HomeMy WebLinkAboutFCS Agenda - 2019-06-171 Finance & Corporate Services Committee
Agenda
lKiC_ NER Monday, June 17, 2019
1:00 p.m. — 4:00 p.m.
Office of the City Clerk Council Chamber
Kitchener City Hall
200 King St.W. - 2nd Floor
Kitchener ON N2G 4G7
Page 1 Chair - Councillor S. Davey Vice -Chair - Councillor P. Singh
Consent Items
The following matters are considered not to require debate and should be approved by one motion in accordance
with the recommendation contained in each staff report. A majority vote is required to discuss any report listed
as under this section.
• None
Delegations
Pursuant to Council's Procedural By-law, delegations are permitted to address the Committee for a maximum of five
(5) minutes.
• Item 1 - Sam Nabi
Discussion Items
1. CAO -19-010 - City of Kitchener 2019-2022 Strategic Plan (90 min)
(Staff will provide a 10 minute presentation on this matter)
2. COR -19-028 - Public Access to Technology Standard (30 min)
(Staff will provide a 5 minute presentation on this matter)
(Materials will be provided under separate cover)
3. COR -19-021 - Municipal Response to the Truth & Reconciliation Commission (60 min)
Calls to Action
(Staff will provide a 5 minute presentation on this matter)
Information Items
• None
Jeff Bunn
Manager, Council & Committee Services/Deputy City Clerk
** Accessible formats and communication supports are available upon request. If you require assistance to
take part in a city meeting or event, please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 **
Staff Report ru R
Chief Administrator's Office www. kitchen er.ca
REPORT TO:
Finance and Corporate Services Committee
DATE OF MEETING:
June 17, 2019
SUBMITTED BY:
Kathryn Dever, Director, Strategy and Corporate Performance
519 741-2200 ext 7370
PREPARED BY:
Karen Cooper, Manager, Strategic and Business Planning
519 741-2200 ext 7817
WARD (S) INVOLVED:
All
DATE OF REPORT:
May 30, 2019
REPORT NO.:
CAO 19-010
SUBJECT:
City of Kitchener 2019-2022 Strategic Plan
RECOMMENDATION: That the City of Kitchener 2019-2022 Strategic Plan as contained
in Appendix A to report CAO 19-010 be approved.
BACKGROUND:
Process
Kitchener's strategic plan, vision and mission were first approved in 2000 and have
guided the City since then. The vision is: "Together we will build an innovative, caring and
vibrant Kitchener." The mission is: "Proudly providing valued services for our community."
Following each municipal election, the City's strategic plan is updated with Council's new
strategic goals and key activities for the upcoming term. The following graphic shows the
timeline to develop the recommended 2019-2022 Strategic Plan, included as Appendix A
to this report.
2) Project Plan
to Council for
Approval
2017
1) Community
Engagement
Plan Proposal
4) Community 6) Collaboration 8) 2024 Budget/
Consultation — on Strategic Business Plan
Strategic opportunities Begins
Directions
2018 2019
3) Environics 5) Report to 7) Strategic Plan
Community Council on Approved by
Survey — Potential Community Council
Priorities Priorities
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
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Previous Engagement
In August 2018, the Compass Kitchener advisory committee presented Council with
community priorities for 2019-2022, based on input received from extensive public
consultation, including the Environics survey of 1,000+ citizens, 4 community workshops,
an All Advisory Committees Meeting, a social media campaign and an online Engage
Kitchener survey. Compass Kitchener identified the topics of Environment, Economic,
Social and Organizational Excellence as community priorities.
The Corporate Leadership Team used this information to consult with over 150 staff to
obtain their input and established a 25 member corporate -wide strategic plan staff team
to support them in drafting goals and actions that respond to community priorities,
emerging issues and opportunities. The CAO met individually with Council members to
gain insight on their priorities and areas of interest. Staff also reviewed the external
environment to be aware of trends and challenges that that may impact the City.
Council Direction
On January 291h, 2019 Council reviewed five draft Strategic Plan Goals and example
actions. Council provided clear direction and suggestions to staff to more fully develop
the five Goals and to create five strategic actions to implement each goal.
REPORT:
Current Engagement Results
Staff completed the work requested by
Council in March 2019. To validate that the
proposed Strategic Plan goals and actions
aligned with community expectations, an
additional on-line Engage Kitchener survey
was conducted from April 9th to April 30th
2019. Appendix B contains the detailed
Engage Kitchener online survey results.
The survey page received 896 unique
views and 145 people provided responses
to the survey.
Figure 1 illustrates the distribution of
responses by Ward. The highest
distribution of respondents was within
wards 8, 9 and 10 with 81 responses
across the three wards.
Figure 1: Distribution of Responses by Ward
A key finding of the community, staff and Council engagement is the high degree of
alignment on what the City should be addressing.
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There is broad consensus that the focus areas for the Strategic Plan for this term of
Council should be:
• Environmental • Vibrant • People Friendly • Caring • Great Customer
Leadership Economy Transportation Community Service
The themes directly relate to the community priorities proposed by Compass Kitchener
and the community can see themselves broadly reflected in these five areas.
For each of the five themes, a goal statement and five implementing actions were
presented in the survey. The survey asked people to answer the following two questions
for each theme:
1. What do you think of the strategic actions proposed to achieve the goals over the
next four years?
2. How will your life improve as a result of these actions being completed?
The distribution of responses for each of the themes is presented in Figure 2. Some of
the 145 respondents chose not to provide responses for each theme.
Figure 2: Level of Support and Distribution of Responses by Strategic Plan
Theme
Theme
# of Responses
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Environmental
Leadership
128
110(86%)
8(6%)
10(8%)
People Friendly
Transportation
128
100(78%)
9(7%)
19(15%)
Caring Community
107
94(88%)
3 (3%)
10(9%)
Vibrant Economy
105
78(74%)
13 (12%)
14(13%)
Great Customer
Service
75
60(80%)
9(12%)
6(8%)
As indicated in Figure 2 the level of support for the proposed goals and actions was very
positive, validating that they reflect community priorities and interests. Many thoughtful
comments were also provided, especially around how people saw their lives and the
community being improved with the actions being completed. Appendix B contains all of
the comments received.
Staff completed additional outreach to stakeholders in addition to the survey. For example
all neighbourhood associations were sent an engagement handout containing the draft
goals and actions with a request to complete the online survey. The Region of Waterloo,
each of the local municipalities and major institutions were provided with copies of the
draft goals and actions and their support in implementing the strategic plan was sought.
The complete list of stakeholders and organizations directly contacted is included as
Appendix C to this report.
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The Grand River Hospital responded that from a health perspective, the actions under
Vibrant Economy and Caring Community are vitally important. They noted that the
positive correlation between socioeconomic variables and factors such as economic
well-being, education, etc. and the health of a population are well documented. They
were pleased to see affordable housing in the strategic plan — which was noted as a key
factor influencing health for the community - in particular for those who are grappling
with mental health and addictions challenges. They reported that they are seeing a
growing demand and need for services in this area and the challenge in maintaining the
health status of an individual who also has challenges in maintaining housing. The
hospital also noted possible collaboration opportunities on staff development and
training programs to achieve Great Customer Service.
City of Cambridge staff anticipate that there will be many opportunities for continued
collaboration between our two cities as respective strategic plans unfold. They also
noted that themes that have emerged in Kitchener also align with discussions
Cambridge staff are having regarding customer service and creating new feedback
loops, diversity and inclusion, active transportation and overall "place -
making". Cambridge would like to continue discussions with Kitchener around how
progress in meeting the goals of our respective plans and anticipated outcomes will be
measured.
The Township of North Dumfries staff advised that they were pleased to see the City
take on a leadership role in the development of the Arts and Culture Plan that they
identified as being a missing piece across Waterloo Region.
REEP Green Solutions identified opportunities for partnership and collaboration in the
following areas:
• Helping apartment dwellers have access to the green bin program
• Partnering with the City on leveraging the Energy Efficiency Reserve Fund, with
FCM funding support and accessing FCM's upcoming Community EcoEfficiency
Acceleration Fund to provide financing for home retrofits
• Working with the City on implementing the Urban Forest Strategy
• Working with the City on developing the Affordable Housing Strategy
Waterloo Region Immigration Partnership encourages the City of Kitchener to leverage
the capacity of and engage with the Immigration Partnership as a resource and partner
in the development of the City's various strategies and programs. The Partnership
provided thoughtful comments on implementing the strategic plan, including the following
points:
Overall
• Specifically include immigrants and refugees in planning and the life of this city
and include equity as an overarching principle to address structural barriers to the
inclusion and participation of immigrants, refugees and others.
Vibrant Economy
• Have a specific focus on attracting and retaining immigrant talent, business
owners, arts and culture in Make -it -Kitchener 2.0, including how the City supports,
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empowers and partners with immigrant businesses and ethno-cultural groups as
drivers of immigrant (and other) attraction and retention.
• In planning the Creative Hub and similar spaces, ensure immigrants and others
are meaningfully included so plans and spaces reflect what it should look like from
a newcomer perspective.
• Meaningfully include immigrants and others in developing the new Urban Design
Manual to ensure that it leads to spaces developed for an increasingly diverse
population.
Caring Community
• Collect, analyze and make public disaggregated data in relation to the Diversity,
Equity and Inclusion Strategy and all City initiatives and programs.
• Include housing appropriateness and accessibility in the planned Affordable
Housing Strategy to accommodate a diverse population with different living
patterns; include immigrants and groups like the Immigration Partnership in its
development.
• Make city facilities available to ethno-cultural groups to foster development and
connection of their communities; develop leisure programs/resources to meet the
needs of a diverse population.
Great Customer Service
• Expand the plan to provide on -demand support for customer service requests in
a variety of languages to include all physical points of entry to city services and
programs.
• Adjust talent acquisition processes to treat non-English language skills as an
asset in all hiring to deliver great customer service to residents with no or limited
English language.
Staff attended citizen advisory committee meetings held between April 1 st to April 30th to
promote participation in the survey and to hear directly from committee member
comments and suggestions on the draft goals and actions. Compass Kitchener provided
wording suggestions and expressed continued interest in developing evaluation criteria
to assess implementation of the Strategic Plan. The Kitchener Youth and the Cycling and
Trails Committees expressed particular support for the bikeshare and cycling actions. The
Environment Advisory Committee noted the interrelationship of the actions in supporting
all of the themes and encouraged the city to advance the sustainability agenda. The
Downtown Advisory Committee reinforced the need for the affordable housing strategy
and the arts and culture plan to be completed. The Safe and Healthy Advisory Committee
also referenced the need to balance economic growth with support for provision of
affordable housing.
Response to Feedback
From all of the feedback received, the Corporate Leadership Team considered Council
direction and the public and stakeholder comments in revising the draft goals and actions
to prepare the recommended 2019-2022 Strategic Plan.
Council asked that innovation, vibrancy, technology and partnerships provide a
foundation for the strategic plan. Council and the community asked that the strategic plan
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promote sustainability. Council and the community asked that clear and achievable
actions be delivered over this term of council that will have a meaningful impact on
people's lives so that the vision to build an innovative, caring and vibrant Kitchener is
advanced.
Stakeholders identified interest in working with the City to implement the strategic plan
and staff will be actively pursuing partnerships with all stakeholders including REEP, other
municipalities and institutions. Staff have recently met with representatives of the
Immigration Partnership to pursue strategic plan implementation of the Make It Kitchener
2.0 Strategy, the Affordable Housing Strategy and the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Strategy and will be following through on all of their suggestions. Every Advisory
Committee staff met with indicated enthusiasm for working with the City to help implement
the strategic plan and advised that their work programs had items directly related to the
actions. Staff will be following up during the implementation of the strategic plan to co-
ordinate with the advisory committees.
The key points for the introduction, message from council, sustainable development goals
and accountability message from the Corporate Leadership team in the recommended
strategic plan were drafted based on Council, public and stakeholder interests and ideas.
As indicated, the public response was very positive to the draft goals and actions — no
substantive changes, new goals or actions were suggested. The following clarifying
wording changes have been made in the recommended strategic plan:
• Adding "thriving" to arts and culture in the Goal: Build a vibrant city by making strategic
investments to support job creation, economic prosperity, "thriving" arts and culture, and great
places to live.
• Adding "at least" to the following action: Launch and implement a Corporate Climate Action
Plan to achieve an absolute greenhouse gas emissions reduction of "at least" 8% by 2026.
• Changing "Create" to "Complete" inthefollowing action: "Complete" a new Urban Design Manual
by 2019 that expresses city building and design expectations to ensure vibrant new development
throughout Kitchener
• Changing "inventory" to "review in the following action: Complete a comprehensive "review" of
city -owned properties by 2020 to determine how they could be effectively used to advance city
strategic objectives.
• Adjusted the strategy title in the following action to read: Create a comprehensive "Equity,
Diversity, and Inclusion" Strategy by 2020 to combat systemic barriers to full economic and
social participation in the city.
• Changed "Waterloo Region" to "the Region of Waterloo" in the following action: Create an
Affordable Housing Strategy for Kitchener by 2020 in collaboration with "the Region of
Waterloo", community groups and the development industry.
• Changed "in a variety of" to "many" and deleted "through the Corporate Contact Centre" in the
following action, so that it reads: Provide on -demand support for customer service requests in
"many" languages by 2020.
• Simplified the following customer service action to read "Enhance the online experience for
customers by delivering customized information, providing easy access to services, and allowing
them to conduct financial transactions by 2021."
• Completion dates for actions were revised.
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Recommended Strategic Plan
Appendix A comprises the recommended 2019-2022 Strategic Plan, including themes,
goals and actions for Council's consideration and approval. It also provides an outline of
other components of the Strategic Plan including, an introduction, message from the
Mayor and Council, connection to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals,
and the Corporate Leadership Team's commitment to deliver on the recommended
strategic actions.
The 5 recommended strategic plan goals are -
1 .
re:
1. People -friendly Transportation: Transform how people move through the city
by making the transportation network safe, comfortable and connected.
2. Environmental Leadership: Achieve a healthy and livable community by
proactively mitigating and adapting to climate change and by conserving natural
resources.
3. Vibrant Economy: Build a vibrant city by making strategic investments to
support job creation, economic prosperity, thriving arts and culture, and great
places to live.
4. Caring Community: Enhance people's sense of belonging and connection by
providing welcoming community spaces and programs, better engaging, serving
and supporting our diverse populations and helping to make housing affordable.
5. Great Customer Service: Increase people's satisfaction, trust and engagement
with the City by providing friendly, easy and convenient services.
The twenty-five strategic actions recommended to be implemented over the term of
Council are:
2019
2020
2021
2022
1. Corporate Climate
5. Complete Streets Guidelines
14. Bikeshare Program
21.B.Civic District Master Plan
Action Plan
6. Tree Canopy Target
15. New Waste Diversion Programs at
22. Protected cycling network
2. Leverage Energy
7. Community Climate Action Plan
city facilities and events
connecting adjacent
Efficiency Reserve
8. Make It Kitchener 2.0 Strategy
16. Arts and Culture Plan
neighborhoods to
Fund
9.A. City -owned Property Review
17. A. Huron Brigadoon Community
downtown
3. Urban Design
9.6. New parcel of land to market in
Centre
23. Pedestrian -first street plans
Manual
downtown
17. B. Open Space Strategy
to connect Victoria Park and
4. 44 Gaukel Street
10. Equity, Diversity& Inclusion
18. Enhanced Online Customer
City Hall and connect ION to
buildout
Strategy
Experience
Kitchener Market
11. Affordable Housing Strategy
19. Minimum 3 km of additional year-
24. Elimination of the 2018 Tree
12. On -demand support for service
round access to existing trails
Planting Backlog
requests in many languages
20. Implement Customer Experience
25. Set service levels for
13. Corporate -wide Customer
Review Program
frequently requested
Satisfaction Program
21. A. Bramm Yards Master Plan
services
The Corporate Leadership Team is committed to ensuring implementation of the 2019-
2022 Strategic Plan and achievement of the strategic actions. The concluding section of
the Strategic Plan outlines this commitment, including integrating preparation of annual
business plans and budgets, working with Compass Kitchener to publicly report out on
progress to implement the Strategic Plan and working in partnership with stakeholders to
be innovative and use technology to implement the strategic plan.
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Design Overview
The 2019-2022 Strategic Plan has a four-year lifespan. From an internal perspective, it
will serve as a touchpoint and reminder to staff of Council's approved goals and actions.
To the community, it is a commitment on how specific, measurable actions that will
contribute to a more innovative, caring and vibrant committee will be advanced. To
exemplify this visually and following Council approval, the final Strategic Plan will be
designed over the summer to be:
• Easy to read both digitally, and in print format
• Use accessible, modern, legible and clean fonts
• Incorporate significant white space to balance written content and ensure
legibility
• Use a fresh colour palette that is both compliant with the City's brand (green and
gold) but also modern and friendly
• Use iconography/icon sets where appropriate to identify themes and add to
legibility
• Use people -centric photography, with bright, colorful images
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
The recommendation of this report supports the achievement of the city's strategic vision
through approval of the 2019-2022 Strategic Plan to guide this term of Council.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
Strategic actions that involve the introduction of new programs and services, or involve
substantial increases in service levels, will require additional resources to be sustainable.
This may include both financial and human resources to deliver enhanced service levels.
Where possible, staff will explore alternate funding sources or reallocate existing
resources to address Council's strategic priorities, but it is expected some of the priorities
identified in the report will require investments of tax supported or user rate supported
funding.
On April 25th Council approved a prioritized list of community facilities to be expanded or
constructed over the 2019-2022 Strategic Plan time period. Provincially proposed
changes to Development Charges legislation may impact the timing and extent of
community facility development. Staff have amended the Strategic Plan action that lists
the community facility projects to include completion of the Open Space Strategy and
Huron Brigadoon Community Centre in 2021 as their funding is secured at this time.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
INFORM — This report has been posted to the City's website with the agenda in advance
of the council / committee meeting.
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CONSULT — Over 1,250 citizens participated in the community engagement process,
including the Environics citizen survey reported to Council in April 2018, and the Your
Kitchener, Your Say! community engagement campaign conducted in June and July 2018
and reported to Council in August 2018.
Additional engagement occurred with all citizen advisory committees on January 24, 2019
at an event hosted by Compass Kitchener review preliminary goal statements and
example actions.
Following Council suggestions made at the January 29, 2019 Council meeting, five goals
and 25 actions were developed for final public review through an online Engage Kitchener
Survey in April 2019, and through direct distribution to stakeholders.
CONCLUSION:
The recommended strategic plan goals and implementing actions are both ambitious
and achievable. They reflect the priorities identified by the community. They provide
focus for staff to deliver transformative projects through a wide variety of partnerships.
Implementation of the strategic actions will help make Kitchener more innovative, caring
and vibrant.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Dan Chapman, CAO
Attachments:
Appendix A: Recommended 2019-2022 Strategic Plan
Appendix B: Analysis of Survey Results
Appendix C: Additional Directly Contacted Stakeholders
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Appendix A: Recommended 2019-2022 Strategic Plan
Kitchener's 2019-2022 Strategic Plan
(Text only at this time — following Council Approval the
document will be fully designed and produced to a high
quality graphic standard)
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City of Kitchener Vision and Mission
Kitchener's strategic plan isn't the City's plan — it's our community's plan for action. It was created
through extensive consultation with the people who live, work, play and lead in our city.
The goals within the plan represent our community and Council's shared vision: Together, we will build
an innovative, caring and vibrant Kitchener.
Our mission is: Proudly providing valued services for our community. Our promise to the community is
that we'll deliver on the priorities that matter to them: safer streets, a more caring and connected
community, a vibrant economy and a stronger and more resilient environment.
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Message from Mayor and Council
• Kitchener is a great place to live with strong and active neighbourhoods, welcoming leisure facilities,
support for arts and culture, diverse events, beautiful parks, trails and natural areas. People of all
ages live here and call Kitchener home. Kitchener is known for its innovation and embracing
technology and its support for institutions and the business community.
• As Kitchener has grown, it has embraced new residents from around the world and across Canada.
Newcomers make up a large proportion of our population, and contribute significantly to the
diversity of our community. The voices of these newcomers are as important in shaping our
collective future, and the goals and actions in our strategic plan will help make Kitchener a city
where everyone feels like they belong, are welcome, their needs are met, and they can participate
fully in our city's prosperity.
• As the elected representatives of the people of Kitchener our first priority is to listen and learn from
those who have placed their trust in us.
• Shaping our vision for Kitchener's future over the next four years starts with listening to citizens. We
asked you how we can make Kitchener an even more innovative, caring and vibrant city, and what
goals and actions within the strategic plan will bring your priorities to life. At your doors, at
community events, through statistically and demographically relevant surveys, through email,
phone, Twitter, in every format, in every interaction, we've listened to understand what's most
important to you.
• And we're prepared to act on those priorities. Through the five clear goals to give us focus and the
25 clear actions acting as a blueprint to success, we will ensure that staff focus on the priorities that
matter most to citizens. Safer streets. A stronger, more resilient environment. A more caring, and
prosperous city. Great customer service.
