City of Kitchener
Let’s help municipal voters to find candidate websites
A link from one website to another is so commonplace, it’s not a big deal. So you might expect you could go to the official list of candidates in your municipality and inform yourself using a link to the candidates’ websites. In some parts of Ontario you can but not anywhere in Waterloo Region. The local […]
Kitchener
Off & running to be new Councillor for Ward 10!
It’s official! After careful consideration, meeting with dozens of community leaders and consulting with people who read this blog and follow me on Twitter…I am a candidate to be the new Ward 10 Councillor for the City of Kitchener! I’m thrilled with the enthusiasm I have witnessed so far. I’m excited to participate as a […]
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Join me in celebrating successes of Sustainable Waterloo Region
Hey! Sustainable Waterloo Region is an awesome organization doing wonderful things to build a healthy community. I love what they do and applaud its tremendous success especially over such a short period of time. I hope you’ll join me at its annual recognition evening that is a celebration of its success in this shift occurring […]
Progress made for food trucks. Is it enough?
Kudos to Kitchener City Council for unanimously supporting the motion by Councillor Berry Vrbanovic to create opportunities for food trucks to operate daily. I’ll include link(s) to the motion or media reports on it when I have them: Waterloo Region Record CBC Kitchener-Waterloo Gary Doyle Show on 570 News The motion is to create a […]
Downtown still requires development charge exemption
Funding section revised Feb. 24 I’m also speaking on Monday to City Council’s Finance and Corporate Services Committee about continuing to development charge exemptions as an incentive for downtown development. Incentives still needed Yes, the revitalization of downtown Kitchener is in full swing. But now is not the time to remove incentives for development there. […]
Why Kitchener needs food trucks
Kitchener needs food trucks because they contribute to lively, vibrant streets and places. While my last post responded to a city staff report (PDF) being considered by city council’s Finance and Corporate Services committee on Monday, this post says what I really want to say about food trucks. Food trucks attract people Let’s start by […]
Will food trucks remain a novelty in Kitchener?
Will food trucks remain a novelty in the City of Kitchener? Or will the city offer a friendly environment for food trucks? That’s the decision facing city council when its Finance and Corporate Services Committee meets on Monday afternoon to consider a staff report (PDF) on the future of food trucks in the city. What does a […]
Why everyone benefits by building the LRT
A very important angle is missing from the ongoing debate about the LRT in Waterloo Region. The LRT benefits everyone. Even if you never step foot on the LRT, you come out ahead. And not by a photo finish. By a wide margin! 1.You save money! Yes, the estimated $818 million cost of the LRT […]
What I heard
So I asked for your feedback on “what I should do in the fall?” Here is an overview of the results. 29 survey responses about 21 responses to the post, on Facebook and on Twitter the post was viewed more than 250 times I’m pleased that about 50 people took the time to let me know […]
Let’s say Danke with Carl Zehr Platz!
Kitchener’s longest serving mayor has decided not to seek re-election. While the news was anticipated, nothing was a sure thing until the official announcement came. When it came, the reality hit that it really was the end of an era. I immediately tweeted, “Thank you @MayorCarlZehr for your dedication to building a better Kitchener. The […]
Quick response to 2014 Kitchener budget
Hard cap decreased flexibility to provide needed services After an 11 hour marathon budget meeting, Kitchener City Council reduced this year’s tax increase from 1.17% to 0.99%. Given how little difference that reduction made to taxes, Council could have used their time more efficiently and maintained or expanded services by showing greater flexibility. While keeping to […]
Kitchener’s planning around rapid transit stations is underway
I read an interesting article on the weekend in the Kitchener Citizen‘s East Edition. It contains information about the City of Kitchener’s preparations for development around the light rail transit stations. I’d like to share this information with other citizens of Kitchener. This article gives you a heads up the coming process to plan around […]
