On Monday night many aspirations and hopes for the Northdale neighbourhood were presented to Council by 22 delegations. A common thread in what we heard was that what is happening now is not working but also that full intensification is not the answer.
Council voted to begin a land use study in the Northdale area. This will be followed by a community improvement plan. Council also directed staff to explore partnerships with the universities to develop a community outreach program.
This summer, staff will complete the terms of reference for the land use study, which included developing a Vision for the area. This will come to Council in September. It will include terms for the formation of an advisory committee of the stakeholders, and the hiring of an independent consultant to undertake the land use study.
As outlined in the report to Council on Monday night, the city does have many tools available to achieve its goals. It is now time to develop and articulate the vision, the first step in making Northdale a community that we can be proud of.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
No to Merger with Kitchener
Based on my 6 years on Council and research on the issue, I am against a merger with the City of Kitchener. History has shown that the expected benefits from mergers have just not been realized. There is a list of articles about municipal mergers on the right hand side bar.
In summary, mergers:
1) increase costs. It does not decrease them.
2) make government less responsive to the local citizens. A little friendly competition between the municipalities does wonders to make them accountable!
3) do not make a city globally successful. Many cities and regions areas like Boston, Silicon Valley and Sydney are made up of many small municipalities.
4) reduce diversity. Waterloo is different from Kitchener. The two cities' policies and corporate culture are different in many ways including financial stewardship, public engagement, urban planning and design, development priorities, environmental sustainability, heritage and the arts, etc. As a region, our strength is our diversity.
And lastly, what problems do the pro-merger group want to solve that would make all of the costs and disadvantages of a merger worth it?
In summary, mergers:
1) increase costs. It does not decrease them.
2) make government less responsive to the local citizens. A little friendly competition between the municipalities does wonders to make them accountable!
3) do not make a city globally successful. Many cities and regions areas like Boston, Silicon Valley and Sydney are made up of many small municipalities.
4) reduce diversity. Waterloo is different from Kitchener. The two cities' policies and corporate culture are different in many ways including financial stewardship, public engagement, urban planning and design, development priorities, environmental sustainability, heritage and the arts, etc. As a region, our strength is our diversity.
And lastly, what problems do the pro-merger group want to solve that would make all of the costs and disadvantages of a merger worth it?
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Town and Gown Ontario Conference and Rental Licensing
On May 17th and 18th I attended the Town and Gown Association of Ontario (TGAO) conference. It was a very interesting conference because you meet the by-law, police, community development, university affairs and students representatives from across the province, all who are involved with student housing and other town and gown related issues. The presentations are to be posted on the TGAO website.
One of the main topics was rental licensing. TGAO was formally established in 2006, and one of its first activities was to lobby the provincial government to enable municipalities exercise better control over student oriented housing. This lead to municipalities being able to license rental units.
London and Oshawa are the first two municipalities to implement rental licensing by-laws. They have taken different approaches. London has a city side by-law, a low fee based on self-reporting with a random inspection program, and a 5 bedroom limit. Oshawa has a higher fee, it applies only in a specific geographic area and is more like Waterloo's licensed lodging house program. Waterloo is in a good position to learn from what London and Oshawa have done, along with our experience with licensed lodging houses.
Waterloo's licensing by-law, which is expected to come to Council this June. A discussion paper was issued last year, which outlines the broad parameters being considered for the licensing by-law in Waterloo.
My considerations for a licensing by-law is that it must enable the licensing of any dwelling, without a minimum distance separation, as long as the number of rooms/occupants can be limited to the number of intended occupants/bedrooms of the dwelling. Other components include its application only to non-apartment buildings, and apply to dwellings renting three or more rooms/beds. Fees must be reasonable, and proof of proper insurance, fire inspections, adequate parking and appropriate garbage management etc must be provided. It is my hope that landlords will see this program as a benefit for them, as it will set a minimum standard to which everyone must adhere to.
Implementing the by-law should help to restore stability in the near university neighbourhoods. I look forward to this coming to Council in June, and will post the Council report here when it is released.