• In four years, Kitchener will be a safer, more caring and more connected city as we achieve the goals
and actions within the strategic plan. From protected cycling infrastructure to our corporate climate
action plan and an equity, diversity and inclusion strategy — the actions in our strategic plan are
ambitious, but achievable. With our new strategic plan, we have set the stage for new and exciting
initiatives to continue transforming our city. We're committed to delivering success.
• Council extends its thanks to Compass Kitchener, all of the citizen advisory committees, the many
people and stakeholders who provided us with their views and staff for working together to create
our new 2019-2022 Strategic Plan. We welcome all of you to continue working with us in
partnership as we implement the plan and realize our vision.
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UN Sustainable Development Goals
• At the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit in September 2015, world leaders adopted
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to
end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change by 2030.
• The UN SDGs outline the ways to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. Based on
leading global research, input from politicians across the globe and hundreds of non-governmental
organizations, the Sustainable Development Goals identify key factors that contribute to prosperity,
inclusion and sustainability.
• The SDGs are global, but with a local lens, we can do our part to contribute to their success.
• All of the SDGs have targets directly related to the responsibilities of local and regional
governments, particularly to our role in delivering direct services and programs.
• We have set strategic plan actions for the SDGs that are locally relevant to the city and each of the
25 actions within the 2019-2022 Strategic Plan can be connected to at least one of the SDGs.
• Throughout this plan you will see this connection visually represented by SDG icons accompanying
each theme area.
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Kitchener's commitment to people -friendly transportation means everyone
having a safe, comfortable and connected way to move through our city.
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People -friendly Transportation
Transform how people move through the city by
making the transportation network safe,
comfortable and connected.
Develop a set of Complete Streets (safe and
comfortable) guidelines and an associated
evaluation scorecard by 2020 to apply to roadway
construction projects.
Encourage and incentivize alternative modes of
transportation by developing and subsidizing a
bikeshare program by 2021.
Improve connectivity and year-round maintenance
to multi -use trails and pathways as prioritized
through the Cycling and Trails Master Plan with an
initial target of providing year-round access to a
minimum of an additional 3 km of existing trails by
2021.
Develop a plan to create pedestrian -first streets
between Victoria Park and City Hall and between the
ION and Kitchener Market by 2022.
Install a continuous and protected cycling network
that connects adjacent neighbourhoods to the
downtown by 2022.
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Kitchener's commitment to environmental leadership means facing the
challenges of a changing climate head-on, and protecting our natural resources
and areas for future generations.
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Environmental Leadership
Achieve a healthy and livable community by
proactively mitigating and adapting to climate
change and by conserving natural resources.
Launch and implement a Corporate Climate
Action Plan to achieve an absolute greenhouse
gas emissions reduction of at least 8% by 2026.
Starting in 2019 leverage the Energy Efficiency
Reserve Fund and other resources to reduce
consumption and emissions at our facilities and
in our operations
Develop a Community Climate Action Plan with
partner organizations by 2020.
Implement the Sustainable Urban Forest
Strategy with a focus on establishing a tree
canopy target by 2020 and eliminating the
current (2018) tree planting backlog by 2022.
Reduce waste diverted to landfills by
implementing new diversion programs at our
facilities and events by 2021.
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Kitchener's commitment to a vibrant economy means fostering the conditions
that will make Kitchener an ideal destination to start, move or grow businesses in
a variety of industries.
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Vibrant Economy
Build a vibrant city by making strategic
investments to support job creation, economic
prosperity, thriving arts and culture, and great
places to live.
Complete a new Urban Design Manual by 2019 that
expresses city building and design expectations to
ensure vibrant new development throughout
Kitchener.
Foster the creation of a citywide network of incubators,
accelerators and co -working spaces by completing the
buildout of 44 Gaukel in 2019, advancing work on a
Creative Hub and undertaking business cases in 2019-
2021 for the food, manufacturing and health/med-tech
industries.
Develop the Make it Kitchener 2.0 Strategy by 2020
with a focus on transformative actions to ensure the
attraction, success and retention of diverse businesses,
talent, and arts/culture across the city.
Complete a comprehensive review of city -owned
properties by 2020 to determine how they could be
effectively used to advance city strategic objectives.
Develop a vision for downtown Kitchener and
continue to position downtown Kitchener as a leading
destination for redevelopment opportunities, with at
least one new parcel of land brought to market by
2020. Finalize master plans for the Bramm Yards by
2021 and for the Civic District by 2022.
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Kitchener's commitment to be a caring community means making sure that
everyone feels included, and that no one is left behind.
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Caring Community
Enhance people's sense of belonging and
connection by providing welcoming
community spaces and programs, better
engaging, serving and supporting our
diverse populations and helping to make
housing affordable.
Create a comprehensive Equity, Diversity, and
Inclusion Strategy by 2020 to combat systemic barriers
to full economic and social participation in the city.
Create an Affordable Housing Strategy for Kitchener by
2020 in collaboration with the Region of Waterloo,
community groups and the development industry.
Reduce the stigma experienced by those living with
mental illness and addiction in our community by
educating and training staff, and by supporting the
creation of appropriate safe consumption and
treatment facilities in Kitchener.
Better utilize existing facilities, provide relevant
programming, support the equitable distribution of
leisure programs and resources across neighbourhoods
and complete: Huron Brigadoon Community Centre
and an Open Space Strategy by 2021.
Engage a broad cross-section of the community,
including the arts and creative industry sector and
multi -cultural communities to develop a new and
inclusive Arts and Culture Plan by 2021.
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Kitchener's commitment to great customer service includes continuously checking
in with people who use our services to evolve to changing needs and ensure we
are getting it right.
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Great Customer Service
Increase people's satisfaction, trust and
engagement with the City by providing friendly,
easy and convenient services.
Introduce a corporate -wide Customer Satisfaction
Program that will allow for the collection of real-time
feedback from customers accessing City facilities,
programs and services by 2020.
Provide on -demand support for customer service
requests in many languages by 2020.
Enhance the online experience for customers by
delivering customized information, providing easy
access to services, and allowing them to conduct
financial transactions by 2021.
Implement a comprehensive program of Customer
Experience Reviews to help ensure services are easy
and convenient to access from the customer's
perspective by 2021.
Set specific and clearly communicated service levels
for frequently asked about or accessed City services,
including tree maintenance, parking, property
standards complaints, snow clearing and grass cutting
by 2022.
(Text only at this time — Design to follow after Council approval)
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Accountability
2019
2020
Corporate Climate Action
Complete Streets Guidelines
Plan
Protected cycling network
city facilities and events
Tree Canopy Target
Leverage Energy
neighborhoods to downtown
Efficiency Reserve Fund
Community Climate Action Plan
Urban Design Manual
Make it Kitchener 2.0 Strategy
44 Gaukel Street buildout
City -owned property review and
Center
new parcel of land to market in
downtown
Open Space Strategy
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Strategy
Enhanced Online Customer
Affordable Housing Strategy
Experience
On -demand support for service
requests in many languages
Minimum 3 km of additional year-
Corporate -wide Customer
round access to existing trails
Satisfaction Program
2021
2022
Bikeshare program
Civic District Master Plan
New Waste Diversion Programs at
Protected cycling network
city facilities and events
connecting adjacent
neighborhoods to downtown
Arts and Culture Plan
Pedestrian -first street plans to
Huron Brigadoon Community
connect Victoria Park and City
Center
Hall and connect ION to
Kitchener Market
Open Space Strategy
Elimination of 2018 Tree
Enhanced Online Customer
Planting Backlog
Experience
Set service levels for
Minimum 3 km of additional year-
frequently requested services
round access to existing trails
Bramm Yards Master Plan
Implement Customer Experience
Review Program
(Text only at this time — Design to follow after Council approval)
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Our Commitment to Accountability
• We are committed to being accountable to the community we serve. The 2019-2022 Strategic Plan
contains measurable, specific actions and a timeline for completion that will enable meaningful
dialogue between staff and residents about our progress towards the identified priorities. Our long-
term financial plan, budgets and annual business plans will be aligned to implement the Strategic
Plan.
• We are committed to measure and report on progress on the Strategic Plan, by monitoring the
actions and reporting progress to Council and the public throughout the life of this Plan. We will
report to Council three times a year and create an online presence to share results (good or bad)
with the public.
• The City's Compass Kitchener Citizens' Advisory Committee will review and assess our progress, and
publicly report on an annual basis how well we are doing.
• Through collaboration between staff, the public and Council, this Plan captures a shared vision for
Kitchener. This plan was built by working together and by continuing to work together, we can
continue to make Kitchener a place to earn a good living, to live a good life and to love where you
I ive.
• We recognize we cannot accomplish everything in this Plan alone. Partnerships will be key to our
success. The effective use of technology and innovation will also be key enablers to success in all 5
themes and in delivering each of the 25 actions.
• The City's Corporate Leadership Team personally commits to be accountable for progress towards
the strategic plan's goals and to regularly report on our progress.
(Text only at this time — Design to follow after Council approval)
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Appendix B: Analysis of Survey Results
2019-2022 STRATEGIC PLAN
DRAFT GOALS AND ACTIONS
ANALYSIS OF ONLINE
ENGAGEMENT RESPONSES
1-27
Summary Analysis
Introduction
Kitchener's 2019-2022 Strategic Plan advances the priorities of the people who live and work in
our community. Over the course of a year-long public consultation process, city staff and
Compass Kitchener asked residents what the main issues facing Kitchener were and how they
should be addressed. Repeatedly, the same five themes emerged from the consultations.
To validate that the proposed Strategic Plan goals and actions aligned with what we heard from
the community, an on-line Engage Kitchener survey was conducted from April 9-30, 2019. The
survey asked people to answer the following two questions for each theme:
1. What do you think of the strategic actions proposed to achieve the goals over the next
four years?
2. How will your life improve as a result of these actions being completed?
The City of Kitchener received 145 responses to the survey. A list of all comments received is
attached in Appendix A. Each comment was reviewed and categorized into one of the following
categories:
• Agree — respondents were in favour of the proposed goal and actions, plus respondents
who supported the actions but felt the city could do more, those who suggested
improvements and those who were in support but "wanted to see it to believe it"
• Neutral — respondents expressed they did not know or had no opinion
• Disagree — respondents did not agree with a proposed goal or the proposed actions
• Comments — some respondents provided other comments unrelated to the draft goals
and actions for the theme
Key Findings:
• The response to the goal and actions for all themes was very positive and validates the
draft goals and actions for the 2019-2022 Strategic Plan
• Caring Community, which had new actions for the city, had the highest overall positive
rating. 91% of people were either positive or neutral — 88% were positive
• Most respondents were happy with Customer Service actions as presented
• For the themes of People -Friendly Transportation some of the respondents thought
there was too much emphasis on cycling which was counterbalanced by others who
thought we could be more ambitious in supporting cycling.
• For Environmental Leadership, a number of respondents indicated the city should do
better than its approved 8% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
• Some people wanted information on cost implications for the actions.
• Avery few respondents were negative about all actions.
• The highest distribution of respondents was within wards 8, 9 and 10 with 81 responses.
A distribution map of the responses from people who provided the first 3 digits of their
postal code is included in Figure 1.
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i-mure 1:
Kitchener's 2019-2022 Strategic Plan
Distribution of Online Survey Responses
1-29
The respondents came to the survey directly through the city website or typing in the url as well
as through social media. Figure 2 illustrates the distribution of responses by their channel of
access to the survey over the survey period.
Figure 2:
Visits by Channel
EngageWR from 02 Apr'19 to 01 May'19
200
150
100
50
8Apr '19 15Apr'19 22Apr'19 29Apr'19
_ Direct — Social o. Email _ Search Engine — .GOV sites _, Referrals
The first increase in engagement can be attributed to a targeted email blast from Engage
Kitchener to subscribers and identified stakeholders. The second boost in engagement can
be attributed to emails sent to diverse stakeholders identified by staff.
The increase in activity around the last week of the survey can be attributed to social media
posts about the content of the plan and the imminent closure of the survey period.
The majority of the 145 responses occurred following the email to subscribers. Some
respondents did not provide answers to the questions for each of the five themes.
Distribution of responses by strategic plan theme was as follows:
Theme
# of Responses
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Environmental
128
110(86%)
8(6%)
10(8%)
Leadership
People Friendly
128
100(78%)
9(7%)
19(15%)
Transportation
Caring Community
107
94(88%)
3(3%)
10(9%)
Vibrant Economy
105
78(74%)
13 (12%)
14(13%)
Great Customer
75
60(80%)
9(12%)
6(8%)
Service
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People -Friendly Transportation
128 respondents
People -Friendly Transportation
■ Agree ■ Neutral Disagree
The positive comments received focused on the following themes:
• High level of support for the goal and actions
• Reflects the demand for safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists and keep everyone
safe with their choice of transportation
• Encourages people to get out and about in the community, good for health and for the
environment
• Look at European cities where this is already well established
There were a small number of people who responded neutrally to the goal with a general
feeling they were too vague in nature.
Some people supported the direction but would like to see the suburbs included/addressed
somehow, even in future plans. Some thought we should be adding additional kilometers to the
bike lanes, reducing the speed limit on roads, ensuring the viability of a bike share program and
doing research prior to implementing changes to ensure they are needed and will be effective.
Ensuring we are able to support winter maintenance of additional trails was also mentioned.
"How will your life improve as a result of these actions being completed?"
Improved safety and seeing an increase in active modes of transportation use by others or
themselves is how the majority of people felt their life would improve as a result of these
actions being completed.
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Environmental Leadership
128 respondents
Environmental Leadership
■ Agree ■ Neutral Disagree
Positive comments from this area focused on the following:
• It is great to see the city taking a leadership role in this area
• These actions do not go far enough, particularly with the greenhouse gas emissions
reduction target
• Focusing on trees is important
From the small percentage of people who responded neutrally, the general consensus was that
there was not enough detail to comment properly but they sounded good in theory. People
noted that Kitchener should work with the region on waste diversion and find ways to
encourage both citizens and businesses to do more in helping to reduce climate change.
"How will your life improve as a result of these actions being completed?"
The majority of people felt the community will be a better place to live and that they would feel
a sense of pride living in a municipality with this as a focus. A cleaner environment/living
cleaner were also seen as a significant benefit from these actions being completed. Others felt
they would be healthier as a result and while some did not think things would improve for
themselves, it was noted that they saw improvement for future generations.
"These ideas are great and are so important to me and my family. I think a Corporate Climate Action
Plan is absolutely necessary. I think the idea of a tree canopy target is creative and healthy. As part of
your goal to deduce waste diverted to landfills, can the city please implement mandatory green
bin/composting for corporations/businesses? I work at the hospital and there is way too much
compostable material (paper towels, food waste) being thrown in the garbage."
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Vibrant Economy
105 respondents
Vibrant Economy
■ Agree ■ Neutral Disagree
General themes that emerged from the positive comments include:
• Everything sounds good
• The city needs to take a holistic approach, focusing on vulnerable populations while
completing the work
• These sound good but ensure focus on local and diversity of businesses as part of it
• Happy to see arts and culture as a focus
It is notable that a connection was seen by a number of people regarding the actions in this
area and affordable housing. Ensuring affordable housing is spread out within the city was a
reoccurring recommendation. Another suggestion was to ensure that the focus is not just on
the downtown but on all areas within the city and across all businesses, not just tech.
"How will your life improve as a result of these actions being completed?"
The responses to this question indicated the majority felt they will have more choices for
entertainment, businesses, arts and culture etc. as a result of these actions being completed.
Increased and more diversified career opportunities were also seen as a possible benefit as well
as increased value for arts and culture.
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Caring Community
107 respondents
Caring Community
■ Agree ■ Neutral Disagree
Some of the positive comments received included the following:
• "These to me are some of the most important goals that we need to focus on. Many communities
address things such as economic vibrancy and environmental stewardship, but Kitchener stands
out to me as a community that strives to take care of all of its citizens. It still has a lot of work to
do but I often see Kitchener as taking a lead on a number of the goals outlined here and I strongly
hope that continues and strengthens."
• "Affordable housing is an issue in the city, happy to see we are doing something about it"
• "Great to see a focus on those with mental health and addiction, especially the focus on
reducing the stigma"
• "Would love to see more green spaces in the city"
The neutral comments suggested some people were looking for more detail to understand the
impact.
A suggestion from this area is to ensure the city is engaging others/groups through these
actions. In relation to affordable housing people indicated that the city should keep in mind
ensuring that the middle income and those working full time but still living below the poverty
line are included and that affordable housing is spread out across the city and not just in one
location.
"How will your life improve as a result of these actions being completed?"
A greater sense of community and belonging was the major benefit of how people saw their
lives improving as a result of these actions being completed.
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Great Customer Service
75 respondents
Customer Service
■ Agree ■ Neutral Disagree
Positive themes that emerged from the responses included:
• "These are great ideas!"
• "Thank you for making a variety of languages available as our community grows more diverse."
• Like the idea of a portal and knowing who to contact
The neutral comments focused on the following:
• No opinions on the goal and actions
• People commented they felt the city was doing a good job already and others indicated that
they have not had to deal with the city
Most people commented they were happy with these actions as presented and did not provide
additional recommendations or suggestions for improvement.
"How will your life improve as a result of these actions being completed?"
Streamlined services and easier access are where most people see their lives improving as a result of
these actions.
1-35
Appendix A - All Comments
People Friendly Transportation
Comments Received for People -Friendly Transportation
Category
I love the direction. As an avid biker this really excites me!
I think it reflects the demand for safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists.
Agree
Agree
These are great initiatives
Agree
These are amazing goals and I am very happy that the City is moving forward to implement them.
Agree
Would love to see the second phase of the project involve the suburbs, too, so that we are less likely to
use our cars to get to downtown.
Sounds great!
Agree
Sounds great! I'm particularly enthusiastic about the development of a more complete cycling network.
Agree
I'd like to cycle more, but it feels like I'm risking my life when I try to cycle a lot of places in the city.
I'm also interested in the plans for pedestrian -first streets near Kitchener Market. I'll be thrilled if that
work makes it easier to cross Charles at Eby -- an important intersection that's gotten notably less
pedestrian friendly since the Ion tracks were added.
I think that many of these goals are focusing on getting people out of their cars which is great. Winter
Agree
will continue to be an issue in this goal to get people out of their cars.
Awesome, exactly what we need!
Agree
These sound great
Agree
Good idea
Agree
Wow, these all sound amazing. I am in full and complete support of these initiatives. Great job! Agree
I think it is a good idea. We are seeing more cycling in our city now and should support it to keep Agree
everyone safe with their choice of transportation.
Ambitious and very necessary. Agree
I fully agree with the goals of this Strategic Plan. I believe KW should put pedestrians and cyclists first Agree
when thinking of transit
I think it's forward -thinking. People will not get out of their cars if other methods of transportation are Agree
inconvenient or non-existent or patchwork.
I agree with them! Agree
1) Is there something more measurable for the cycling network? Le. 3 km of uninterrupted cycling
network across streets and intersections.
I'm excited that this is propriety! This is very important for growing our city sustainability, and helping Agree
people travel in a way that is affordable and not detrimental to their health.
Dedicated bike lanes that are protected is a great idea. Increasing multi -use trail away from roads and Agree
turning the city core into a more pedestrian only area would be good. Setting up underground/above
ground car garage on the outskirt of the downtown core would be a good idea too
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1,3,4,5 - This is incredible. My only mode of transportation is cycling, and I am overjoyed to see this Agree
thinking. I only wish it were sooner! I hope that with this is also a clear statement that we need to find
alternative zero -emission forms of transportation, and that the city aims to respond to the climate crisis
by making these options available, in addition to all the other various health benefits and the like.
One idea is to separate streets into cycling streets/car streets entirely during peak commuter hours. This
would be a very controversial idea, I'm sure, but it would certainly increase the amount of people that
cycle. This would also reduce emissions, and increase biking culture/support for these initiatives.
I support all these plans. I've recently started cycling for my commute to work and I take the iron horse Agree
trail but its a frustrating experience because it crosses so many busy streets. We need a solution for this
that keeps cyclists (and other pedestrians using the trail) safe and still provides a quick commute.
I like it
Agree
YES. More please.
Agree
I really like the idea of the continuous and protected cycling network. Right now the city seems very cut
Agree
up and disconnected by the highway and by poor quality roads which make it unsafe to bike (like Ottawa
Agree
St). I feel that the continues protected cycling network is more important, and should be prioritised over
Agree
the bikeshare program.
Wonderful - allowing people to get around with more ease will alleviate parking issues and encourage
Agree
people to shop and spend time downtown.
Infrastructure is needed in areas that are currently difficult / dangerous to navigate, i.e. King St. or
Agree
Weber St. Otherwise, feasible alternate routes would be preferable for most cyclists.
Great. Please increase the number of buses for the route 8 as it comes after every half hour.
