Land use planning consultation

Can land use planning and appeals be improved without touching OMB?

I was among those who participated in a well attended provincial consultation on the “Land Use Planning and Appeal System” in Ontario. But the one thing that attracted many participants–the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB)–was something that was not a part of the consultation. Eliminating OMB not on the table When I was looking at the […]

green bin and blue box

Biweekly garbage pickup doesn’t need to be a stinky problem

Here’s a letter to the editor of The Record published on Nov. 19 Moving to biweekly garbage pickup could indeed be a very stinky problem but it doesn’t need to be if more people use their green bins. That can be achieved by keeping weekly pickup of organic waste in green bins and recycling materials […]

green bin

Increase green bin use with a targeted, proactive grassroots approach

My last post concluded with some observations that I felt held lessons for moving forward. Here they are.. The Region works hard to promote the green bin program. There are ambassadors for the program, information tents at public events and wonderful billboards on the side of garbage trucks. We can conclude that what has been […]

green bin and blue box

Green bin is a key tool for managing waste

When I moved back to Kitchener from Toronto 7 years ago, one of the things I missed the most was our green bin. I remember approaching Ken Seiling about bringing the program locally and he wasn’t keen on it. He preferred to promote backyard composting. So I was happy when Regional Council decided to start […]

Grand River Transit - iXpress bus

LRT critics should be using public transit

A letter I read in last Saturday’s Record inspired me to write the following letter that appeared today: Advocates for light rail transit should use public transit said Mark Sommer in his letter to the editor. He’s right. That’s part of the reason why public transit is a part of my transportation mix along with […]

IMG_00000308

Update on the temporary Tannery parking lot

Having been assured that the temporary gravel parking lot that replaced three small building removed from the Tannery property would only be temporary–three years maximum, I have looked for something to be done on that block. Last year, I shared my concerns that the clock on this temporary use had not even started ticking because a […]

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City of Kitchener

Put Prime Minister statues at rapid transit stations

Hey! I had another letter to the editor of the Waterloo Region Record published today. Here’s the original: How about if we put a statue of a Canadian Prime Minister at each LRT/aBRT station? With 22 of each, it’d be a perfect match and could even give each station a name. That’s it! There’s a […]

Kitchener

Ready to start moving forward

Ready to start moving forward

Four months ago, I announced that I was taking an indefinite break from this blog and that my Twitter feed would be quieter. I also resigned from all but one of my committees and boards where I contributed my time as a volunteer. The only commitment I maintained was to the Waterloo Region Waste Management […]

Region of Waterloo

How should we dispose of our garbage?

The Region of Waterloo is in the process of developing a master plan for waste management. I’m on the stakeholders advisory committee so I’ve been meaning to let you know about the second round of consultations already underway. Here is a PDF of the report from the first set of consultations on reducing and diversion of […]