigǫhi:yo Indigenous Child Care and Family Centre will provide a safe, nurturing and culturally-attuned environment. It will prioritize access for Indigenous children, and provide holistic, culturally-responsive child care for Waterloo Region families. The new centre will receive a five-year lease, with options to renew after that.
Lower speed limits for two Woolwich schools
Regional Council has approved two new School Zones to keep students safer in the Township of Woolwich. Speed limits will be reduced from 80 km/h to 40 km/h on Regional Road 15 (Lobsinger Line) at King Alfred Academy and on Regional Road 22 (Northfield Drive E) at Balsam Grove Parochial School. These changes will make roads safer for vulnerable road users. It will also mean these two rural schools can be included in the Region of Waterloo’s Municipal Speed Camera program to reduce vehicle speeds.
Redesigning Victoria Street for new transit hub
Regional Council has approved a preliminary design to update Victoria Street North to align with the coming Kitchener Central Transit Hub. Between Weber and King Streets, Victoria will get wider sidewalks, a separated two-way cycle track, transit priority lanes, and a single lane in each direction for vehicles. The high-quality active transportation options will present residents with first and last mile connections to Kitchener Central and support increased transit services. Regional Council also approved the sale of a small parcel of land near Victoria and King to Metrolinx for $1.4 million. The sale will facilitate the start of construction for the new Kitchener Central Transit Hub, which is expected to begin in 2025.
Read the full report about the street redesign
Read the full report on the land sale
Redeveloping Waterloo Region Housing to create new and better units
Region of Waterloo is moving forward on the next phase of renovations and improvements to six Region-owned affordable housing properties. Region staff will look for ways to partner with non-profit groups and private businesses to create more affordable units or improve units for existing tenants. This is the next step in the Waterloo Region Housing Revitalization Plan to expand and update these properties. Tenants are engaged in the design decisions. When completed, the plan will result in 669 new affordable homes across five properties.
Over $1M grant for new affordable housing
Regional Council has approved a project that will create 15 new affordable rental units in Kitchener. A proposal from the non-profit Beyond Housing will build 20 units (15 with affordable rent) at 887 Frederick Street, Kitchener. The project will receive $1,074,960 in grant funding from the Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative and was chosen from seven proposals submitted to the Region. Supporting this project with a grant is part of the Region’s ongoing work to build more affordable housing for people in this community.
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