Agree
I support the intention of safe cycling, walking, bit we in this region are still car junkie's
Agree
I am very excited! A complete network to support cyclists and pedestrians would be great.
Agree
A bikeshare program sounds more difficult to make run smoothly in a small area, so I would be worried
that it would not see enough use to justify. But it would be great if it worked.
I really like this plan as it encourages people to get out and about in their community. I would hope that
Agree
it could lead to better neighbours and knowing more people in our community. Will also hopefully
decrease the amount of traffic as neighbourhoods become safer for alternative means of transportation
Excellent
Agree
I think the pedestrian -first streets idea is fantastic. The cycling network is important too. I remember
Agree
visiting Vancouver 10 years ago and was pleasantly surprised to see their cycling infrastructure included
designated bike -friendly streets where every few blocks the street narrowed so bikes could get through
yet vehicles could not.
I think that this is absolutely vital to the success of our City over the next four years and beyond. I believe
Agree
that addressing transportation is a means to address all other aspects of the strategic plan - social issues,
the environment, and the economy.
It is a good move and would encourage people to utilize alternative means of transportation. It would
Agree
also allow them to feel safer to utilize alternative means of transportation such as biking and pedestrian -
first streets.
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I think that they sound like great ideas. I like the idea of a bike share program, and creating a walking grid Agree
in downtown. I've witnessed such things in Europe and they are amazing. For Kitchener it will need to
come with increased parking (and perhaps decreased fees for parking) in the downtown core to
encourage people to take advantage of it.
As a cyclist I am very excited by the focus on creating more bike friendly routes.
Fantastic
(3reat.
Good.
Pedestrian first streets should be everywhere.
Frederick Street should be looked at as well as the pedestrian traffic is large and include a large # of
children
Hoping that these goals will be more accurate than the ion
I think investing in cycling trails is important to keep cyclists safe and to encourage others to start biking,
which is good for their health and for the environment. The city needs to do whatever it can to provide
alternatives from pollution -causing methods of transit.
Really like the idea of a trails master plan and a pedestrian first street!
good plan
I am an active cyclist and I'm very excited about the plan
They're great.
It's great, and ambitious... didn't see this one coming, it's exciting.
Looking forward to seeing the changes
I think it's a very necessary initiative and will fit nicely with your goals of more inclusion.
I like these goals
Good start
Very very pleased!
I am very happy to see that cycling is at the top of the list. I would use downtown WAY more often if I
could bike there from Central Frederick without risking my life and the lives of my two young children.
I like them, although I think that education and enforcement will continue to be important because
current trends of adults biking on the sidewalks - including heavier and faster e -bikes - endanger
pedestrians
Sounds good, not sure what the term "complete streets" mean.
Well done but keep going.
Transportation hub needs to be a priority.
I worry it's too good to be true ... but it sounds wonderful.
I'm in favour of it, but I don't know that it is truly friendly to a broad group of people.
I would also be interested in the research on how effective bike share programs are and
whether other forms of incentives are more, or less effective.
Make sure the bike share will be used. Is there enough demand? Love the complete streets and
supportive cycling infrastructure changes.
it
Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree
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It's a good start but I really want to see my city council thinking big here. Look at world leaders,
Agree
Netherland and Denmark, as a guide on how to implement this the right way. We have an amazing
opportunity and I worry that the plans don't go far enough or have enough of an imagination. Please,
Agree
please, please - be innovative here!
I agree these are all useful actions, but are highly weather dependant. The report has biking and walking
Agree
listed as affordable transportation options, which they certainly are, but are not as safe or reliable in
January.
Agree
While GRT is a regional concern, why not think about means tested transit subsidies for Kitchener
residents above what may be available through the region. The TAPP program certainly helps some of
those most affected by limited income, but is there a wealth gap we can help fill for those who are
Agree
working and struggle with monthly bills as rent and food costs rise?
Yes these do accomplish. However, this is very much focused on the downtown area of Kitchener. The
Agree
suburbs should also embrace these ideas, such as Doon and Forrest Hill.
Agree
are nothing but a nuisance in the core. Separated bike lines are essential.
Important. Bike share should extend outside of the core.
Agree
I think it would be ideal but seems like a large under taking for the limited time. Why not propose an
extended time frame? As soon as you put an exact date on it people will complain if deadlines aren't
met,
If people feel that public transportation is safe, clean and convenient, they'll be more likely to use it. In
turn, encouraging alternatives to cars will help to lower carbon emissions by the city. A clean city is
something worth bragging about.
We need safer areas for cyclists. Some type of separation visually from the vehicles.
Agree
Agree
Agree
It's a good plan, but getting too inclusive with modes of transportation. Agree
Great ideas and plans, but they only work when residents live within a certain distance to the core. The Agree
urban sprawl of Williamsburg contradicts what the city is trying to achieve.
These are fair --I would like to see more trails/green space incentivized
Agree
Moreover, it would be helpful to know these areas are safe to walk/run on
It would be nice to see some innovative ideas or pilot projects tried to get people excited about active
Agree
transportation and also look for unique solutions that fit our community
I believe it to be satisfactory. Bike maintenance and repair boxes like the one in front of city hall on the
Agree
paths would be appreciated (it would be nice if you guys repaired or redesigned them too).
1. Seems very lacking in detail but generally appealing. Please list roads under consideration.
Agree
2. There has been very little thought into how east to west traffic flows through our region.
3. Bikes are great but I don't think effecting car traffic is the way to improve the number of people biking.
A good start, but improving the connectivity of the cycling network faster would have a bigger impact
Agree
than a bikeshare program, I would think. What's the good of a bikeshare program if you can't get
anywhere safely?
I think you should seriously look at a more pedestrian -friendly core. Look at smaller European cities. Cars
Agree
are nothing but a nuisance in the core. Separated bike lines are essential.
Keep bikes and cars on separate paths/ roads. Check Sherwood Park, Alberta's method.
Agree
Pedestrian facilities are fantastic they build culture and allow for place making. Many European cities Agree
have pedestrian only areas which are safe for kids, good for community building - people are out walking
and being social and businesses will adapt to these types of areas. With the intensification that is going
1-39
to occur around the downtown area and the LRT it would be fantastic if we could have a more walkable
city. Again, the operating and maintenance costs should be considered along with the lifecycle costs -
durable markings are not permanent and are expensive to replace. Appropriate and sustainable choices
that are fiscally responsible need to be made with implementation so that the long term operations costs
are held in check.
They are fine, I am all for getting more people to get around without cars so I am in favour of trying
Agree
anything that is moving in that direction. I think improving the transit system would have a bigger
impact though. You mention incentivizing alternative modes of transportation by subsidizing a bikeshare
(which I am for) but how about reducing the price of the bus? Especially for kids and seniors. GRT is
more expensive than any transit system in the area. More than London, Guelph, Mississauga, Toronto,
you name it. To take your kids to story time at the library for instance it costs $2.4 a kid each way (and
that is assuming you have tickets or an easygo card, if you have to pay cash it is $3.25 a kid each way). So
for a parent and two kids it costs over $15 (again, best case scenario) to go to the library or swimming or
the market or whatever. That is ridiculous.
Although the points mentioned are in the right direction, I have yet to see KW region even mention the
Agree
potential impact of autonomous car revolution in the coming years and if they are taking any steps to
incorporate and promote it in their transportation related planning. Autonomous electric cars, even if
launched in geo-fenced areas of the city, can be massively beneficial in terms of convenience,
environment improvements, giving the elderly and disabled people an option to move around the city
easily AND increasing local jobs in this tech sector. Not to mention the benefits of promoting ride -sharing
during rush hour traffic -- thats the real pain point of driving in this city. Please take an initiative and poke
relevant companies working in this field to launch pilot projects for self -driving cars in KW. Companies
like Google, Uber and Ford come to mind especially since they already have presence in KW and Toronto.
1.connect neighborhood to neighborhood not everything happens down town
Agree
3. Great idea!
As a senior who doesn't live close to Victoria Park, doesn't have a car & doesn't bike, they don't seem to
Agree
benefit me. From a societal point of view, yes these are good goal, but perhaps too bike -centric.
I believe the city should follow through with it and put it first rather than a few people who didn't want
Agree
to shovel their sidewalks on the north side of Glasgow st.
I believe that item #3 does not include enough of a commitment to year-round maintenance of multi -use
Agree
trails and pathways. 3km?!?! We can do better.
I do think that promoting alternative methods of transport involves other options than bike sharing. Bike
Agree
sharing has been a success in some cities and a dismal failure in others. I hope you conduct case studies
to pinpoint success predictors. Public transit is quite expensive and the routes are very indirect. Perhaps
some time could be invested in improving service routes?
Not sure where the space for more pedestrian and bike routes is coming from when there is barely
Agree
enough space for cars. Especially downtown. Kitchener is not a city with wide streets and extra space.
They're all good ideas but cars are still going to be the main method of transportation for a long time and
it sounds like this would make it more inconvenient to drive.
Ambitious
Agree
Sounds good but let's see how this works in reality
Agree
5. Keep private cars out of the downtown by shifting traffic around the area and the parking on the
Agree
circumstances.
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As someone who would like to start cycling to work and also taking my 10 year old daughter out cycling, Agree
I'm afraid. While bicycle lanes are a start, too often I see vehicles driving in them and I fear it's dangerous
for cyclists.
More dedicated cycling/walking trails where there are no cars would help.
Also, while we have some cycling lanes like down town that are slightly raised, vehicles still drive in them
and/or pedestrians walk in them even though a side walk is just to the right.
Having more cycling lanes that are separated with curb barriers would be safer as can be seen in other
countries. If a car needs to physically go over a curb, it will be clearer to drivers that they are not
supposed to drive on them. Likewise for pedestrians.
Cars and the amount of traffic and bikes really not a safe plan. More bike path off the busy streets. Agree
Having to stay a meter away from cyclists makes streets very narrow. I love the iron horse trail. But do
not use streets too dangerous.
I know this is going to sound counter active, but I think if there was free parking outside of the Agree
"downtown" core, close enough to reasonably walk into the hub I'd be more on board. I don't live near
the LRT, I'm not going to turn on my car to go the opposite way and park it at the mall to take it into the
Market spending $8 for that. I would however park my car in a safe lot, a few KM's away and walk to the
market and the different stores on my Saturday downtown trip. Right now the parking is a by law
nightmare and I'd rather drive closer so I can get in and out before getting tagged
Side walks need to be cleared in order to access these trails as well. How will this be addressed. Agree
With the cycling trails will there be more education geared toward drivers so they are reminded how to
drive with cyclists.
I feel very unsafe walking and biking around Kitchener. Something needs to be done about drivers not Agree
paying attention! Please deal with unsafe practices like cars not coming to complete stops at stop signs!
I think it's money wasted unless you do it right (and keep them separate from roads and have them Agree
accommodate strollers, wagons, roller blades and bikes).
Every road is already pedestrian first. It's bloody dangerous out there now because people just walk out
into traffic without looking.
Bike lanes need to be extra wide to accommodate roller bladers and strollers and need to be separate Agree
from the roads to make them safe for families. e.g., My kids want to roller blade to school but it's not
safe.
More cycling paths would be good, would they have easy to follow signs too? Agree
Complete Streets is vague. Neutral
Not in favour of pedestrian first streets. Disagree
I think the City needs to be realistic in the cost of not just building but annually maintaining these Agree
infrastructure items and putting money away for lifecycle costing (not as sexy as opening a new cycling Comments
facility I know) We have huge infrastructure deficits that and we can't maintain what we have in good
condition. While I believe being eco friendly and bike friendly is a fantastic idea I think all of these "nice"
to have are cost prohibitive. Maintaining cycling networks requires different equipment and
maintenance work done to a much higher level e.g. a pot hole that a vehicle won't notice could send a
cyclist flying into traffic. Likewise there will be increased demands for snow and ice clearing... which is
now left in the cycling lanes. There will be a requirement for additional snow clearing and then sidewalk
clearing. Bringing forward masterplans is great but the operations side with the ongoing tax burden all
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the City residents will pay for a couple of diehards to cycle through the winter needs to be properly
managed. Also the expectation of the user needs to be managed appropriately, the cost of getting down
to bare pavement on paths and biking facilities is prohibitive. This is Canada and we have winter, if you
want to cycle in the ice and snow then you should be prepared to do that and I shouldn't have to pay for
the winter maintenance to get you down to bare pavement. It should be use at your own risk .
I am in support of the city's community trail system. It provides a wonderful place for people to walk or
cycle for exercise and transportation.
I strongly oppose the complete streets initiative. It is a waste of money and a hindrance to vehicular
traffic to put bicycle lanes on every street being reconstructed, particularly when bicycle traffic is
negligible.
I also believe that way too much consideration is being given to cycling as a means of transportation.
Fewer than one percent of our population lists cycling as their major mode of transportation, and for
many of those, cycling is restricted severely by the Canadian climate. Cycling advocates are clearly a
squeaky wheel getting a disproportionate amount of attention.
Poor, with the exception of the good idea of separate cycling and multi -use trails.
I think that bike lanes are a good idea but I do not believe in building a separate infrastructure right off
the bat. for 1 we do not know if it is necessary and 2 we have many other core services that have been
neglected by the past view councils. We need to be fiscally responsible. I do not believe in pedestrian
first streets because closing them off for events is working just fine. I f complete streets means traffic
calming and reduced parking I am against that. People who want to start a bike share should not get city
financing, it should be self sustaining. If you can't afford a bike (which isn't what we are talking about
here, because this is a service catering to people of means. The only thing I am for is building more trails
and to have a goal of 3 kilometres is a joke, especially when this subject has been flogged about for the
past 15 years while nothing has been done. we have a lot of trails that are in desperate need of repair to
boot!
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Great! But bigger streets means more squater spaces for the homless. Also as the city gets more traffic, Neutral
where will all the cars go? Look at Downtown Toronto, or even Suburbs in Toronto which are congested
between 7am-10am and 3pm and 5pm.
I like the round words; I suspect the 2021 deadline for #1 may be too aggressive to do both well and on Neutral
time. I'm ambivalent about bikeshare. What exactly are pedestrian -first streets? There seems to be an
emphasis on cycling relative to pedestrian friendliness. I'd like to see a pilot neighbourhood with city
supplying sidewalk snow removal and an extra property tax levy to cover the cost. This should only
happen after a supermajority of affected property owners vote to approve it (or possibly 70% of those
who bother to vote).
Not relevant to me I drive to work downtown every day. Making public transit more affordable however
would benefit my children. I do question the value in focusing on bike transportation given we have
Winter.
Will not affect me at all.
Lets work on getting LRT up & running & paid for before I can answer such a question.
How will this decrease travel times? Will this ease traffic congestion if we eliminate multi use (AKA road
lane)?
it
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As described, these are vague ideas. What specifically are you going to do?
Appears to be a lot of emphasis on walking and bicycling, while the vast majority of people still use cars
for transportation. Many streets in the city require extensive repairs.
If I lived in the downtown area, I might be excited.
Get rid of transportation that isn't doing it's job - moving people! Your LRT hasn't been up for over 2+ yrs
now when it was supposed to be. Ha, so pathetic and disgusting that it's a huge waste of money as it will
go slower than traffic... it also does not connect communities it only connects business people but not
the residents - the whole plan was solely to benefit the tech sector
You have not addressed the issue of pedestrian mobility in the winter - specifically clearing sidewalks. I
can't walk to the nearby trail if I can't walk along the sidewalk that takes me there, or if the walks are
shoveled before the plow comes along and puts a wall up at the corner. If I am pushing a stroller, or if I
have a walker, or if I'm in a wheelchair. Monetary punishment doesn't work with low-income or elderly
residents.
If you can plow the path you can plow the sidewalks.
The whole block around the market should pedestrian first. I think you should paint the whole road
green and put up more signage.
The Lrt to city hall is working great right now during the construction so I think it should stay that way.
How many people really bike and do you see an increase when you build bike lanes. No one bikes and
the ones that do our on the side walks.
Without seeing the next goals, there is little emphasis on pedestrians. Sidewalk snow clearance is a
important
Allow those who wish to drive to have access to the roads
Pedestrian streets only work if the community has a way to get there. Get the trains running
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2. Sounds like a do nothing but say your doing something plan. Disagree
4. No a waste of money. Just allow safe parking for bikes as serious bikers will want their own bikes.
Allowing bikes on busses and the ION will help those who don't to mix biking with public transportation.
It's a waste of money. Where are the numbers of cyclists that would use all these improvements, to Disagree
make it worth while. Why would we do all this for 5% of the population (estimate). Add side walks and
improve roads 1st.
Do we really need to spend money on traffic lights just for the bike path crossings (Manitou). Can't
cyclists figure out when to proceed by looking at the road traffic signal light.
Waste of money. There are not enough cyclists that warrant this type of infrastructure project. Disagree
Additionally, people are not just going to suddenly start using bicycles as a primary mode of
transportation after this infrastructure is built.
I would smugly suggest you put the resources into expanding roads where you have approved numerous
housing developments (hello fisherhallman / bleams road) as this will reduce carbon emissions from cars
sitting in congestion.
Fix the f**king roads first! Disagree
There are 1,000+ people trying to use the roads for every 1 wanting to cycle around town.
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The majority of the city uses cars to get around. These initiatives will hinder that. Disagree
What about seniors - older people - they are not cycling. Disagree
Also what about people with disabilities.
Narrow minded just looking at millennials, and they tend to be job transient people, not long term
citizens.
I think vehicle traffic will be negatively impacted due to the narrowing of existing streets and possibly Disagree
making some of them - "one way".
I don't think a bunch of. Money should be poured into this. I don't think priority should be to Disagree
pedestrians, I see way more cars than ppl.
I believe it is a very poor use of space, it will make the already busy intersection of king and Columbia Disagree
much worse. The back up is already past regina st and can go most of the way to marshland during rush
hour. The cycling lanes on columbia are already there and as a cyclist I feel they are sufficient to allow
transport for cyclist to move along these corridors while being safe.
Pedestrian free streets do not make sense in Kitchener; It will only hurt business by impeding traffic. Disagree
People don't bike or walk in the winter. More money should be spent on road expansion and maint.
Disagree
Complete Strasburg Road to New Dundee. Accelerate River road extension. Bike paths should be part of
parks and rec. not transportation.
Great make-work projects.
Disagree
I feel the emphasis on cycling is lopsided. E.g., in Uptown Waterloo for a time there was an electronic
Disagree
board displaying the number of cyclists for that day. The highest number I ever saw was 135 at about
6:30 in the evening of a very pleasant day. "People friendly" is not friendly to all people, including me
with knees that do not permit cycling.
We just need to use streets for airplanes to share it also
Disagree
We have small city, I Don't know why bikes and trains and vehicles in same street in small and tights
roads
We not talk yet about trucks and transportation trucks that needs at least 2 lanes to turn over
You cut Westheights Drive down to one lane each way in order to cycling lanes on each side (as well as
Disagree
street parking). In the years since, I can count on one hand the number of cyclists using those lanes.
Waste of money.
Comments Received for Environmental Leadership
Again, I am very pleased with the leadership that the City is displaying. Federally and provincially we are
ebbing and flowing in terms of taking serious action for climate change. Municipally, we have more
control, and I am happy that we are prioritizing this.
I think these goals are realistic and attainable.
Anything that helps mother earth keeps us healthy. Reducing waste ,carbon emissions.
Excellent! One of my goals in retirement was to reduce my carbon footprint, so I sold my car &
downsized to a lone -bedroom condo close to downtown. I think an additional action would be to
discourage demolition of older buildings with the resulting loss of the energy already part of these
structures.
I like that this is a priority. I'm prepared to alter my ways to help out the environment. Thank you for
your leadership.
Sounds great.
Great!
Exciting times ahead of us and I'm glad we're moving towards more sustainability.
Good idea
Happy to see these in the plan.
The goals are great, are they really achievable
They are excellent, I would support much more aggressive sustainability policies.
It is a timely and vital initiative.
Good idea
This very important.
GREAT PLAN!!!
I think newer/increased diversion programs are wonderful and a great way to keep waste out of the
landfill
Very good concepts.
Sounds amazing
It is a good start.
Number 2 & 3 I'm most interested in. I would love more details on the waste diversion program
This needs to be high priority
love it.
They're great.
As an active citizen, I think it is very important to focus on our environment.
good ideas
engage the public in these actions
All good ideas. I would also identify informing and educating the citizens as a critical components in the
success of a lot of these plans. I think a platform like EngageWR was an amazing idea and I also see KW
governments active on social media platforms. Keep pursuing new ways to connect with the citizen since
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Comments Received for Environmental Leadership
unfortunately people are lazy and unless you go to them, they'll just not bother participating in a lot of
cases.
These ideas are great and are so important to me and my family. I think a Corporate Climate Action Plan
is absolutely necessary. I think the idea of a tree canopy target is creative and healthy. As part of your
goal to deduce waste diverted to landfills, can the cityplease implement mandatory green
bin/composting for corporations/businesses? I work at the hospital and there is way too much
compostable material (paper towels, food waste) being thrown in the garbage.
