Leadership for Waterloo Policy Platform

On Monday September 20th I released my Leadership for Waterloo Policy Platform.

It is comprehensive plan which was developed through extensive consultation in the community, and outlines a vision for Waterloo and a plan of action to achieve it.

Waterloo is rapidly becoming an internationally recognized small City. We have world-class educational and research institutions, a bourgeoning arts and music scene, a thriving high-tech sector, and an advanced manufacturing base alongside a well established financial and insurance industry.

I want to lead this City to embrace a broader vision, one which takes advantage of the tremendous opportunities before us. To be vibrant, innovative and diverse. To be a City that is people-oriented, characterized by a sense of history, distinctive architecture and open spaces, and based on a sustainable environmental and financial foundation. To be a place where each of us can thrive and be our very best.

The plan focusses on three areas:

Sustainability—specific programs or initiatives to help manage our day to day growth.
Community Development—development initiatives with citizens; recreation, arts and culture; and the strengthening of neighbourhoods to enhance our quality of life.
Accountability—process oriented improvements in managing City Hall, public service and public engagement.

Please take the time to review the plan, and I look forward to your comments.

WHY VOTE in the municipal election?

Municipal government has a tremendous impact on our day to day lives. It manages the public realm which shapes how the city looks and feels.

For example, the city:

 manages all public and open spaces between office buildings, factories, stores and people’s homes;

 ensures that what gets built or managed by the private sector is also built and managed for the betterment of the entire community;

 manages trails and roads, sewer and water systems, parks and open spaces;

 directs where stores and businesses are located, their size, and the size and number of signs they can put out.

 what type of housing can be built, and where housing can be built,

 makes sure there is a long-term plan, or Strategic Plan in place to address population growth, and to encourage long term economic and environmental sustainability;

 determines how waste is managed, and how public transit is to function;

 establishes behavioral norms relating to noise, pets, parking and property standards so that we can all get along as members of our community;

 manages public order and safety through police, by-law and fire services;

 ensures there are recreational, cultural and social services available for everyone’s well being, to keep one’s body, mind and spirit active and healthy;

 provides a sense of place, so that we can all feel part of a community; a place were we feel safe and secure today, and in the future; a place we can call home

The people you elect into office now will play a critical role in shaping what Waterloo will look like into the future. Waterloo is becoming an internationally recognized small city. We will continue to grow. On October 25th let your voice be heard.

Council in Summer Mode, but important decisions still happen.

July's council meeting dealt with a lot of routine business. A few developments were approved including a 120 unit retirement home on Ira Needles and University, across from the new mall that is going in across the street. The developers are those who build the Water Park apartments on Erb and Willow, so this should be a first class development. We are so fortunate in Waterloo to be able to attract the best.

Also moving forward are more commercial buildings geared towards the high tech sector in the Conestoga Highway and Northfield area. Council also approved the engineering for the installation of the water, sewer and other infrastructure needed for UW's North West Campus. It will support the development of academic, and research and technology facilities over the next 40 years.

Lastly, and what gets the most attention, is that By-law is actively moving forward with new tools to better enforce of our by-laws.

The latest is for graffiti removal. Under the old process, owners had up to 14 days to remove graffiti before any remedial action could be taken. Now the city will be able to remove it within days if required. This is especially important when it is gang related. Also added a provision whereby the perpetrators can be fined instead of being charged with a criminal offense. This gives the police more flexibility in being able to deal with the perpetrators, especially when youth are involved.

As a sailor, I have participated in a number of races at the Conestoga Sailing club, including the regional Wellington Cup, which our club won, and the Canadian Wayfarer Nationals, which were hosted by our club. Who would have thought that one could sail competitively here in Waterloo Region!

Council takes first solid steps on Northdale.

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.

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?

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.

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)