One of the main topics was rental licensing. TGAO was formally established in 2006, and one of its first activities was to lobby the provincial government to enable municipalities exercise better control over student oriented housing. This lead to municipalities being able to license rental units.
London and Oshawa are the first two municipalities to implement rental licensing by-laws. They have taken different approaches. London has a city side by-law, a low fee based on self-reporting with a random inspection program, and a 5 bedroom limit. Oshawa has a higher fee, it applies only in a specific geographic area and is more like Waterloo's licensed lodging house program. Waterloo is in a good position to learn from what London and Oshawa have done, along with our experience with licensed lodging houses.
Waterloo's licensing by-law, which is expected to come to Council this June. A discussion paper was issued last year, which outlines the broad parameters being considered for the licensing by-law in Waterloo.
My considerations for a licensing by-law is that it must enable the licensing of any dwelling, without a minimum distance separation, as long as the number of rooms/occupants can be limited to the number of intended occupants/bedrooms of the dwelling. Other components include its application only to non-apartment buildings, and apply to dwellings renting three or more rooms/beds. Fees must be reasonable, and proof of proper insurance, fire inspections, adequate parking and appropriate garbage management etc must be provided. It is my hope that landlords will see this program as a benefit for them, as it will set a minimum standard to which everyone must adhere to.
Implementing the by-law should help to restore stability in the near university neighbourhoods. I look forward to this coming to Council in June, and will post the Council report here when it is released.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Around the World in Dance
Last night I got to dance around the world from my seat at the Center in the Square. The Central Ontario Chinese Cultural Center, (COCCC) hosted the Kaleidoscope of Dance, as a fundraising event. Dances from China, Taiwan, Mongolia, India, Germany, Scotland, Greece, the Middle East and other places around the world were performed by our local groups.
We all respond in our own way to the sound of a drum beat. To see such a variety of dances, the opening Lion Dance, the stomping of feet in a courtship dance, the waving long sleeves creating images of the winds, the swinging hips of the belly dancers, the athletic footwork of the highland dancers, and the closing dragon dance under black lights, each responding quite differently to the sound of the drum, made for a fabulous evening.
This is a must see if the COCCC puts the show on again next year.
The groups involved were
Central Ontario Chinese Cultural Center (COCCC)
Brahmrishi Mission of Canada
The KW Chinese School
The Concordia Enzian Schuhplattler Verein
The Gujarati Cultural Association on the Golden Triangle
India Canada Association
Laya Lasya Dance Studio
Mary Ellen School of Highland Dancing
Pryvit Ukrainian Dance Ensemble
The Queen Helena Canadian-Croatian Cultural and Charitable Society
Levendogenia Sts Peter & Paul's Greek Orthodox Church Dance Group
Swastini Dance Group
Voula Middle Eastern Dance Academy
Waterloo Region Chinese Community Association (WCCA)
We all respond in our own way to the sound of a drum beat. To see such a variety of dances, the opening Lion Dance, the stomping of feet in a courtship dance, the waving long sleeves creating images of the winds, the swinging hips of the belly dancers, the athletic footwork of the highland dancers, and the closing dragon dance under black lights, each responding quite differently to the sound of the drum, made for a fabulous evening.
This is a must see if the COCCC puts the show on again next year.
The groups involved were
Central Ontario Chinese Cultural Center (COCCC)
Brahmrishi Mission of Canada
The KW Chinese School
The Concordia Enzian Schuhplattler Verein
The Gujarati Cultural Association on the Golden Triangle
India Canada Association
Laya Lasya Dance Studio
Mary Ellen School of Highland Dancing
Pryvit Ukrainian Dance Ensemble
The Queen Helena Canadian-Croatian Cultural and Charitable Society
Levendogenia Sts Peter & Paul's Greek Orthodox Church Dance Group
Swastini Dance Group
Voula Middle Eastern Dance Academy
Waterloo Region Chinese Community Association (WCCA)
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Merger Question will be on the Ballot in October elelction
Yes, the merger question will be on the ballet in this fall’s municipal election. On Friday April 16, the province announced that it will order the City to ask the following question in the election:
“Do you support the members of Kitchener and Waterloo Councils engaging in discussions about the advantages and disadvantages of merging the Cities of Kitchener and Waterloo? Yes or No.”