More trees in the city is a great plan, and should be a focus.
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I would be fine if my taxes were raised to support these initiatives. Agree
I am very excited to see this at the forefront of the strategic plan. I hope that it will also include Agree
additional grant programs for grassroots/citizen-sparked passion projects as well as corporate credits for
implementing diversion programs.
They sound good Agree
Climate action is super important, and I'm glad to see it being addressed. Agree
I hope whatever changes are made to the waste diversion program are clearly explained and evidence
based. It's hard to trust sometimes that materials put out for recycling actually end up being recycled.
Overall, this seems like a lot of planning and not a lot of action. I hope in the future we'll see more
concrete action in this area.
These are great! I suggest prioritizing tree canopy in places where people gather or rest so that the is
Agree
shade protection from the sun. (E.g. trails, parks, playgrounds)
It's good but isn't 2026 too late? And do private garbage companies participate in the diversion
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program?
There are good initial measures, especially the forest strategy, but you could ask a lot more of citizens,
Agree
like banning plastic water bottles
I support it 100% on one condition - no increase in taxes or other service fees. You have enough money
Agree
as it is; lets look for efficiencies instead of ways to spend.
Number 3 is really neat. I like it!
Agree
Are we able to tack on a regular city trash clean-up like the trash tag movement? The cycling trails and
Schneider Creek collects a lot of trash, shopping carts, and household appliances.
Sounds like a good plan. Maybe provide incentives for households to reduce energy consumption or use
Agree
more renewable sources as well.
The IPCC states that carbon emissions need to be reduced by 45% by 2030. 8% is good, but a higher
Agree
target would be aligned with global goals.
Can we be more aggressive than 8% by 2026? That seems like a long time for that much improvement.
Agree
Other than that I like what I see. Are there things that we can set in place that aren't easily reversed
should the likes of Doug Ford get elected to local office before all of the above is implemented? Or even
after?
I think this is great! Climate change is extremely important but there are also a number of other Agree
environmental issues that need to be addressed. Is it possible to also look at our pollinators when
choosing trees and strategies and planting beds throughout the City. Does any of this include looking at
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your purchasing practices and ensuring things like your suppliers are using biodegradable containers and
products.
I think this should be priority #1. We also need increased partnership with the Region of Waterloo to
improve waste management. Many commercial and residential buildings don't compost or recycle. Why?
EVERYONE should recycle and compost.
8% in 7 years doesn't seem overly ambitious and since a plan has to be developed why limit reductions
to 8%? Why not word it as "at least 8%" and allow for plans that provide further climate action?
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Fully on board for moving up efforts to plant trees. The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The
second best time is now.
8% is tiny and simply not enough. But better than nothing so please go ahead.
Agree
Regarding waste: After living in Kitchener for 2 years I am still utterly confused as to what goes in which
bin, and have given up on getting it right. Which plastics go into the small blue bins and which ones into
the large ones?? I wouldn't be surprised if that causes some of the landfill in the first place as more
people are confused like me and sort recycling wrong.
I support the five strategic actions listed above. My suggested addition is to implement a program for
Agree
composting in apartment buildings. Most apartments around KW do not offer composting, and this
represents a large amount of waste that could be diverted from a landfill.
I hope it will work.
Agree
Sounds nice.
Agree
I would look forward to the points becoming more specific soon, since they seem rather vague now.
Although I don't know details, all the above are laudatory.
Agree
I like the corporate climate action plan idea - I would be interested in seeing tactics on how the 8%
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absolute reduction could be reached. I'm also happy to see it's absolute reduction, not relative.
Also, what new diversion programs are being considered? e.g. incentive to use reusable containers for
buying shampoo?
I think it is important that Kitchener is considering environmental leadership. Hopefully, these actions
Agree
are timely and we begin to see changes now.
I'm looking forward to learning more! I love number 2 and think that we really need to step forward with
Agree
having reusable options at our events - and green bins too. But I think we need to land a larger contract
for compost no?
Also, can we get the dog poop digesters in the park yet like Waterloo? That should be in the plan
This is a good start, but environmental action needs to be the number one priority, and this does not
Agree
seem like large enough action. Larger emission reduction targets are needed, and though waste
diversion targets are not specified, massive action is needed. Climate change is the most important and
urgent issue we face. Kitchener needs to declare a climate emergency and do much more to achieve
carbon neutrality and lower our impact as soon as possible.
A step in the right direction
Agree
These all seem like great goals but I would like to see the timeline expedited for all of them. I'd also like
Agree
to see a larger goal than 8% by 2026 regarding GHG emissions. I think including active transportation
options here would also make sense as a great way to reduce GHGs and improve environmental
leadership.
Comments Received for Environmental Leadership Category
Good goals. They are all large goals and thus I feel a full reaching solution will not be achieved in the Agree
short timeline
Very good ideas albeit vague. Clearly and publicly outline the exact steps being planned. Agree
1. 1 think that 8% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions does not come close to what we need to
Agree
achieve in order to address the climate crisis realistically. I would be in full support of a zero -emission by
2030 goal. We need far more urgent actions to be taken, far sooner, in partnership with a large-scale
public education campaign around the reality of the sixth mass extinction and climate catastrophe. I
have further thoughts on this, but I think an important document to follow is the Green New Deal that is
gaining traction in the United States and increasingly in Canada.
2. 1 hope that further efforts to reduce waste will include a complete ban on single -use
plastics/disposable items (with compensation based on percentage of sales impacted for vendors),
introducing a zero -waste closed-loop return system (similar to Loop), and perhaps modestly taxing those
who throw recyclables into garbage. I have further thoughts on this but of course there are many cities
that are taking concrete steps and are model examples.
3. 1 think this is incredible. Another project that might help in achieving this is the Good Green Death
project, which aims to convert cemeteries into forests, and also encourages human composting at death
to be used in these forests. It was started by Susan Koswan.
4. 1 think this is fantastic as well.
5. This is also fantastic, as long as it is a plan with the main goal of transitioning us to a sustainable future
are rapidly as possible. I hope that this will include the voices of marginalized communities that will
inevitably bear the brunt of the extreme weather events that we are going to face.
Good, glad there is some type of plan. Hoping we start to consider green roof tops, and ensure
Agree
construction and roads will handle increased rain fall amounts.
Seems like a good start.
Agree
This is a high priority for me. As the city continues to grow rapidly, it is essential that sustainability is at
Agree
the core of development. I am particulary interested in the urban forest and increasing tree cover,
especially at city parks. A lot of trees have been removed do to the emerald ash borer, and as the
temperatures rise, parks become brutally hot with no shade to retreat to.
As much as I try to take individual action, sustainable systems need to be in place to actually have an
impact. How effective is recycling if products aren't actually being reused by facilities? Etc.
Sounds good
Agree
These sound great. As part of proper diversion, better public waste management infrastructure should Agree
be installed throughout the city that encourage waste sorting (in parks, by bus stops, and near high foot
traffic areas). Also grants that reward businesses for maintaining an predetermined level of
environmental awareness might be good.
These all seem like great goals but I would like to see the timeline expedited for all of them. I'd also like Agree
to see a larger goal than 8% by 2026 regarding GHG emissions. I think including active transportation
options here would also make sense as a great way to reduce GHGs and improve environmental
leadership.
124 and 5 are OK. 3. Consider that a forest is more than just trees. Try to reduce the amount of grass Agree
along streets etc. By planting native shrubs and perennials and encourage home owners to eliminate
their front lawns too. Only plant native trees!
Comments Received for Environmental Leadership Category
Fair --happy to see the sustainabble forest strategy in there. Kitchener needs more clean, safe green
Agree
space
Okay
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We need more trees so hopefully they will deliver on this.
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Not ambitious enough? But better than nothing.
Agree
Sounds OK.
Agree
Good start, but I think targets could be more aggressive.
Agree
I wish more of these actions were measurable. They seem to all be great actions, but wish there were
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numbers that we could tie them back to, to measure the success.
Consider the role that residents can play in addressing climate change and environmental leadership. For
Agree
example, a group of residents from Lakeside Park is operating a resident -led recycle program that is
being funded through a Love My Hood grant. It is great that the city is taking on new diversion programs
at our facilities, but how can we connect this to what residents are doing, and want to do more of? If
we're going to make an impact on climate, both staff and residents need to work together on solutions.
So the #5, community climate action plan sounds promising, but please make sure it includes the
individual/group of residents as well, not just environmental organizations and stakeholders. All hands
Agree
on deck on this one, so we need to find a way to involve the 200,000+ people in our community,
Agree
however small their contributions might be...
I applaud you for taking action on the climate issue but it would be nice to see tangible actions
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accompanying the goals. Also by environment, I assume you mean the physical environment rather than
the social, cultural or economic environment. It would be nice to see an integrated holistic approach
amongst the different environmental classifications.
Good start but more needed.
Agree
Try using plastics in our roads?
I would like a higher goal for green house reduction.
Agree
As part of the reduction to the land fill there could be an social enterprise opportunity that could see a
way to reuse items people though away.
1. Corporations must be dragged kicking and screaming if necessary into the 2020's with a focus on
Agree
saving our environment for the next generations.
2. What the heck would the new program be? hard to comment on a project title and no details.
3. No idea there was a backlog... how hard is it to plant trees?
4. what is the reserve fund? again would be great if there was an explanation.
5. sounds like a nice idea
More trees please.
Agree
I think the city's only concern towards climate change would to make all of its facilities and vehicles
Agree
energy efficient. This should be done without having to tax the citizens and it should be funded by
finding efficiencies in every department. Throwing money at something is not the answer common sense
is.
They're clueless. You have no idea how fast things are changing. Save the bees, and encourage urban
Agree
gardening.
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Comments Received for Environmental Leadership
Category
It's not enough. I can understand the first step toward taking bigger strides towards being green, but Agree
reducing our emissions by 8 per cent is not enough to have an effect.
More needs to be done to encourage homeowners to participate - solar rebates, geothermal retrofitting,
etc.
Not aggressive enough Agree
Seems like these goals aren't aggressive enough given the severity of climate change Agree
This is not enough. The goal is not to see results in years, but to have effective actions and results now. Agree
We need to have localize communities to be self sufficient and sustainable. Citizens and businesses
should be planting food, have water bins, and compost system. A zero waste system. We should
encourage and provide incentives for citizens to use skills ... of making/mending clothing, repair used
goods, making meals from local goods, healing centers. Everything local. Less driving and transportation
because we'd work and live within our smaller communities. I suggest choosing a part of the city that
can be used to test this way of living. We could solve our major environmental issues this way. The
cities goals at this moment are superificial and lacking in urgency. I would really like to see more done.
It lacks banning on single use plastic. I find that the city is drowning under plastic and I would encorage it Agree
to review the design of the blue box... Especially in light of the fact that we will face many more windy
days in the near future
I think an additional consideration should be urban sprawl and it's environmental and social impacts. Agree
If you want to save the environment stop having hundreds of city vehicle driving around the city with no Agree
specific destination. Plan there route to make it an efficient use of fuel & time
These need to be measurable and there needs to be accountability behind it. Also, given its long-term Agree
nature, this planet needs to be somehow conserved and protected from the future governments
decisions that might negatively impact it.
please keep in mind that this is being paid for by regular people who have to deal with an ever increasing Agree
cost of living!
I feel the Corporate Climate action plan should be more of a reduction at an earlier target, with fines for Agree
failure
I'd like to see some focus on the development going I in the region. Will be builds need to meet higher Agree
environmental standards?
You could add subsidizing the purchase and installation of basement back-flow valves, getting a small Agree
electricity rebate to homeowners who install solar panels, etc.
Climate change is a reality. Our reaction to it cannot be put off.
Let's really reduce the salt used in winter and get a truly proactive enforcement team.
Agree
Agree
We need trees and healthy ones. Sometime I feel this is a neglected area. Tree planting should be Agree
continuously done throughout our city. There are a lot of young men and women who have held tree
planting jobs across Canada and are aware of the importance of doing this. We would have a lot of
available talent in the Citv who could help in this area. A backlog should not be acceptable.
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Need more than 8 % reduction of GHG, need to ban all single -use plastics, would help to ban cars within
Agree
city limits
We should be trying to divert thing from the landfill but not at an increased longterm cost.
Agree
Planting trees is probably the most cost effective way to combat global warming.
You should leverage any fund that will allow you save money or improve services at no additional cost.
Who would these partner organizations be what does community climate action plan even mean. Make
developers plant more trees, pay into a fund for parks. Industry to properly dispose of waste, adhere to
higher standards. Offer free trees and instructions to home owners willing to plant them on there
property.
Don't buy already matured trees to meet this canopy target, too expensive. Get corporate help for tree
Agree
backlog, get them to sponsor it, get their work force to help plant it to give the community feel.
Reduce by at least 25% in four years.
Agree
I think we need more education on recycling. People consume more as a result of counting on our
Agree
recycle programs. Where is this recycling going and how is it being processed in KW?
2026 corporate climate action plan is a little too far off and the goal should be more immediate..we need
Agree
change sooner than 2026
That target of an 8% reduction by 2026 is absolutely laughable. We are on the verge of climate
Agree
catastrophe and can now only mitigate the very worst effects of climate change by drastically reducing
our emissions of GHGs. We are locked in to 100's of thousands of years of warming as a result of past
inaction.
Reduce negative impacts on environment and community
8% is insufficient. We need deeper reductions
New construction checklists and local improvement charges for retrofits should be implemented.
Work with the Region to implement compost pickup for multi -res.
Develop policies that require businesses to divert waste.
Stop expanding the city.
I feel like this is not enough.
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I would like to see a higher target than 8% greenhouse gas reductions. New buildings should have green Agree
standards required (ie no lights on after hours, green roofs, water cisterns, efficient lighting and
appliances, etc). What are the plans for updating infrastructure for climate change adaptation, like
drainage systems for street flooding and land use restrictions in flood prone areas? We have an
opportunity to be a leader as business development encourages growth and need to be adopting
strategies that form a longer term (ie 2030) vision.
The more residents involved in the planning, the greater buy in and ownership will be.
The target for the greenhouse gas emissions is low.
The role of the corporations and private developers has to be spelled out and a big part of the
Community Action Plan. Residents need to have a forum to say what their expectations are in terms of
businesses being major contributors in this community where they benefit from the infrastructure and
human capital that they did not invest in.
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Is it enough? We need drastic change soon. How does the 8% goal align with recommendations from the Agree
UN? Having a strategic plan in place by 2020 is important. Doing research to better understand where
we are creating emissions will help define that strategy
I think an emissions reduction of only 8% in 6 vears is pitiful.
Kitchener's contributions as a corporation to greenhouse gas emissions are minuscule in scale and
spending more tax money on shaving a few percentage points is way more wasteful than the vastly
better strategy of tree planting.
I like the plan to conserve the dump and plant more trees. Both initiatives make the city more efficient
and protect property values. Other environmental initiatives are basically greenwashing in my opinion.
Nothing we do will outweigh the pollution created in China and India in practical terms. At least admit
we are just grand standing. We will not solve global warming on our own. Why commit the resources? _
Numbers 2 and 3 sound good. 1, 4 and 5 are not needed. If Kitchener wanted to be a leader it would stop
talking about climate change because it's a big lie pushed by the extreme left and has no basis in reality.
CO2 is not a pollutant but a gas found naturally in the atmosphere. CO2 alone cannot cause warming.
The oceans aren't rising and natural warming is good for people and civilization.
These sound good but l can't tell how ambitious these goals are.
It seems to be a broad plan to focus on several areas in need.
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Great incentive, if enforced with penalties and fines for not complying. Otherwise just a joke and political Neutral
butt kissing.
Sounds good but, not enough detail to properly comment as to whether it will work successfully. Neutral
Not much input here but I'd love to see an improvement in the garbage and recycling programs - too Neutral
much waste is going into the landfill.
On a side note - litter is a big problem in Kitcher and I'm always picking up cups, bags, trash from
surrounding streets. This detracts heavily from the aesthetic of the city and leaves a sour taste in my
mouth. We need more garbage cans everywhere, please.
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work.
Ambitious
Not really sure what these actions involve, so I'm not prepared to voice an opinion.
Neutral
Neutral
Encourage more Comments
Work from home for public and private employers. Also transit passes for downtown employers.
Provide inexpensive evening and weekend transit access make the downtown more vibrant.
People in the suburban areas are paying so mu h of the freight for transit development but perceive zero
benefits from it.
The amount of litter flying around our neighbourhood is at an all time high. Comments
It means little if the city continues to pave farmland. The Urban sprawl approved by the city and region is Comments
a 100% contradiction to what it is trying to achieve in these statements.
While I recognize that waste collection is a Regional responsibility, we need to get waste diversion (i.e., Comments
mandatory recycling and green bin collections) into apartment buildings.
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Comments Received for Environmental Leadership Category
The thing that screams to me as being missing from this is composting in multi -unit dwellings like Comments
apartment buildings and even townhouse condos. It is such a waste to be sending all that compostable
material to the dump and I'm disappointed to not see it in this list of goals.
It would be nice if I didn't need to drive everywhere due to the lack of sidewalk on the north side of Comments
Glasgow st.
not sure because you are not giving statistics on these programs/initiatives. How successful to your goals
Comments
are these programs, services, and initiatives? and what's the tool to measure your success/failures?
What if you do not meet your targets ... are you just going to continue to raise taxes for the failures of
staff ? (taxes are out of control, and it would be nice to see taxes going down, but of course no
municipality will ever reduce taxes for it's residents they only know how to over spend and increase
taxes).
I think the majority of the actions should be focused on companies and schools. It would have a great
Comments
impact and be easier to implement. Schools, right now, do a terrible job of recycling and composting.
Each classroom has only one recycling bin reserved for paper. Students aren't allowed to leave their
classrooms during lunch to recycle stuff properly. This alone, could make a huge impact.
I also think that if each school had a public bin for things like battery recycling, since it's incredibly
convenient for parents, we could remove a TON of things from landfills.
Hat a like of hogwash! Some screen bs**! Try providing your a wee tad of information on how you
Disagree
propose to accomplish any of these goals WITHOUT burying the taxpayers under garbage heaps for
unsustainable incentives! I'm all for green, recycle, reduce, reuse! HOWEVER my witnessing what is
ACTUALLY occuring ain't your blinded realty! Where does that recycled plastic REALLY go?
Just wonderful, and I suppose you have the entire planet getting into this as well... In reality, come on,
Disagree
not going to change.
Don't think tree canopy is necessary. Not wanted by me as I prefer sunshine and have a pool that needs
Disagree
sunshine.
Convenient pandering to current over -reaction to climate change.
Disagree
Complete garbage. No government program can effect global climate at any level.
Disagree
What specifically does "implement new diversion programs" actually mean?
Leave the green house gas emissions to higher levels of government.
Disagree
8% reduction won't be reached people have to drive, can't afford to move closer to workplaces, public
Disagree
transit takes 3xtoo long to get you to work, I've looked into it.
Diversion programs already exist - called recycling. The recycling program already accommodates what
Disagree
it can. There is no more waste to divert.
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Comments Received for Vibrant Economy
Great!
Category
Agree
So happy to see that arts development is at the forefront.
We are a tech hub but a great community also pays attention to its art and culture development.
This is a great, forward -thinking plan.
Agree
Agree
These are strong. Ensure Bramm Yards includes a SIGNIFICANT affordable housing component and is
Agree
seamlessly integrated into its surroundings. We also need to focus on arts and culture and ensure that
tech is not the only focus.
It's great, it would be wonderful for the arts and culture to be showcased more. Arts and culture are
Agree
important for the economy and should be used to attract businesses to this region. I would
strategically work with other action groups that are looking at retention and attraction to ensure
efforts are not being double.
With tech concentration, new incubator will be good Agree
Good --you need to incentivize businesses like restaurants, coffee shops and corner stores Agree
back to this area to serve the growing number of people living and working downtown
I like this. The city has done a good job revitalizing the core and successfully riding Waterloo's Agree
coattails. Happy for the momentum to be maintained.
Sounds interesting and might draw more people down town to access new services. Agree
Great. I am an artist and I'm struggling to get affordable space for an office as 44 Guakle is Agree
booked out.
Sounds neat. Though I'd personally like to see more direct support for arts, events, and Agree
culture.
Great idea to condense a lot of the work force in the core. Agree
Good idea Agree
It makes sense. It will further unify the downtown core and make it more enjoyable for all. Agree
Okay Agree
Sounds good. I like the idea of the Urban Design Manual Agree
Sounds great. Agree
I think this is long overdue here. We have so much to offer and I feel we undersell ourselves. Agree
I think we really need to work on the downtown core and get new vibrant businesses coming
here. It would be nice to see a downtown that you feel good walking in and businesses that
attract the locals and visitors. with less traffic. I feel in the summer the City Hall does put on
some family events we could up this. Things are very expensive for families to participate in.
Make more family friendly happenings at City Hall and Victoria Park that do not cost a lot. I
have gone to Toonie Tuesday's in the past and it was always well attended. Movie in the park
is another great draw. Attractions that cost $5.00 per adult and $2.00 per child would cost
$16.00 for 2 adults and 3 children. Then the big problem added to this is food stands, trucks
etc. Families feel pressured by children to buy these and they cannot afford it. Have one
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Comments Received for Vibrant Economy
Category
night with food stands/trucks and another with bring your own food and snacks. Make it
more affordable for the ones who want to do family outings but cannot afford what is put in
their children's faces. Just my thoughts. Need to think outside the box and include all income
levels.
I am a strong supporter of the Creative Hub and the entrepreneurial spirit our city has. It is a
great drawing care for the community and I feel we could use this more in promoting this
community.
I do like the idea of creating a new Urban Design Manual this is an area our City is lacking in.
_
Looks good.
Agree
Excellent
Agree
I agree that downtown Kitchener should be revitalised to attract young talent.
Agree
I love #2. It sets the foundation for future opportunities.
Agree
Could there potentially also be more focus in other areas of Kitchener outside of Downtown?
Le. Stanley Park, Belmont Ave (with Catalyst 137) for example.
Great
Since I'm retired, I am not sure I am the best person to voice an opinion about economic
development. I don't know the frustrations or needs of those employed in our city. But I am
certainly affected by the general health of our local economy and I appreciate that the City
wants to keep the economy steady.
And, definitely, as a community, we all benefit from a lively arts and culture so I approve of
any fostering in that direction.
Agree
Agree
Good but make sure there's affordable housing in downtown and make sure we're taking care Agree
of the poor to make sure everyone EQUALLY benefits from the prosperity
Good plans, but this growth should be carefully done within appropriate city planning and Agree
cultural guidelines to keep the cities appealing and pleasant
I think it is important to continue the momentum that we have going in this city. I have lived Agree
here all my life and I remember when people wouldn't walk downtown because it was so
sketchy and there are still a number of neighbourhoods that still suffer from low income and
crime. We need to work hard to ensure that the City continues to move forward and prosper.
I am hoping some of this will tie into the creation of the new Transportation hub and of
course, take advantage of the ION.
I like the idea of it Agree
I lived in the heart of down town from 2008-2013, and the transformation that took place Agree
over just a few years was amazing. I am very excited to see this area further reenvisioned to
create sustainable, walkable, and easily accessible community for the residents. I am happy to
see that the city is taking a strategic approach to how we continue to build our economy and
city.
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Comments Received for Vibrant Economy
Category
Nice work here in recent years. I can see a lot of money coming back to the city and it's good to see. Agree
Not sure if this is the right place to add this, but a large part of a vibrant economy is a vibrant
community. I really think Kitchener is missing the boat when it comes to public spaces. If I look at some
of my favourite travel destinations, one of the common threads in those countries are public areas
that are well designed and attract people. By developing these public areas, you encourage people to
actually live and play downtown which in turn creates spending.
Walking down King St., on most nights, Kitchener is a ghost town. I fully expect a tumbleweed to roll
out from one of the side streets. The bars themselves are busy, but the streets are dead. This solitude
attracts vagrants and constitutes a large part of Kitchener's undesirable reputation. I don't have a
single solution for this but a combination of the following is desperately needed: better lighting - the
current lighting in downtown is spooky and/or non-existant. Street food - please, please, please, make
it easy for food vendors to sell their food on city streets. I am not talking about hot dogs and food
trucks. I am talking about taking advantage of the plethora of cultures that call Kitchener home. If
you've ever travelled to a country where real street food is common, you'll know the joy and vibrancy
it brings to a city. It also has the added benefit of keeping people/eyes on the streets which is what we
want in downtown at night. I want to be able to buy a hot bowl of noodles at 11pm from a mom and
pop on the corner of King and Frederick.
All of these things, help to attract and retain the kind of professionals that the city is looking to attract.
No one wants to move to a city with empty streets filled with litter. Make Kitchener fun and exciting
and it'll attract the right kind of people.
The plan sounds reasonable. Put an emphasis on the "diverse businesses", mentioned in point 1. Agree
Putting too much emphasis on becoming a "high tech" town could open us up to the same dangers we
faced when the decline in Canadian manufacturing wiped out so many local businesses. n
Good intent. Can the redevelopment targets include more affordable housing? Can existing arts & Agree
culture organizations be key players in this? Also, is there enough market for more co -working spaces?
I just read about the new private one that opened in the market building (Workhaus).
1. Sounds nice and it would be focused on key areas. Agree
2. Pretty sure I would expect my city to know what property it owns.
3. Need to address safety in the core in order for people to feel safe given the reputation. The parcels
listed are a slow process it would seem.
4. thumbs up
Always nice to have a nice looking city. How much will it cost to build this manual?
I think these are exciting concepts. I'd like to see more affordable shared artisan spaces, perhaps at 44 Agree
Gaukel? Art breathes life into any community, so I'm most supportive of the arts being a priority.
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Comments Received for Vibrant Economy Category
I like them. Kitchener could definitely use some more culture and we have lots of space so I think we Agree
should make the space available for people who want to use it. You can't try to run any kind of event
in this city (or anywhere else to be fair) without having to pay rental fees which make it prohibitive for
people trying to get things off the ground but it is in everyone's best interests if people are coming into
Kitchener for events. It is penny wise and pound foolish to insist on collecting $220 in rental fees if it
means that an event doesn't happen that would have attracted people to the area where they could
have spent far more money than that.
Good direction.
Agree
good ideas
Agree
I am often looking for interesting new and creative things to do in Kitchener. I would love support as
Agree
an artist and for other artists to actually feel supported by the community!
Great.
Agree
Sounds good and I'm sure its needed
Agree
Working to enhance a vibrant economy is an important initiative. It is one which I am least familiar
Agree
with the details.
I think that focusing on local innovation would be very appreciated by the business owners in our city
Agree
sounds good
Agree
Could be good, as long as diversity of business is a part of it.
Agree
Better values and options.
Agree
Agree that it should be successful as we plan for the future.
Agree
I do like this idea but find it's too narrowly focused on the downtown core. It would be good to start
Agree
to see accelerators and other types of businesses starting to merge into the 'suburbs'
Well intentioned, but I fear provincial government interference
Agree
I'd like to know more details, but I like this!
Agree
No comment; all of acceptable timelines and strategy.
Agree
Good for bringing in new business, but how will the residents get training to work jobs in these
Agree
emergent areas?
They are good goals to have, again the timeline is quite short as most are listed as 2019 and 2020.
Agree
Great but we need to consider the impacts of gentrification especially in the downtown core. How will Agree
we keep housing affordable with all of this new development driving up prices? (For both residential
and commercial)
Again, some good and important goals overall. I'm a bit surprised that goal #2 doesn't already exist, Agree
but if it doesn't, then it seems an important thing to complete. I also believe part of a vibrant economy
means taking steps to provide for the more vulnerable in our community. I'd love to see these goals
also include additional supports for social services, the library, and more and varied housing options.
I think this could be improved by linking it to environmental goals and requiring green building Agree
practices for all new developments and re -developments.
Ambitious and important for downtown development, as long as it is done responsibly and in a way Agree
that doesn't eliminate local businesses and restaurants, especially those run by immigrants that make
our core so vibrant.
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Comments Received for Vibrant Economy Category
Most of this plan seems directed to the downtown core and tech sectors which is great. But I feel like Agree
as we continue to push the tech sector we cant forget about other parts of the economy. As a local
business owner the economy is extremely important to me but my concern is that the city sometimes
is chasing the tech start up scene while ignoring other parts of the economy.
If we can actually create a vibrant downtown, I'll be impressed. Agree
While I understand it's important to attract companies and jobs, I think more should be done instead Agree
for the homeless and mental health and education of citizens. I fear that the gap between the lower
and middle class is widening.
In addition, I feel that increased attention can be directed towards middle-aged displaced employees Agree
and their needs. They may also be a part of a new solution to employment shortages.
I believe KW should support local businesses both in and outside of the tech industry. Agree
Excuse the comparison, It sound a bit like Sparks street in Ottawa. I'll be looking foward to hearing Agree
more about it.
There is going to be no economy without meaningful action on climate change. Agree
Move beyond tech and attraction of businesses. Support businesses that are here. Focus on worker Agree
owned businesses and social purpose organizations that contribute to the community.
Include provisions in grants that require businesses to be better in terms of social and environmental
metrics.
Don't sell city owned properties to private corporations.
Implement social procurement policies in partnership with local institutions.
2. Complete a comprehensive inventory of city -owned properties by 2020 to determine how they Agree
could be effectively used to advance city strategic objectives - is it possible to also include an inventory
of lands that may not be suitable for a building or a park, but could be suitable for a smaller urban
placemaking intervention? There are so many small pockets of the city and green space that is
neglected that would never become a building or park, but could be transformed in their own small
way to make a huge impact on the local neighbourhood. SO I'd encourage you to look for smaller quick
win opportunities as well, and consider the role that residents can play in revitalizing these spaces and
contributing to a vibrant economy.
5. Create a new Urban Design Manual by 2019 that expresses city building and design expectations to
ensure vibrant new development throughout Kitchener - is it possible to have a section of the UDM
focused on indigenous design and practices? One thing I have learned is that the local indigenous
community is stretched very thin, and isn't always available to comment or provide feedback on every
project. SO it might be interesting to explore a way to conduct engagement with these stakeholders to
gather their ideas on design approaches, that then could be plugged into future developments, etc.
For example, having a UDM that includes information on Grandfather Stones, Water Features, Green
Walls, etc that are informed by indigenous peoples and design - and then moving forward, new
developments could build these without necessarily having to do all this engagement over again. So
we faciliate an opportunity to engage with local indigenous groups to collect the ideas, and then
developers/other stakeholders take action in bringing those ideas to life...
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Comments Received for Vibrant Economy Category
Please aim to bring things to the city which are both beneficial to the citizens as well as develop jobs Agree
and promote adoption of the latest and greatest ideas out there. One way is to identify the most
important 'revolution' in the coming years (I mentioned self -driving cars in a previous comment) and
launch pilot projects in that area which would bring companies to the city and set things up. Its a win-
win for all!
Ensure some of this growth provides training & new jobs for those displaced by new technologies.
Agree
Perhaps some of these new employment spaces can be in the south park of Kitchener (e.g., the new
Agree
Fairway Park redevelopment and offices).
Most needs to be done by next year. How do you not have a list of city ow Ed properties now, that
Agree
seems dumb that you need to complete a study outlining them. Vibrant economy means more taxes,
can people afford this and the water taxes you keep increasing doubling them every few years. People.
Only have so much money and taxing it into these special projects doesn't help but push people out of
the city.
Affordable housing for the poor and working poor needs to be a priority. This means city lands both
Agree
centrally and on the main Transit lines
Designing city thoughtfully is important.
Agree
Ensure TheMuseum and the core grows and becomes the Creative Hub. Civic district/CITS must be
Agree
rethought with the Region. Artist's Hub requires live/work space
Create a clean economy with clean tech and industry. While revamping city properties, it is a perfect
Agree
time to rebuild the old sluiceways and rehabilitate the historic inner city water routes.
Be mindful of gentrification and ensure the most vulnerable populations still feel welcome/ aren't
Agree
pushed out of downtown. Growth and development should benefit the health of all people, not just
business.
There needs to be ample consideration into how to mitigate against gentrification that unintentionally
Agree
has serious negative repercussions for already vulnerable populations; I would like to see inclusions for
living wage strategies and affordable housing and food security also incorporated.
Helpful. Agree
Hold developers to more strict codes. We live in Victoria Common. Developer has been
negligent at best. Moved here 5 years ago anticipating a vibrant "urban village". Looks like it
may never happen.
Downtown needs a vibrant grocery store that residents can walk to.
improved infrastructure is imperative. The 7/8 highway needs to wrap around the whole city, as the Ira Agree
Needles area is already a parking lot situation during rush hour. Bike lanes need to be separate from
roads and need to have room for roller bladers. We're a family of roller bladers and we can't travel
anywhere on bike lanes - way too unsafe. Only highly confident adults would be able to take
advantage. _
My view is holistic and I do not think you can achieve economic growth without tackling issues of Agree
homelessness and addiction. What are your plans for the displaced residents of downtown Kitchener?
Ignoring them and concentrating solely on development will create a situation very much like the DTES
in Vancouver, albeit on a smaller scale.
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Comments Received for Vibrant Economy Category
I think that having a vibrant economy is great, but not if it is built on the idea of perpetual growth. In Neutral
that sense, I hope that the city factors in that we had earth overshoot day in August last year, that we
currently would 1.7 earths to live the way we do, and that a health environment and a health economy
go hand in hand. _
Once again it sounds good, but I'm lacking details to comment effectively. Neutral
Sounds good, but without familiarity of the current state and feasibility of these statements it's hard to
Neutral
judge.
Sounds good but let's see how that works out in reality
Neutral
I approve of investing more in creative industries, but other than that I think the focus for land should
Neutral
be natural green spaces and community gardens. Other economic investments should be in clean
renewable technology and other green sectors.
Let's stop ticketing cars utilizing the roads to park around Victoria Park. There isn't ample parking and
Neutral
it is embarrassing to watch families take tickets off their windshields after spending time at the Park
I'm not sure that all of these items are necessary since we already have accelerators and incubators
Neutral
and we don't want to grow so quickly that housing becomes unaffordable or that we lose Kitchener's
unique character
I'm very apprehensive about these actions and not very confident they will be achieved.
Neutral
Have no opinion
Neutral
No comments on this section
Neutral
No opinion
Neutral
A better plan for our economy would be to establish a city -owned fiber optic network to improve
Neutral
internet access for all citizens. Access to this network could be resold to independent providers to
foster competition. Lowering prices for both business and residential services.
How do you not have an inventory of city own properties already?
Neutral
Let developers build big beautiful buildings without getting in the way Waterloo does.
Incubators and accelerators bring wealth to the community. But we should be insuring that those
companys stick around and return the investment.
We need women specific program to earn skills and join the business community
Comment
So far the approach is "if you build it they will come", but maybe we should look past that. What
Comment
happens after all the infrastructure is in place? Are we dedicating some funds and developing
programs death will fully utilize that new infrastructure?
You move at a snail's pace. "Vibrant" is a very action oriented word.
Comment
Where do we address the issue of affordability?
Comment
Don't understand what this is about. English words might help. Less jargon and diverse words.
Comment
"One new parcel of land" - this confuses me. are we talking brownfield redevelopment?
Comment
I don't understand what a Creative Hub would mean for our community.
Comment
I don't think it will influence much beyond the downtown.
Comment
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Comments Received for Vibrant Economy Category
Just get the Gd trains running Comment
It should be more focused on sustainability infastructure. Kitchener should be a Green place to live. Comment
Lower taxes
Comment
Bad idea. All of these are make-work projects. Kitchener will never be downtown Toronto on Lake Disagree
Ontario so stop trying to make changes to be like this.
For business development, let private businesses pay for it instead of tax payers.
Stop wasting all my tax dollars on improving downtown Kitchener. It is a dump compared to Waterloo. Disagree
Light it up, so it is not so dingy and dark, if I was a female I would be afraid to be downtown after dark.
You are only investing in the downtown because it is where you work.
We need to stop the downtown handouts. How about throwing some $ at the "burbs" for a change? Disagree
Publicly funded coworking spaces? Why are tax dollars subsidizing business to provide something as
Disagree
basic as a place to work? Where is the guarantee that these business we incubate will provide any
return on that investment to the region.
Get out of the real estate and enertainment business! You are a corporation and city council, paid
Disagree
and/or elected by the taxpayers of this city to oversee the running and financial welfare of the ENTIRE
population of the city. Deal with your mandate - roads, sewers, parks, recreation, utility supplies,
housing and welfare of ALL citizens! The elite few and mega millions developers are quite able to fly
under their own steam now! They DO NOT need taxpayer subsidies to cater to 400 sqft $400k+ condo
speculators. Likewise, if the center in the square hasn't figured out how to turn a modicum if a profit
after, what, 25? 30? years? It's LONG past time to 'let'r go to fly on her own wings'! GET THIS! SHE IS
NOT AN ASSET to this community but she requires constant proping up financially! BTW: I note the
cars parked in the cis parking lot throughout the day, are by no means, junkers or wrecks - some pretty
high end wheels there for poor, starving artists! Can I get a job there do I can upgrade my wheels from
a 2005 chev?
This whole section is a joke this has all been done several times at the cost close to $200 million and
Disagree
nothing has changed the down town and city hall are a lost cause. It hasn't worked and it is time to
give the rest of Kitchener's wards their due. let the people involved in these segments figure it out for
themselves instead of always having their hands out for tax dollars. If they can not make it sustainable
than no amount of tax dollars will. Were is it written that you should be able to make a living of of the
thing you love. This is decided by who is better and by who people like it shouldn't be an automatic
right!
I don't like the idea of all the development being at the downtown core
Disagree
This just creates congestion and parking and transit problems. Diversify development in all areas of the
city
They are pretty underwhelming. Especially given how visionary the city has been with economic
Disagree
development in the past.
"vibrant economy" = expensive. A vibrant economy is corporate talk for "hoity toity" and the fact that
Disagree
you want kitchener to become a world leader in tech and we know what happens in the US with tech
cities ... they push out residents, gentrify neighbourhoods, and eventually no one can afford to live in
the areas (even tech employees with their huge salaries cannot afford it). So your idea is to make it
harder for everyday residents to access the core and city hall? ? ? all because you want to bend to the
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Comments Received for Vibrant Economy
Category
former Wynne and McGuinty gov'ts and to Trudeau's govt instead of realizing that the people have
spoken and continue to speak that people don't want to live in these ultra expensive cities where the
tax rates are so high that you are poor even with dual incomes over 100k ... Most, if not all people I
know, completely avoid the downtown core because it's become so expensive and out of touch (all
because you've banked on LRT/TECH being the new "it" factor ... so you got rid of all manufacturing in
the core, and brought in hugely expensive developers to build condo towers (that are so ugly and offer
absolutely no greenspace)
The role of the city is not economic development, even though as it seems something that would Disagree
improve municipal revenues. The role of the city is to protect the environment and the people, our
resources and infrastructure, and to make sure everyone has access to a high quality of life. Cities are
not to be businesses or protect business interests. They need to return to its role of making sure that
the physical and social infrastructure is distributed equally. Communitech, Chamber of Commerce, and
many other businesses are there to be mindful about their strategic plans. City has to make sure that
business is a responsible steward of our common resources and pays for the services they receive paid
by the residents. City is currently supporting businesses to the detriment of its residents, especially
those who are poor and marginalized. Commercial taxes do not bring enough income and residential
taxes are hard to predict. Technology and virtual commerce are increasingly delivering less in revenues
for the cities. What is our local strength? What can our community create that will increase some city
revenue long term or reduce burned and cost on the municipal infrastructure or services?
Mission creep. Too much meddling into private enterprise by local government. Let the marketplace Disagree
forge its own path.
It's useless. There is nothing truly specific about it and therefore there are no clear cut measurements Disagree
or definitive and meaningful time tables.
The new Urban Design Manual is an expensive undertaking in wishful thinking. Guidelines are Disagree
unenforceable. Put the important parts into the planning by-law.
Rumour has it 44 Gaukel will be gone or re -used in less than ten years. Disagree
So making it an arts centre and then moving it is not a good long term plan.
Also having it under Business and Development is crazy, as it will not be a money making property any
more than the Aud or the Centre has been. It is a plan destined for doom just by the parameters set
on it and the position created to get it up and running. If Arts is important it has to be a division
separate from any other current department.
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Comments Received for Caring Community Category
These goals are what I'm most excited about. As a newcomer it's one thing to be friends with Agree
your next door neighbor, in a completely different thing knowing that the entire Community is
embracing you.
Excellent. The approval of the safe consumption and treatment site in Kitchener on Duke St. W. Agree
is a big step in the right direction.
Some communities have a very real and tangible identity already. Giving other communities
and neighbourhoods the same opportunity would be very exciting.
Yes, yes yes. Definitely consult with local experts in this implementation. Agree
All of these actions are wonderful. Anything that we can do to make living within the Agree
region/city better for all who live here is better than what we have now. With how fast and
high rents have gone, it is almost impossible for young people just starting out to afford to live
on their own without a job that pays better than minimum wage without taking on roommates
or living with their family.
Great! Agree
I am hoping that the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy will include ideas to help those Agree
working full time and still living below the poverty line. I am excited to see a real affordable
housing strategy - which may include developers not making the profit margins they are used
to. There is far too long of a list for people to get into affordable housing who are on ODSP as
well as those on fixed incomes. All of this is stuff that needs to be done as long as it can be
done in a fiscally responsible way.
Safe consumption sites and affordable housing are both very important for our community. Agree
Sounds good. Agree
I support all of these initiatives especially as I fear for the unemployed, precariously employed,
homeless, and those with mental health issues and addictions.
Happy to hear the plan is to be equitable, and very happy about the duke street sis.