I have always been against this question. We don’t need a referendum to discuss how to improve our governance structure. The question should have been “Are you in favour of a merger between Kitchener and Waterloo, yes or no?”
Attached is a good summary article on amalgamation written by the Montreal Economic Institute. It reviews experiences with municipal mergers and amalgamations. I hope that you take the time to read the article. There are other studies and comments about mergers on their web site as well.
Based on everything that I have heard and read to this point, my experience on Council over the past 6 years, and having heard the issues that the proponents of the merger want addressed, I do not believe that a merger is the right answer for Waterloo or for the Region.
Rather than have a debate on whether to merge or not, it would be much more valuable to have a discussion on the pros and cons of our current system, identify the missed opportunities and problem areas, and then look at a range of solutions. This is a process that I have been advocating for over the past few years, as described in my October 2005 Second opinion article on how to deal with municipal reform.
Merger isn’t the only answer. We should broaden our horizons, and take the time to do what is right for the city and the region, and find a made-in-Waterloo Region solution.
“Do you support the members of Kitchener and Waterloo Councils engaging in discussions about the advantages and disadvantages of merging the Cities of Kitchener and Waterloo? Yes or No.”
I have always been against this question. We don’t need a referendum to discuss how to improve our governance structure. The question should have been “Are you in favour of a merger between Kitchener and Waterloo, yes or no?”
Attached is a good summary article on amalgamation written by the Montreal Economic Institute. It reviews experiences with municipal mergers and amalgamations. I hope that you take the time to read the article. There are other studies and comments about mergers on their web site as well.
Based on everything that I have heard and read to this point, my experience on Council over the past 6 years, and having heard the issues that the proponents of the merger want addressed, I do not believe that a merger is the right answer for Waterloo or for the Region.
Rather than have a debate on whether to merge or not, it would be much more valuable to have a discussion on the pros and cons of our current system, identify the missed opportunities and problem areas, and then look at a range of solutions. This is a process that I have been advocating for over the past few years, as described in my October 2005 Second opinion article on how to deal with municipal reform.
Merger isn’t the only answer. We should broaden our horizons, and take the time to do what is right for the city and the region, and find a made-in-Waterloo Region solution.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Clay and Glass Gallery: Things are looking up.
The Clay and Glass gallery is busy developing its sustainability plan, and will present its plan to Council in June. A lot has happened since the financial issues first surfaced last fall. Two new board members have been added, the board has reviewed its role and responsibilities vis-a-vis staff, a development committee has been established, and it is in the early stages of re-branding its Mission. These are all quite positive developments, and bode well for a very exciting future for the gallery.
There is a public input session planned for Wednesday April 28 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm, at RIM park, room 208. If you have any interest or thoughts about the gallery, you should attend the session. If you cannot make it, there is an opportunity to provide input at the gallery website, or leave a comment here which I will forward on.
There is a public input session planned for Wednesday April 28 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm, at RIM park, room 208. If you have any interest or thoughts about the gallery, you should attend the session. If you cannot make it, there is an opportunity to provide input at the gallery website, or leave a comment here which I will forward on.
Ticketing for Parking on Lawns simplified
On Monday, Council passed a motion which will enable by-law staff to issue the equivalent of a parking ticket to any cars that are illegally parked on lawns or someone else's driveway. In the past, it took 30 minutes to issue a ticket, because the owner of the car had to be identified. Now it will take only about 2 minutes.
This is a good example of how the city continues to to improve its operational effectiveness, and in this case, how it make our by-laws more meaningful.
This is a good example of how the city continues to to improve its operational effectiveness, and in this case, how it make our by-laws more meaningful.
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