As it stands I currently do not feel safe walking the downtown streets after business hours
alone, not because of people using drugs but rather because it is so deserted, and devoid of
storefronts or businesses that stay open.
Agree
Agree
This is an ambitious plan but so necessary. Mental health, especially, is underserved. I support Agree
safe treatment facilities in my neighbourhood. Plus, as we cram more and more people into
smaller condos, we need additional green spaces where kids can play and dogs can run. I just
returned from Spain where every city I visited had a small, well-maintained park every block or
two. That's a civilized way of planning urban spaces.
I don't have a strong opinion on much of this but the affordable housing one. Affordable Agree
housing is a huge issue in our city. The biggest issue comes down to supply and demand
because our city is hemmed in this will create artificial scarcity as there can only ever be some
many single family homes because of this we begin to treat homes as investments and invites
speculation. As this cycle continues it drives up home values dramatically. The city needs to
either open up to greater development or try to encourage condo living to people if we cant do
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Comments Received for Caring Community
either of those having affordable housing will be a pipe dream for this city going forward no
matter what the municipal government does.
We need this. Seeing the mentally low individuals on our streets in a bad time in their life
reflects on us all. Everyone deserves a roof to sleep under and food to eat. Please make it
happen.
This is great. Looking forward to new leisure programs and community spaces in places closer
to home in Pioneer Park/boon South area.
Good idea
Category
Agree
Agree
Agree
I am highly supportive of items 2 and 3 and believe they need to be the highest priorities of the Agree
city.
The current cost of housing and the rate it is increasing is simply not sustainable. With such
high percentages of household incomes tied up in mortgages and rent the overall economy will
be impacted. Band aids and quick fixes will not suffice; it is time to make radical changes to
zoning to permit far more development. We don't need to be downtown Manhattan, but parts
of the city do need to be like Paris. Lots of 4-5 storey multi unit dwellings, especially around
transit.
We also need to accept some development will sour people on their current neighbourhood.
That's why there are many neighbourhoods in a city and people are free to move. Simply
having lived in an area of the city marked for intensification should not give residents a veto
over development. Lack of supply is driving up costs for everyone.
Affordable housing would be great; it seems to be lacking at this point. I know some who have Agree
struggled with it at times.
Affordable housing sounds great.
Very happy to see this is being taken into account.
Love this goal.
I support the above strategies.
This seems good. I hope that there will be an effort to ensure people living in denser areas
(e.g., downtown) have good access to parks and recreation, as they're less likely to have access
to private green space.
Good ideas
Good. We have to be willing to make personal sacrifices for the well being of those in need
Reducing stigma and educating staff is critical to having an inclusive community. An
implemented affordable housing strategy is a critical part of this diverse community as well.
Would love to hear more about this, but a word of advice, consult with cultural community
Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree
groups who have been in kw for a long time.
#3 is especially important, however, must recognize many many levels and variations of mental Agree
health problems. While the most severe might be more visible, there are numerous issues
around ignorance in the work place such as those with less visible depression/anxiety receive
harsh treatment from uninformed and harsh employers. Need to work at that level as well.
Affordable housing is very important. Agree
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Comments Received for Caring Community
Nice to see affordability addressed here. Where is our Age -friendly commitment? Inclusion
does not of itself eliminate racism and inequity
Very exciting! It makes me want to be involved in the process. I love what is being proposed. I
think that the mental illness and addiction piece will require a lot of education to the public for
there to be widespread acceptance. There is a lot of negative talk on social media about these
matters.
Affordable housing, mental health and supporting recovery from addictions need to be a
priority for our entire society.
I feel this is great, affordable housing is a necessity. Also as an art and cultural worker, it is
great to see it included in the strategic plan as that community has many silos in it currently.
I've never heard of the Open Space Strategy. But I definitely agree that we need more parks.
Category
Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree
I like the ideas Agree
I applaud the city for trying to advance progressive policies on affordable housing and addition Agree
services, even though they have a more limited mandate in these areas.
All laudable goals. I am assuming that on the next few pages there will be questions about Agree
improving property maintenance. "Affordable housing" does not need to equal "unmaintained
dumps".
Sounds good. Libraries already do a great deal to support these goals. Are they receiving Agree
resources as well?
I am very excited for a focused city strategy on affordable housing. At the same time, it is Agree
essential that people feel like they belong. I am very pleased to see a focus on diversity and
inclusion in a variety of ways.
am in favour of all of it! I support safe injection sites, would like more mental health services, Agree
more affordable subsidized housing and would like to see leisure programs and resources more
accessible to low income families.
Very pleased to see this initiative taking place. Agree
YES! ! ! Agree
I like the focus on community centre and park development. I hope these will be more natural
and lass manicured spaces, to include trees and gardens rather than lawns. Affordable housing
is essential especially with the gentrification in K -W
I think these are all fantastic goals. Agree
Do it.
This one is also great, because I really care about reducing the stigma surrounding 'mental
illness'.
These are important goals to over coming the challenges our community faces in terms of
social equity.
Transportation is an important component as well.
I like it.
Great to realize the social oathologv that exists in our commun
Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree
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So important! Would love to see more greenspace in the downtown core. As well as more Agree
public "hangout space". Let's bring people together.
It is important as we grow. We need to be less segmented, these types of goals help. Agree
How we treat our most vulnerable reflects on who we are as a people/community. I have high Agree
hopes for this goal.
4b is critical. Let's keep our green spaces and add more! Agree
Very important work. Agree
These to me are some of the most important goals that we need to focus on. Many communities Agree
address things such as economic vibrancy and environmental stewardship, but Kitchener stands out to
me as a community that strives to take care of all of its citizens. It still has a lot of work to do but I often
see Kitchener as taking a lead on a number of the goals outlined here and I strongly hope that continues
and strengthens.
I like it Agree
May serve a well necessary need.
Overdue
This is great. I hope it can be followed through to benefit our community residents.
1. Is needed and can be achieved.
Agree
Agree
Agree
2. Is a must I just feel it has been done wrong in the past. DO NOT MAKE HOUSING FOR THE LESS
FORTUNATE ALL IN THE SAME AREA. This is a big problem I can point out the areas where welfare
people are housed. What needs to be done is spread it out across the city. Every neighborhood needs
to be involved. If these people were integrated in areas and clusters it would make them feel part of a
community and not an outcast or cloned from one cloth. I know there are good and bad people in this
and if they are placed in proper neighborhoods and monitored. There are some wonderful families that
end up going downhill because of the neighborhood they are made live in. If there was a proper
assessment of the family they could be placed properly and given some hope and support from the
neighborhood who do not need to know they are getting support from the city. This will build them and
the family up and make them feel so much better.
3. A definite need long overdue. We support cancer patients, visible minorities but not enough is done
for invisible minorities. Please make this happen we need to do a much better job in this area.
4. Agree with this but also we need to provide the staff for this. I feel some neighborhood community
centers are really not staffed with enough people to deal with the drop -ins. There are young teens and
some young children that need guidance and support you never know what their home life is like.
Direction is what they need especially if they are coming to the centers. Open space would be great but
again enough staff there for guidance.
5. We have a great community of artists and multi -culture communities. Let's do more for them and
show stronger support. Again if you want to develop a new and inclusive area you MUST remember not
everyone is rich so making things available to all at a reasonable fee is great. Poor don't want to be
centered out a lot want to pay their way but the prices are out of their reach so their children cannot
participate. Make a variety of Arts and Culture programs etc. available for all.
Okay Agree
Overall I would say the goal is doable. My concern would be that the downtown and neighbouring Agree
communities would continue to house and service those that are vulnerable and at risk. The stigma of
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mental illness/addiction won't change when all services are located in the same area and the issues that
develop when groups of people gather with issues.
generally, agree with all items listed. worried about the consumption site given my daughter lives very
nearby and wouldn't want to have to take it up with the city if she was hurt. Hope you will have
effective security and police presence.
Happy to see arts addressed as someone who cares about the lack of support of location given to arts in
the region.
These things all sound good, but there is one major problem I haven't seen specifically mentioned.
There is a lot of childhood poverty in Kitchener. My kids go to a school with 40% special needs kids. That
amount is due to poverty, not English as a second language as I had first though. There needs to be
intervention before school for these kids because these kids will grow up and be the adults we'll have to
Category
Agree
Agree
deal with later on. They need help from the time they are in utero through health visits or other
interventions for pregnant women living in poverty.
I hope that more services, funding, and general recognition of mental health will be prioritized Agree
This should be an on going endeavor not limited to the next four years. Let's just commit to getting Agree
better every vear.
I have seen a rise of overt racism in my community in the past two years, and it is very troubling (for the
record,*** has also sent several flyers to my home where I found the message troubling).
I fully support a vision for our city that allows everyone to live in safety and free from fear. Everyone
benefits when we address the systemic issues such as health (mental or otherwise, poverty, hunger,
substance abuse, and education).
Ensuring that everyone has access to engaging, affordable, and welcoming public and cultural resources
is key to building community and inspiring innovation.
Agree
I like to think I'm a caring person but I do feel there has to be some limits to the amount of money we
Agree
spend. I like to help people but at some point there should be an expectation that have to help in
return.
I only support the safe consumption sites because of the current strain on emergency services and the
gross state of downtown kitchener currently covered in needles.
Why don't you lower the cost of leisure programs for everyone instead of making it free for just some. I
work so I can't get subsidies for anything but I don't have enough to go to a city pool more then 1 or 2
times a year let alone sign up for a program.
Sounds impressive but I think you've set too many goals. Setting fewer will position us for better
Agree
results.
It sound vaguely Stalinist but well meaning.
Agree
Affordable housing is a much more important goal.
Agree
Safe injection should not be a priority though supporting the social programs that help those people
Disagree
should be supported.
Agree
Open spaces and parks are always good.
It would be nice to be able to live in the downtown core for under 1000/month
Agree
I am very disappointed to learn that there isn't an affordable housing strategy already. I sincerely hope
Agree
we focus on affordable housing along these new public transit systems so the people who need them
will actually be able to use them.
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Comments Received for Caring Community
Category
Really have to make Victoria park and the areas around the park more safe. It is so sad to see the Agree
beautiful park being used openly by drug users and homeless. Surely there is a better way to help these
people. It surely sticks out like a sore thumb.
I used to love to take the children there and now avoid it like the plague so much nefarious goings on
there.
It would be nice to feel safe again walking in broad davliaht.
#3 will be tricky. The focus really has to move away from Downtown Kitchener. Luckily this is Agree
anonymous (hopefully?) but it's a real case of NIMBY and without the support system for people
battling mental illness and addiction, this creates a very real deterrent to visiting Downtown Kitchener
especially in the evening, regardless of high exciting the businesses or events are.
Diversity and inclusion always means discrimination against one group of society that are most Agree
prevelant. An actual plan for affordable housing that makes sense would be good, but paying landlords
in apt buildings the difference in rent isn't the right way. Paying to educate staff should be a normal
expense in the departments shouldn't be a special thing, constant training for everyone is needed
Work with other levels of government to create affordable housing. Insist developers in life X%. Why 2 Agree
years for arts plan??
How can a city not be inclusive in Canada? I would expect nothing less for all citizens.
Agree
Huh?
Agree
Use existing empty buildings might be useful. What staff are being educated?
We need affordable housing but that would happen until inflation is gone. The other actions seem fine
Agree
to me, as long as spending is not extravagant.
As a member of the LGBTQ+ community I find it very difficult to feel a sense of belonging in Kitchener. I
Agree
have had people shout derogatory terms at me while walking to work downtown kitchener in the
morning.
I don't know how to make it happen, but KW is deficient in large parks. For some time I lived near
Agree
Rochester NY and there were far more large parks both within Rochester and nearby. The Rochester
Orienteering club has quality maps for a dozen or more such parks, all larger than Victoria park or
Waterloo park. I see Victoria park as being very heavily used on a nice summer day. Pretty much to
capacity. We could use another park of that ilk, only larger. And free, not like Laurel Creek
Conservation Area.
Make sure there are lots of benches for walkers, offer internships to new immigrants, put lots of dog-
Agree
poo stations in open areas so users don't have to walk with their heads looking at what's on the ground
in front of them.
Affordable housing has to look at the middle class too, not just low income or people on support.
Agree
Kitchener is becoming a city that people who have devoted their entire life to supporting and
improving, can no longer afford to live here. Something has to be done with new developments being
bought up by investors and non-residents therefore having housing in the region at a ridiculous price.
City has to look at what other major centres have done to make the market slow down and be realistic.
Mix it all up by creating all kinds of housing and all kinds of activities in every neighborhood so there
Agree
doesn't developed neighborhoods of single economic or ethnic or racial or age outlook that is isolated
from other neighborhoods
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Comments Received for Caring Community Category
Make sure you work closely with existing arts & culture organizations! Consider better financial Agree
supports for existing organizations rather than "reinventing the wheel" by creating new ones.
Focus on land ownership. Don't sell properties to private corporations. Use inclusionary zoning. Agree
Build a local urban Land Trust.
So many of the jobs in this city are primarily office based. Meaning that people are sitting way too Agree
much. We should be helping employees to keep up a healthy lifestyle. Make sure that access to
wholesome, healthy food is easily available to these co -working spaces. Make sure that any new leisure
programs are inclusive of all age groups. Many seniors and middle aged persons these days are
healthier, stronger, and more capable than ever before. They need access to dynamic programs that
keep them learning and challenging themselves. (Aquafit is not enough anymore). Also, improved
transit and an increase in areas that are walking friendly.
There is a need for a plan to address racist citizens here in Kitchener and I don't think these strategic Agree
actions include that.
Drop property taxes! I can afford a bigger home but the thousands of extra in property taxes would
Agree
make moving prohibitive since it's not a one time expense. Over 10 years, we would be paying 60,000+
extra dollars.
Ensure there is parking for any new initiative as I already avoid downtown due to the parking (or lack of
_parking ) situation.
City needs to be determined to set clear goals in the affordable housing as a priority, as so far, with the
Agree
weak enforcement, we are losing low -rent housing and not rebuilding it. Inclusionary zoning to be
determined asap. No bonsuing for thing things that developers should do anyway: green space, arts and
such. Incentives only for min 10% affordable housing.
City cannot address systemic barriers unless it advocates for the living wage, rent control, and increase
in social assistance. Also, city has to increase the budget for property standards enforcement, even
introduce licensing fees as the exploitation of the corporate landlords is extreme.
Ethno-cultural communities (mutli-cultural communities?) need to be represented in all forms of
leadership and they would guide the access to public spaces, use of community centres, interpretation
and support services that their members need.
The diversity, equity and inclusion programs tend to ignore me as a straight white male. While I am
Agree
sure they are welcome news for some folks it's hard to believe this is still needed. More women go to
university then men. More men die at work. More whites successfully commit suicide than any other
cohort. Just political triangulation. More justification to hand my families money to other people who
will vote for you. I like the focus on leisure programs, community centres and parks as they are for
everyone.
I think it's just fluff ... you do the opposite everyday as you do not care to bring people together, you
Agree
choose to divide people by only catering to people with money, like xxxxx and xxxx. It's disgusting how
Disagree
you've bent over backwards for the hoity toity bunch and how you think tech is the only sector that can
exist in today's society.
See response to previous question. I have very serious concerns about how economic development can
Agree
adversely impact an inclusive community that prioritized social wellbeing for all.
Disagree
It's all fine and nice, but what's all this intangible stuff cost?! I
Neutral
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Comments Received for Caring Community
Category
I see that I have jumped the gun a little in my previous comments as there are social goals, they are just Neutral
not presented in a holistic nature. Once again it would be nice too see a few concrete plans or at least
links to do further reading on the proposed plans.
Many nice words but no actual substance.
Neutral
As part of the young senior demographic, I don't find much programming of interest to me, except at Comment
the library & museums.
What about care for the elderly? How can mentoring roles be fostered?
Comment
There is enough resources to address these issues as is. Perhaps an internal audit can find efficiencies Comment
via an independent third party which will help the people who need the help while at the same time not
increasing taxes or fees.
It would be nice to connect to the community through a sidewalk for pedestrians and families on the Comment
north side of Glasgow st
More fenced dog parks would be nice. No need for any huge spaces but there are none in the south side Comment
and east side of the city. One park is not enough.
Do not forget about taxpayers. Who will pay for all of the above? Comment
Again, this plan needs to be more explicit and focused... "work on advancing..." what does that mean?
Let's see a concrete commitment that I can actually evaluate.
Maybe useful to consider encouraging involvement programs like group projects and activities.
Oh talk, talk, talk! Adnosium! When will simple action start and provide ease/relief to our more
disadvantaged? Every dim wit cok employee and councillor is still looking for the solution to the lack of
electricity in the desert, in order to get water from the bottom of the well to the top! DAH! Simple!
Hand pump! Talk to the Amish and Mennonites! These goony birds, fresh out of UOW have no clue how
to wash their own ass if the shower is 'out of water!' Shortage if housing - INVEST and CONVERT sea
cargo trailers to temporary housing - LESS than 200 AND REUSEABLE! How many
'brownstone/unused/derelict/back taxes due, properties do we have in Kitchener, which could be
utilized for 'under Jones'? I agree, it's not ideal, but it's one hell of a of better than what we are
providing at present! Gave the occupiers ownership of their unit to keep it clean! Set up a community
mailbox at the site do the residents can get their mail and community support payments! We've got
good banks! We've got great social programs - multi cultural festival, blues festival, kristkringlel festival,
and, oh, hey those elite cis goers! Encourage those patrons to give to support warm clothing, boots,
shoes, McDonald's food certificates, etc! Encourage the disenfranchised to share their stories - (See
'Homeless in Waterloo') - provide writing materials or library time to write their stories. Assist them in
getting their stories published, in hard copy of on internet, to share and earn income from same. Graffiti
a problem? Want to support arts and entertainment within the community? WELLM DAH!! There are
some fantastic artists within the disenfranchised who would love to share a couple cans if paint and a
wall to enhance its beauty! Go ahead! Take a chance!
Forget about number 1. Diversity is a disaster. Petition Ottawa to stop sending those who cannot
adapt. Let people move up on their own; equal opportunity is great as long as the outcome is accepted
by all.
1l
Comment
Comment
Comment
Disagree
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Comments Received for Caring Community
Category
The nonsense of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion buzzwords needs to be completely abandoned Disagree
immediately. The Charter of Rights and Canadian law unequivocally show that there is no systemic
barrier and protect all equally! This cult of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion must be abandoned. To join it
is to invite social discord and reverse discrimination.
Stop giving things away to people who do not appreciate it or who have come to expect it. This has Disagree
developed into a business of it's self with all the high payed CEO's etc.
I am sorry, this is a dream and with the stresses of the real world, who is actually going to take the time Disagree
to implement this. As a retired post secondary facilitator, trust me, you try, it does not work.
screw the culture we cannot afford the infrastructure and the majority of citizens cannot afford to use Disagree
them. so if this is important than let the users pay for any upgrades and leave the poor taxpayers out of
it.
I also do not think that the city should be in the hug a druggy business. these people rob and steal to get
their drugs and cause huge hardship on law bidding citizens. if they are caught using these killer drugs
than they should be quarantined and weaned off the drugs. Affordable housing should be the goal but
the city has dropped the ball on this issue for forty years and most recently with the forgiveness of
development fees to attract developers. We lost approx. $280 million in development fees and out of
the projected 2600 units being built only 10 are marked for affordable housing( but who's definition of
affordable will be used?). The city is already looking at taxing the already over taxed to cover this short
fall and the only thing we have to show for it is even more deterioration of our infrastructure!
Maybe the worst idea ever. Safe injection sites will turn surrounding areas into disaster areas. Disagree
Kitchener can't even put a pool in the south part of the city. I doubt we will see much change. Disagree
Another thing government has zero control or affect on.
Disagree
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Comments Received for Great Customer Service Category
These are excellent goals to enhance communication and engagement with the city.
Agree
Perfect! I'm very happy to see the city finally taking a much more focused approach to improving it's
Agree
customer service!
I love the ideas for customer service portal and services in multiple languages. There are a lot of recent
Agree
immigrants in the city who although can communicate in English, may not feel comfortable enough to
voice their opinion and participate in a lot of things. This can really encourage them to be part of the
overall voice.
Thank you for making a variety of languages available as our community grows more diverse.
Agree
I think it is great that the City of Kitchener considers citizens to also be customers!
Agree
Good.
Agree
This is the future. Removing barriers and obstacles between the community and their leaders is the first
Agree
step to really understanding the needs of that community
Bring it on!
Agree
good
Agree
Good
Agree
This is a good idea to improve customer service for your constituents.
Agree
Great.
Agree
Great idea
Agree
Good idea
Agree
Useful. Especially if you could support more languages.
Agree
I love to have more transparency in the City services . There's so much that's offered that people don't
Agree
know about!
Excellent goals and targets.
Agree
Damn these are good. Right on!
Agree
Perfect
Agree
I support the above strategies.
Agree
Expanding the number of languages for customer support is a great idea. I'm a native English speaker but
Agree
I know how intimidating it is to try to get assistance in a foreign language.
And, I appreciate that this City government is seeking frequent and specific input from its citizens. That's
true democracy.
Sounds good
Agree
This is a wonderful initiative so that when people try to engage with their city government, they are able
Agree
to do so quickly and comfortably
Great
Agree
Customer Service is very important to an organization.
Agree
Continuing to work on customer service is important.
Agree
They make sense.
Agree
Always a good goal and seems like some good steps were layed out to achieve it.
Agree
An improvement
Agree
Better
Agree
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Comments Received for Great Customer Service Category
Customer service should be a main pillar of an organization so I'm surprised it needs to be a goal but Agree
happy to see a serious focus is being devoted to it.
Good
Agree
Good ideas.
Agree
I can appreciate that it can be confusing to navigate for some. If the research shows that this is a top
Agree
priority for many then I'm all for it, but personally it isn't on my radar as an issue
Sounds good
Agree
Seems well thought out and inclusive
Agree
Good idea
Agree
It would be easier to log complaints or suggestions
Agree
I think that is awesome.
Agree
Including multi-lingual access is a step in the right direction. Good time -based goals
Agree
better access to city services is a key.
Agree
Long overdue.
Agree
Fine. Not much to say as I don't use city services.
Agree
Great but apprehensive. These are great goals but I'm not too confident they will be implemented well.
Agree
The portal seems worthwhile if it can improve the connection between residents and the staff they need
Agree
to be in touch with to address any issues. Having info available in a variety of languages seems important
as well. I don't love being referred to as a customer of the city but appreciate the focus on improving
feedback loops, engagement, access to information, etc.
Making these services more accessible and easier to find is important for our residents, especially the
Agree
aging population.
One improvement would be an online bylaw reporting system to make us feel like the city is hearing out
concerns.
It sounds good but depending on the cost might be a lower priority for me
Agree
Originally, item #1 may be focused on tracking service requests for residents, but how could this be Agree
expanded into the future to become a tool that residents can use for their own tracking of information.
For example, a group of residents come together to lead a Love My Hood grant project. How could the
customer service portal be used as a planning tool for residents to brainstorm ideas, prepare an outline,
etc, but also use it to track service requests related to their project, and how can staff also have access
so they can respond to the resident group directly through the portal, rather than emailing multiple
residents.
It's about imagining a customer service portal where residents can benefit and gather information from,
but in the future, also being a tool that residents can contribute to that may help to build a strong civic
identify and encourage more participation and involvement... a two-way street of exchanges between
residents and staff, centred around a positive customer service experience, trust, respect and
collaboration.
Good consideration. Not much of an opinion. Agree
Fine. I haven't had any problems with the existing service. Agree
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Comments Received for Great Customer Service
I am a citizen and resident of Kitchener. I do not appreciate being referred to as a customer.
I roll my eyes when people say government should be run more like a business. Businesses can (and
should) choose their products and customers. Government has a legal obligation to provide services to
everyone inside city limits and is elected by citizens.
I don't actually disagree with any of the goals here as they are seem perfectly reasonable, but I think the
wording of the city's strategic goals should reflect the fact it's a city government. This reads like a
document for shareholders not citizens.
Category
Agree
I'm not sure about all the customer service stuff but clearly communicated service levels would be Agree
wonderful.
Why not have info booths?
Nice aspirations. Will they make a difference? Agree
I personally do not use the city customer service on a regular bases and thus do not anticipate an impact. Agree
IF I was a land owner than this process for permits and the like to be digitally streamlined would be
beneficial.
IF I could speak to my ward councillor through an easy online forum that would appeal to me
Won't work unless you have a live person that can take the calls and assist people with their concerns. Agree
We need a much larger effort to address the mental health problems in our "region".
It would be great for citizens to have solid tracks le answers. City employees and council can also benefit Agree
from real data rather than "soft" information when dealing with service complaints.
Analyzing the feedback and engaging those concerned to create improve and develop for the public
interest.
Agree
I don't believe it should take anywhere near as long as the proposal says it will be implemented. It's a Agree
very uncomplicated thing to do and should not take years to complete.
I think great CSR is down to training, accountability and staff. You can have the greatest technology in Agree
the world but if you have unmotivated employees that have not been properly trained and or feel
unappreciated or entitled then this is a much bigger issue to overcome. I hope that the CSR employees in
question have been integrated into this decision making process as that is a great indicator of building a
successful initiative.
Make sure your website interfaces are user-friendly - I often have difficulty finding what I need on your Agree
existing website!
ambivalent Neutral
I have no opinion Neutral
No opinion Neutral
Other than setting up utilities, and paying a few parking tickets I've never needed customer service so I Neutral
can't comment on these goals compared to where we are
Unsure. Neutral
Haven't had concerns on these issues, so not seeing why these are important. Tools exist that should Neutral
achieve these goals fairly easily
I've never had an issue with the current customer service and I think the other strategic actions are Neutral
higher priority.
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Comments Received for Great Customer Service Category
This is a given and not part of a strategic plan Neutral
We're already better than other cities in the region. Neutral
ANY attention to providing actual services would be an improvement! If there has been ANY tree Comment
maintenance, grass cutting, snow clearing etc provided by the City in my neighbourhood in the past year,
I've missed it! The City's boulevard on our street (Onward Ave) is almost never maintained and is being
used as a dumpsite by residents/management of the apartments at Onward & Weber. It's an eyesore!
i assume that this customer satisfaction program will be posted on line for all to see, if not then whats Comment
the point if people cannot engage? what are we hiding?
So what your going to update the website? This all seems easy and should already be done. Why don't Comment
you partner with a local tech company and make an app?
I would integrate a portal of feel good, buy good services and businesses as I would like to know which Comment
ones are green or contribute to improve the environment
As a former municipal employee, I know most staff want to do the best job they can. Provide more Comment
empowerment to staff & listen to their feedback.
It is needed in some areas where others I feel staff take the brunt of abuse. It would be nice to have a
Comment
streamlined map to know who to call about what and get an answer which does not always happen.
There are issues that arise and not proper answer is given over and over again. Just an honest proper
answer and not a defensive that's how it is done. It should not take years and several different answers
to resolve issues. But it does and is still happening.
I have complained once or twice on line and find there was no response. Let's improve on line feed back.
Comment
I would prefer something slightly more democratic to ensure the opinions of the few don't overweigh
Comment
the majority. Community survey's? It would be amazing if each community had it's own portal and
requests needed to be approved by a certain percentage of the residents. You would register for your
community and then be allowed to vote and make requests.
Would like to know more about the role of the residents ('customers') in shaping the strategic actions as
Comment
well as ongoing service improvements. We have a role in both.
If improvements need to happen, residents should guide staff towards solutions.
Last I heard the official language was either English or French. We are not the united nations and should Comment
not have to support services in other languages. These people can learn the official language through
federal govt programs.
Who gives a rate ass? City employees are suppose to be polite and helpful! If they are not, they need to Comment
go get a real job and their union needs to back the citizens who make their job possible!
I have no idea what this even means. Who are your "customers" that you actually need a complex Comment
system to manage them.
Kitchener is already a well run city. We should amalgamate the region to gain efficiencies which would Comment
allow us to cut taxes on business.
Remember that the city staff and government are there to serve the tax payers not the other way Comment
around. Often problems are addressed with more bylaws and enforcement instead of help
1-75
Comments Received for Great Customer Service Category
Great customer service, you should hire people that want to give that. If they arent why are they still
Comment
employed. If they can't work and be gretful for working at the city they need to find a job in the public
sector,
We need dedicated times for off
Comment
Leash access to modem parks and some of the trails.
It would be good if the city followed their goals but as in the proposed sidewalk on the north side of
Comment
Glasgow being canceled shows that they don't follow their own policies
I think all our efforts need to be plowed into climate change mitigation really. I'm terribly worried about
Comment
it.
Improve website. Don't want support system
Comment
Use social media more.
As you look at communication, do not forget approaches other than online.
Comment
I see under each goal, that we have strategic actions. How do we know if we have moved the needle on
any goal. There are no metrics beyond achievement of the action
If you want any of these things to work than the people needs have to come before the corporate needs.
Disagree
City hall has been babbling about this year after year spending huge amounts of money and it doesn't do
a thing. Hight teck portal 24/7 portal blah blah blah. Stop wasting money do your jobs KEEP IT SIMPLE
STUPID and put the needs of the people first ahead of corporations!
Again could be just lip service giving the impression of caring for the taxpayers. It will just be
Disagree
downloading of customer service on the people in the trenches when many of the problems are
systemic!
A lot of effort for not a lot of affect Disagree
I think it's relying way too heavily on technology, and technology that has been proven to not be Disagree
accurate as people are fearful of leaving negative comments due to it being a record. You are putting
fear in your customers to only leave positive comments/feedback and instead of being open, welcoming,
and transparent you will be hiding behind technology that does not give a fair/balance view.
Unnecessary and expensive and time-consuming. Disagree
Don't agree with the need to add a "variety of languages". English and French are more than enough. Disagree
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Appendix C: Additional Directly Contacted Stakeholders
Stakeholders
Working Centre
Independent Living Centre
Food Bank of Waterloo Region
oneR00F
Food for Kids Waterloo Wellington
KW Community Foundation
KW Multicultural Centre
Social Development Centre Waterloo Region
Waterloo Region Immigration Partnership
Waterloo Region District School Board
House of Friendship
Ray of Hope
YMCA Immigrant and Employment Services
b'OiM01-11
Non-profit housing
St John's Kitchen
United Way Waterloo Region Communities
LHIN
Kitchener Homebuilders Liaison
Developers
Builders
Planning consultants
Engineering consultants
Waterloo Region Home Builders Association
Waterloo Region
Waterloo City
Cambridge
Wilmot
Woolwich
Wellesley
North Dumfries
Employee Advisory Committee
Citizen Advisory Committees
Neighbourhood Associations
REEP
Sustainable WR
Climate Action WR
Grand River Environment Network
Friends of Hidden Valley
Friends of Greenbelt
G RCA
Community Energy Investment Strategy (/Grand
River Energy)
BIAs
Chamber of Commerce
Accelerator Centre
Communitech
Leadership Waterloo Region
Festival/Event organizers - KOI Music Festival
Festival/Event organizers - Oktoberfest
Real estate board (Kitchener -Waterloo
Association of Realtors)
Waterloo Manufacturing Innovative Network
"Green" industry tech companies
Waterloo Region Police Services (WRPS)
Kitchener Public Library (KPL)
KW Community Foundation
Waterloo University
Wilfrid Laurier University
Conestoga College
Grand River Hospital
St Mary's Hospital
WR Economic Development Corporation
1-77
Staff Report 11� l JR
Corporate ServicesDepartment wwwkitchener.ca
REPORT TO: Finance and Corporate Services Committee
DATE OF MEETING: June 17, 2019
SUBMITTED BY: Dan Murray, Director Technology Innovation and Services, 519-741-
2200 x7825
PREPARED BY: Sarah -Beth Bianchi, Manager Digital Transformation and Strategy, 519-
741-2200 x7035
WARD (S) INVOLVED: All
DATE OF REPORT: May 30, 2019
REPORT NO.: COR -19-028
SUBJECT: Digital Kitchener Public Access Technology Service Standard
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the Public Access Technology Service Standard described in report COR -19-028
and the attached document Digital Kitchener Public Access Technology Service Standard
be adopted as the measurement framework for the City of Kitchener's digital inclusion
programs; and further,
THAT staff be directed to define a dedicated PATS budget for consideration during the
2020 budget cycle to centralize the investment associated with the PATS program.
BACKGROUND:
The inability to access digital technology creates barriers to social, civic, and professional
engagement and development. As the City offers more services online, we risk worsening this
digital divide for our residents. The City of Kitchener offers the Public Access Technology
Service (PATS) to bridge this gap and foster Digital Inclusion within our community.
Evolution of the PATS
The current public technology offering originated under the banner of UrbanCAP, an initiative
of the Social Planning Council of Kitchener -Waterloo and funded through Industry Canada's
Urban Community Access Program in the early 2000s. The initiative established a set of public
access computers and printers at Community Centres and Public Libraries throughout
Kitchener and Waterloo. The program was later rebranded ConnectKW and continued on even
though the federal funding for the program began to diminish. When that program ended in
2014, the City of Kitchener continued support of the related hardware at our Community
Centres. In 2017, the City added free public wifi to ten additional public spaces with funding
from the Canada 150 grants, providing connectivity for residents at 29 city -owned facilities in
total.
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
2-1
Purpose of the PATS Standard
The purpose of this Standard is to ensure the PATS adheres to three key principles:
• Applicable — Providing relevant, accessible technology that serves key use cases for our
community
• Available — Offering sufficient technology capacity at reasonable hours and locations
• Reliable — Operating with effective technical support and financial sustainability
By establishing the PATS Standard, the City will have a clear framework for prioritizing Digital
Inclusion in a meaningful, practical, and measurable way. By sharing this work, we encourage
our colleagues in other municipalities and public sector organizations to join us in this mission
so that we can work together to make Digital Inclusion a basic tenet of municipal service
delivery.
REPORT:
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
Strategic Priority: Development of Public Internet Access Standard
Strategy: 5.2 - Improve the design and delivery of city services so that they provide what citizens
want in the most reliable, convenient and cost-efficient way
Strategic Action: CS62 - Effective and Efficient City Services
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
The Public Access Technology Service is currently funded through budgets maintained by the
Technology Innovation & Services and through the various Community Centre operating
budgets. As a result, it is difficult to understand the total cost of offering the service. Funding is
required to maintain the computer equipment, printers, toner and paper costs.
To sustain the Public Access Technology Service and increase transparency of the investment
in this program, staff are recommending that a PATS program budget be established in the next
budget cycle to align funding into a dedicated budget item.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
INFORM — This report has been posted to the City's website with the agenda in advance of the
council / committee meeting.
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CONSULT — Staff conducted interviews with the staff and patrons of the Community Centres to
understand the impact and logistics of the current ad hoc program. Staff also met with Kitchener
Public Library who manage their public access technology program, which grew out of the same
UrbanCAP program.
Staff have also consulted with the Grand River Accessibility Advisory Committee on issues of
accessibility of the PATS offerings. In particular, the criteria listed in the Accessibility measure
were generated using direct feedback from members of GRAAC.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Victoria Raab, General Manager, Corporate Services
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Digital Digital Kitchener Public Access Technology Service Standard
Kitchener June, 2019
Digital Kitchener Public Access Technology Service Standard
Context
Digital technology is pervasive in public and private life. From connecting with friends and family via
social media and email, to participating in civic engagement through online forums and news platforms,
to accessing government and social services through websites and online portals, internet connected
computers are a critical gateway to contemporary Canadian society.
The inability to access digital technology creates barriers to social, civic, and professional engagement
and development. As the City offers more services online, we risk worsening this digital divide for our
residents. The City of Kitchener offers the Public Access Technology Service (PATS) to bridge this gap and
foster Digital Inclusion within our community.
Digital Inclusion is a pillar of the Digital Kitchener strategy. Action steps include:
• Working with community organizations to identify public access needs and collaboratively
addressing them; and
• Establishing a service level standard for public tech and internet access across the city.
o Identified as a priority under Our Brave Plan (2017)
Evolution of the PATS
The current public technology offering originated under the banner of UrbanCAP, an initiative of the
Social Planning Council of Kitchener -Waterloo and funded through Industry Canada's Urban Community
Access Program in the early 2000s. The initiative established a set of public access computers and
printers at Community Centres and Public Libraries throughout Kitchener and Waterloo. The program
was later rebranded ConnectKW and continued on even though the federal funding for the program
began to diminish. When that program ended in 2014, the City of Kitchener continued support of the
related hardware at our Community Centres. The City did not formalize the program, so it has been
operating through the best efforts of staff in the Technology, Innovation & Services (TIS) division and the
Neighbourhood Program & Services (NPS) division. TIS invests staff time and corporate technology
budget to maintain and update the computers and printers. NPS invests staff time to provide basic
support to patrons using the public access technology. The Community Centres allocate budget for
printing expenses from public access printers, and charge per page printing fees for patrons who print
more than 10 pages on a given day, which partially recovers printing expenses for the public access
printers. In 2017, the City added free public wifi to ten additional public spaces with funding from the
Canada 150 grants, providing connectivity for residents at 29 city -owned facilities in total.
Members of the Digital Transformation & Strategy (DTS) team within TIS have conducted interviews
with staff and patrons of the Community Centres and staff within TIS to understand the impact and
logistics of the current ad hoc program. The DTS team have also met with staff at Kitchener Public
Library who manage their public access technology program, which grew out of the same UrbanCAP
program and has expanded significantly.
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Digital Digital Kitchener Public Access Technology Service Standard
Kitchener June, 2019
This Standard codifies the elements that work well within the current ad hoc program at the City, and
augments the program to close gaps in service offering and program sustainability.
Purpose of the PATS Standard
The purpose of this Standard is to ensure the PATS adheres to three key principles:
• Applicable — Providing relevant, accessible technology that serves key use cases for our
community
• Available — Offering sufficient technology capacity at reasonable hours and locations
• Reliable — Operating with effective technical support and financial sustainability
This Standard seeks to define minimum criteria for a PATS that the City can use to measure the
effectiveness of the service. A low score on any measure can highlight an opportunity for improvement
or for investigation into the root cause of the low score. A high score on any measure can identify a
satisfactory experience for users of the PATS, or an opportunity to establish a higher target to
continuously improve the experience for PATS users. This Standard is designed to be flexible and
scalable, so that other communities can adapt it to serve their own digital inclusion needs.
By establishing the PATS Standard, the City is holding ourselves accountable for prioritizing Digital
Inclusion in a meaningful, practical, and measurable way. By sharing this work, we encourage our
colleagues in other municipalities and public sector organizations to join us in this mission so that we
can work together to make Digital Inclusion a basic tenet of municipal service delivery.
PATS Principle: Applicable
The goal of this set of measures is to verify that the program is addressing the key needs of the
community and keeping pace with the changing technology landscape. As more aspects of Canadian
society include online or technology -facilitated elements, the City can use these measures to ensure the
PATS evolves to continue meeting those needs.
Technology Offerings
PATS is designed to offer a set of technologies that are appropriate for contemporary content and use
cases. The City can use this measure to ensure the PATS offers a minimum set of technology to meet the
needs of the community.
Criteria
A publicly accessible wireless network
connection
Network identified as
Kitchener Public Wifi
Wifi signal is sufficient to
maintain a connection in
publicly accessible areas
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2-5
Digital
Kitchener
Digital Kitchener Public Access Technology Service Standard
June, 2019
Computer is clearly labelled as a Public
Access Computer and each computer
is labelled with a unique name
CPU (i.e. desktop or laptop computer,
virtualized computer)
Monitor
Keyboard
Mouse or similar pointing device
Headphone jack accessible to
computer user
USB jack accessible to computer user
Headset with microphone
Internet connectivity
Office suite software
• Microsoft Office
• Google Drive
Browsers
• Microsoft Edge
• Google Chrome
Printer
• Black & White printing
• Color printing
• Photocopier
• Scanner
Session Management Mechanism
• Pre -reservation to create a
predictable period of access to
the computer
To facilitate clear
identification of computers,
staff will implement a
standard naming scheme in
the format <Community
Centre Name> — PAC #.
Example: Stanley Park
Community Centre— PAC 1
and Stanley Park Community
Centre — PAC 2.
Supply of sanitary headphone
covers or sanitizing wipes to
ensure the hygiene of the
headphones
As a disincentive to wasteful
printing practices, a
reasonable limit will be set on
free printing with cost
recovery on pages printed
beyond that limit.
City staff post Public Access
Printer Guidelines near public
access printers to notify
patrons of these printing
limits.
Current state: Session
management controlled
manually by signing up for
time with Community Centre
Staff. Staff also manage
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Digital Digital Kitchener Public Access Technology Service Standard
Kitchener June, 2019
Measurement
• Session length control to
ensure reservation and
demand is served fairly
For each element identified, score as follows:
• Three points if the element is fully present
• Two points if the element is substantially present
• One point if the element is partially present
• Zero points if the element is missing
Interpretation
session length by notifying
patrons when they have
reached their session time
limit.
Future state: Investigation is
underway to select software
to control session reservation
and session length, to reduce
the onus on staff to intervene
in session management.
High scores suggest that the technology offerings are high quality and serve modern technology needs.
Low scores suggest that gaps in the technology offerings that provide barriers to engage fully with
modern content or platforms.
Staff will leverage this data when evaluating whether to add or remove technology elements from a
PATS offering. Removing access to a headset jack could prevent access to music or voice -over -IP
communications. Upgrading to a multi -function printer could make it possible for users to print directly
from a USB stick without needing to access a public access computer. Evaluating the impact to this score
can also guard against eroding the value of the PATS offerings through the cumulative impact of small,
isolated decisions.
Accessibility
PATS is designed to meet the needs of all users — including those who require accessibility support. The
City can use this measure to ensure a minimum level of accessibility of the physical space, software and
hardware used within the PATS. These baselines do not supersede the need to adhere to legislative
requirements to address the accessibility needs of staff and the public. These criteria were developed in
consultation with Grand River Accessibility Advisory Committee and will continue to be revised in
consultation with GRAAC in the future.
C!
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Dig ita I
Kitchener
Criteria
Measurement
Digital Kitchener Public Access Technology Service Standard
June, 2019
For each element identified, score as follows:
• Three points if the element is fully present
• Two points if the element is substantially present
• One point if the element is partially present
• Zero points if the element is missing
5
2-8
OperationalMechanism
Login screen is WCAG compliant ql!IIIW�
Minimum screen size of 17"
User can adjust system text size
Future state: Investigation is
settings - for example, to increase text
underway to allow easier
size for users low vision
adjustment of these settings
User can adjust contrast settings - for
and automation where
example to activate high contrast
possible.
mode for users with low vision
User can adjust keyboard settings - for
example to activate sticky keys or
reduce key responsiveness for users
with low dexterity
User can adjust system mouse settings
- for example to enable extra large
pointer for users with low vision or
reduce mouse responsiveness for
users with low dexterity
User can activate screen reader
Note: Screen reader software
software installed on the computer
is not available on City of
Kitchener computers. This
criteria is included to highlight
this gap in accessibility
offerings.
User can utilize their own adaptive
Staff should enable users to
devices when using the computer,
connect devices as -requested
including devices connected through a
user -accessible USB jack
Adjustable keyboard tray
Furniture complies with AODA
See Appendix — Accessible
Guidelines
Space Design Checklist
Area hosting public access computers
See Appendix — Accessible
complies with Ontario Building Code
Space Design Checklist
standards
For each element identified, score as follows:
• Three points if the element is fully present
• Two points if the element is substantially present
• One point if the element is partially present
• Zero points if the element is missing
5
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Digital Digital Kitchener Public Access Technology Service Standard
Kitchener June, 2019
Interpretation
High scores suggest that PATS offerings provide necessary supports to address a variety of accessibility
needs. Low scores suggest that the PATS offerings present barriers that exclude some users from being
able to physically access the offerings or interact with the technologies.
Staff will leverage this data when making decisions about the location or furniture used to host the
public access computers, and the software offered on the public access computers. Changing the
location or updating the furniture could make it impossible for some users to access the service, or
could open up the service to people who were previously unable to take advantage of the PATS
offerings. Similarly, software design and choice of software programs can have a positive or negative
impact on the people using this service.
Use cases
PATS is designed to enable users to fulfill the use cases that are appropriate to the demands of
contemporary Canadian society. The use cases outlined here serve as a baseline of relevant uses for
public access technology with specific examples within the City of Kitchener outlined for context. The
City can use this measure to confirm whether users perceive that the PATS allows them to fulfill these
use cases.
Criteria
• Participating in art, music, video,
and game platforms
• Accessing artistic, cultural,
religious and special interest
forums and resources
• Accessing sports and recreation
organizations
• Accessing news media
• Participating in social media,
social networking and dating
platforms
• Synchronous communication
like video and text chat
• Asynchronous communication
like email and forums
• Accessing online learning
platforms and resources
• Accessing language learning
resources and practicing
language acquisition
• Research and homework
completion
• Active Kitchener and ActiveNet
registration for cultural and sport
programming
• Kitchener Events calendar
• Kitchener Golf online tee time
booking
• Email newsletters - Downtown
Kitchener, AUD Club
• City of Kitchener website and
microsites like LoveMyHood,
Make It Kitchener, Digital
Vitrhanar
• City of Kitchener social media —
Twitter, Instagram, Facebook
• Open Data Portal
• Maps
• Booking class and group tours
5:
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Digital
Kitchener
•
Digital Kitchener Public Access Technology Service Standard
June, 2019
Accessing job search platforms,
resume building tools and
resources
Professional networking
Engaging with volunteer
organizations
Online application and data
submission
Accessing government and social
service accounts
Communicating with service
providers
Participating in online public
engagement
Online banking and bill payment
Accessing budgeting tools &
resources, and financial planning
services
• City of Kitchener career
opportunities
• City of Kitchener Volunteer
database
• City of Kitchener citizen
committees and boards
• Our Training Room for qualifying
and onboarding employees
• Election worker recruitment and
training platform
• Engage Waterloo Region
• Corporate Contact Centre online
forms and Close the Loop emails
• Love My Hood grant applications
• Voting information and election
results
• Kitchener Utilities eBilling
• Bylaw online ticket payment
• Property Tax Calculator
Measurement
Elements are measured through ongoing user surveys delivered through Engage Kitchener and
interviews with patrons and staff.
For each element identified, score as follows:
• Three points if the element is fully present
• Two points if the element is substantially present
• One point if the element is partially present
• Zero points if the element is missing
Interpretation
High scores indicate that a variety of use cases are being fully met by the PATS offerings. Low scores
suggest that barriers exist that prevent users to fully participating in the use cases identified. Leverage
this data when evaluating decisions to adjust restrictions to the type of content that PATS users can
access, such as blocking sites with firewall restrictions, as increased restrictions may lead to reduced
capacity to fulfill some use cases. Use this data to identify potential digital literacy or technology training
programs that can enable users to take full advantage of the PATS offerings.
PATS Principle: Available
The goal of this set of measures is to verify that the PATS is offered at times and locations that are
appropriate to the community being served by the program, and that the capacity is keeping pace with
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Digital Digital Kitchener Public Access Technology Service Standard
Kitchener June, 2019
demand. As our City expands physically and the population increases, and as neighbourhood density
patterns change, the City can use these measures to ensure the PATS evolves to continue meeting those
needs.
Hours of Access
The City can use this measure to ensure the hours of access is meeting the needs of the community—
including the hours of availability, the time of day, the time of week, and the period of continuous
access to the technology. This measure can help evaluate demand for the PATS and prompt adjustments
to meet that changing demand.
Criteria
Available during standard operating
hours of the facility hosting the wifi
access points.
Available during standard operating
hours of the facility hosting the public
access computers
Weekdays: Early Morning (6am to
9am)
Weekdays: Core Hours (9am to 5pm)
Weekdays: After School (3pm to 6pm)
Weekdays: Evening (5pm to 9pm -
Includes Fridays)
Weekdays: Evening (5pm to 9pm -
Excludes Fridays)
Weekdays: Late Night (9pm to 11pm)
Weekends: Morning (9am to 12pm)
Weekends: Afternoon (12pm to 5pm)
Weekends: Evening (5pm to 11pm)
Computer reservation: Capacity to
offer computer reservation requests
for a period of access not less than 30
minutes
Computer reservation: Capacity to
offer reservation requests for a
period of access greater than 60
minutes
Measurement
For each element identified, score as follows:
• Three points if the element is fully met
• Two points if the element is substantially met
• One point if the element is partially met
• Zero points if the element is not met
Public notice of disruption to
these hours of access due to
holidays, planned or unplanned
facility closures, planned or
unplanned technology outages.
Public notice of disruption to
previously booked reservations
due to planned or unplanned
facility closures, planned or
unplanned technology outages.
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Digital Digital Kitchener Public Access Technology Service Standard
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Interpretation
High scores suggest that each PATS offering has a wide window of availability to serve people with
varying lifestyles. Low scores suggest that period of access may create barriers for people who cannot
take advantage of this service during typical operating hours.
Staff will leverage this data when making decisions about operating hours of a facility hosting a PATS
offering. Increasing operating hours could lead to additional capacity to offer longer reservation
windows for the public access computers. Decreasing operating hours or reducing weekend hours could
eliminate the opportunity for some people to access the PATS offerings.
Proximity
The City can use this measure to ensure the physical reach of the program is keeping pace as density and
size of our city changes. The City can also use this measure to inform demand for a facility to serve a
neighbourhood that does not yet host PATS offerings.
Criteria
Includes walking
independently or with a
PF mobility device like a walker
or wheelchair, and similar
111116 human powered mobility
w Includes bicycle, scooter,
skateboard, powered
wheelchair and similar
human powered devices,
including e -assisted devices
Includes all public transit
operated within the City of
Kitchener
Includes private vehicle, taxi,
or similar private transit
Measurement
For each element identified, score as follows:
10 minutes, which assumes a
rate of speed of 75 meters per
minute
10 minutes, which assumes a
rate of speed of 12km per hour
15 minutes, which accounts for
travel time once on transit
vehicle and includes transfers
thereafter
15 minutes, which assumes
adherence to all relevant speed
limits
• Capture the percentage of the population of the Ward who can access available services using
each transportation option, rounded to the nearest 5%
Interpretation
High scores suggest that each Ward has several transit options to reach PATS offerings. Low scores
suggest that transportation may create a barrier to access of the PATS for people living in these wards.
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Digital Digital Kitchener Public Access Technology Service Standard
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Staff will leverage this data when making decisions about adding or removing PATS technologies from a
given location. Removing technology in an area that already has a high density of PATS offerings may not
affect the proximity scores, but adding technology to an under -served area could significantly increase
the proximity scores and the population served by the PATS program. Decisions to improve trails or
public transit in a Ward could improve proximity scores by increasing the variety of transit options
available to reach a PATS offering.
PATS Principle: Reliable
The goal of this set of measures is to verify that the PATS can be sustained with appropriate operational
supports and a sustainable funding model. As the measures outlined in this Standard identify
opportunities for improvement or expansion, the City of Kitchener must have appropriate mechanisms
in place to continue to offer reliable, accessible and applicable PATS.
Technical Support
The City can use this measure to ensure the technical support is meeting the needs of the community —
including technology uptime, responsiveness to support incidents, and service disruption caused by
maintenance activities.
Criteria
perational hours free Downtime is recorded when the
service is unavailable or
degraded to the point of being
unusable. This service disruption
may be due to unexpected
outages or scheduled
maintenance downtime during
operational hours.
For example, users are unable to
connect to the network or
network performance is too
slow to allow websites to load.
perational hours free Degradation is recorded when
ation the wifi service is degraded but
still usable. This service
disruption may be due to
unexpected outages or
scheduled maintenance
downtime during operational
hours.
For example, users can load text
on websites but cannot stream
video or load large images.
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Digital Digital Kitchener Public Access Technology Service Standard
Kitchener June, 2019
Measurement
Percentage of PAC operational hours free
from downtime
Percentage of PAC operational hours free
from service degradation
For each element identified, score as follows:
Downtime is recorded when the
PAC is unavailable or degraded
to the point of being unusable.
This service disruption may be
due to unexpected outages or
scheduled maintenance
downtime during operational
hours.
For example, PAC will not turn
on or network performance is
too slow to allow websites to
load in the computer's browser.
Degradation is recorded when
the PAC service is degraded by
still usable. This service
disruption may be due to
unexpected outages or
scheduled maintenance
downtime during operational
hours.
For example, users can access
the PAC but software is slow to
respond or internet connection
is slow.
• (Hours of Scheduled Operational Time - Hours of Service Disruption) / Hours of Scheduled
Operational Time = Percentage Uptime
Interpretation
High scores suggest that the PATS offerings have a high level of availability and that maintenance is
minimally disruptive. Low scores suggest that maintenance is not keeping pace with the demands of the
program, leading to downtime and reduced availability of this service. This downtime could reduce the
reliability of this service.
Staff will leverage this data when evaluating the support and maintenance implications of a technology
offering. If a proposed technology does not have an option for remote support or requires frequent
downtime to perform necessary maintenance, it may not be the right fit for this PATS program. If a
technology reduces maintenance and support overhead, it could have a net positive impact on these
scores and overall satisfaction with the service.
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Budget
The City can use this measure to ensure the PATS program has the appropriate funding and staffing to
sustain the program.
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Criteria
Digital Kitchener Public Access Technology Service Standard
June, 2019
Budget is sufficient to meet technology
lifecycle costs for the current year
Budget is sufficient to meet wifi operating
costs for the current year
Actual costs from the previous year are in
line with the amount budgeted for that year
Budget is sufficient to meet technology
lifecycle costs for the current year
Budget is sufficient to meet PAC operating
costs for the current year
Actual costs from the previous year are in
line with the amount budgeted for that year
Measurement
For the elements identified, score as follows:
• Three points if fully met
• Two points if substantially met
• One point if the element is partially met
• Zero points if the element is not met
Interpretation
High scores indicate that there is sufficient budget to sustain the PATS program or to expand the
program to meeting evolving needs, and that actual costs are in line with budget. Low scores suggest
that budget is not keeping pace with the demands of this program, and that the service could be
eroded. Evidence of that erosion may result in lower scores for other program measures identified in
this standard.
Staff will leverage this data when making budget decisions. Adding funding that does not correlate with
a positive impact on existing measures may suggest that the city needs to develop new measures to
quantify that impact. For example, if the budget allows the introduction of tablets or small form -factor
devices, the city should update the Technology Offerings measure to reflect that new service capacity
and quantify its ongoing performance, and the Availability measure to reflect additional technology
reservation capacity. Similarly, if budget scores are decreasing, this should be a signal to evaluate the
impact on other measures to confirm if service levels are decreasing as a result.
Measurement and Review Periods
Regular measurement and review of the elements of this Standard will ensure that it continues to be an
effective tool to evaluate the performance of the PATS. The identified Review Period reflects the
anticipated rate of change of the program elements reflected by a given PATS Principle and the need to
reevaluate the way we are measuring it within this Standard. The outcomes of a given review will be
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described to ensure the rationale for maintaining or changing a given measurement mechanism are
captured and shared transparently.
These individual Review Periods do not preclude the need to review impacts of significant changes to
the PATS and identify new measures to reflect the changes to the service delivered. For example,
significant changes to how funding is allocated to this program may prompt a review of the Budget
measure to ensure the impact is accurately captured and reflected going forward.
Cases
Dfferings
iod of Access
PeriodMeasurement
Review Period
Annual
Every 2 years
The owner of the PATS
Standard should
evaluate the
technology baselines to
confirm that they
continue to provide an
appropriate minimum
standard technology
offering.
Annual
Every 2 years
The owner of the PATS
Standard should
evaluate the criteria
and targets to ensure
they provide a
responsible level of
accessibility for PATS
users. Collaborate with
the Grand River
Accessibility Advisory
Committee (GRAAC) to
perform this review.
Annual
Every 4 years
The owner of the PATS
Standard should review
this list to identify how
use cases have
evolved, especially
within the context of
services and programs
offered by the City of
Kitchener, and adjust
or expand this list
accordingly.
Annual
Every 2 years
The owner of the PATS
Standard should
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Proximity
Technical Support
Budget
Roles & Responsibilities
Annual
Annual
evaluate periods of
access and volume of
reservation requests
served for PATS
offerings to confirm
they continue to meet
demand.
Every 4 years
The owner of the PATS
Standard should
confirm that target
proximity to PATS
offerings continue to
meet the needs of the
community and are in
line with the City's
goals related to
neighbourhood and
transportation.
Every 2 years
The owner of the PATS
Standard should review
these measures to
identify opportunities
to align technical
support expectations
and delivery.
Annual Every 2 years
The owner of the PATS
Standard should review
these measures to
ensure budget planning
is providing support for
the financial
sustainability of the
service.
Director — Technology, Owner of the Public Access
Innovation & Services Technology Service
• Defines the Public Access
Technology Service and
identifies technology and
operational framework
• Secures staffing and
expertise to deliver the
program, including
partnering with other
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Owner of the PATS Budget
Divisions, Departments, and
Organizations as required
• Defines the budget
• Secures funding from
approved sources
• Reports on budget
expenditures
Owner of PATS Policies — i.e. • Reviews policies to remain
computer, Printer, Wifi, and current with related City
Acceptable Use policies, applicable laws, and
I technology landscape
Manager— Digital 1 Owner of the PATS Standard • Defines the Public Access
Transformation & Strategy Technology Service Standard
in consultation with key
stakeholders and subject -
Supervisors at facilities hosting
PATS
Technical Support Service
Provider
Responsible for delivering the
PATS program within the host
facilities
Responsible for delivering
technical support
matter experts
• Ensures measurement &
reporting are completed
accurately and on time as
outlined in the Standard
• Revises measures on a
regular basis as outlined in
the Standard
• Support staff to facilitate
access to the PATS
• Ensure published policies
are posted and enforced
within the host facility —
Wifi Terms of Use, Public
Access computer
Guidelines, and Public
Access Printing and
Photocopying Guidelines
• Maintain technology
support and uptime
consistent with Service
Level Agreement outlined in
this Standard
Users Responsible for adhering to • Adhere to published policies
PATS policies — Wifi Terms of Use, Public
Access computer
Guidelines, and Public
Access Printing and
Photocopying Guidelines —
when accessing the PATS
• Honor Public Access
computer bookings or
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release the booking when it
can't be honored
• Honor time limits for Public
Access computer sessions
• Provide feedback to
continuously improve the
program
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Appendix - Accessible Space Design Checklist
When designing or renovating spaces to host elements of the Public Access Technology Service, two
regulations exist to ensure the space is accessible: the Ontario Building Code and the Accessibility for
Ontarians with Disabilities Act. This checklist sources the key sections of each regulation that are
relevant to creating accessible spaces for delivering the Public Access Technology Service.
Staff can use this checklist as a quick reference when considering a change to a space hosting PATS
offerings, whether it be adding or moving furniture within a space or early consideration of a larger
renovation project. This checklist does not take the place of appropriate design and planning activities,
or permits, inspections and other compliance activities related to building or renovating a space.
Minimum width
Ontario Building
3.8.1.3
Is there at least this
of 1100mm
Code
amount of
unobstructed floor
space around furniture,
equipment, and doors?
If not, people using
wheelchairs, walkers,
or strollers may not be
able to move safely in
this area or may be
blocked.
Minimum width
Ontario Building
3.8.3.3
Is the doorway at least
of 860mm
Code
this wide? If not,
people using
wheelchairs, walkers,
or strollers may not be
able to move safely in
this area or may be
blocked.
Minimum width
Ontario Building
3.8.3.3.(10)
Is this amount of
of 600mm
Code
unobstructed space
available on the latch
side of the doorway? If
not, people using
mobility devices may
not be able to reach
the handle to pull the
door open safely.
Minimum width
Ontario Building
3.8.3.3.(10)
Is this amount of
of 300mm
Code
unobstructed space
available on the latch
side of the doorway? If
not, people using
mobility devices may
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Note: While
municipalities are not
compelled to comply
with the Guidelines for
Barrier -free Design of
Ontario Government
Facilities, the
recommended
dimensions are used to
guide accessible
furniture design in
absence of specific
guidance from other
sources
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not be able to reach
the handle to push the
door open safely.
Height of
Ontario Building 3.8.1.3.(5) and
Is there a low ceiling
1980mm or less
Code (6)(b)
due to a knee wall,
stairway, or similar
design feature in this
area? If so, there must
be a cane -detectable
barrier to prevent
someone from hitting
their head.
Maximum height
Accessibility for 3.9.3
Are the dimensions of
of 860mm
Ontarians with
the tables or desks in
Disabilities Act—
line with these
Clear knee space
Guidelines for
guidelines? If not,
of at least 750mm
Barrier -free
people using mobility
wide, 480mm
Design of Ontario
devices may not be
deep and 680mm
Government
able to sit at the table
high
Facilities
or desk comfortably or
safely.
Note: While
municipalities are not
compelled to comply
with the Guidelines for
Barrier -free Design of
Ontario Government
Facilities, the
recommended
dimensions are used to
guide accessible
furniture design in
absence of specific
guidance from other
sources
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Appendix - Wifi Terms of Use
Source: https://www. kitchener.ca/en/city-services/wi-fi-Internet-access.aspx#TermsOfUse
Key details of our Acceptable Use Policy:
• By connecting to the Internet through our Wi-Fi service, you agree to be bound by all aspects of our
Acceptable Use Policy. The Acceptable Use Policy may be updated or modified at any time and it is
your responsibility to review the policy before using our service.
• The policy provides specific terms and conditions that relate to use of our Wi-Fi service with which
all users must comply.
• The service is provided for personal, incidental use. Our Wi-Fi access is not to be used for any
commercial or business purposes.
• We are under no obligation to help you access or use our Wi-Fi service, and we cannot guarantee
service will be made available to you.
• You acknowledge and accept that some content, products and services available with or through our
Wi-Fi service may be offensive or may not comply with applicable laws. We have implemented web -
content filtering to restrict access to certain categories of content, which could be considered
offensive. You accept and acknowledge that while we have implemented web -content filtering,
offensive and illegal content may still be available through the service. You agree and acknowledge
we have no obligation to monitor your use of the service, and we have no control over such use. You
assume total responsibility and risk for access to and use of online content and for use of the
service. We assume no liability for claims of losses arising out of or otherwise relating to access to or
use of the service.
• You cannot use our Wi-Fi service, or allow anyone to use the service on your mobile device, for any
unacceptable use, such as:
o invading another person's privacy; misrepresenting yourself by posing as someone else;
unlawfully promoting or inciting hatred; unlawfully using, possessing, posting, transmitting
or disseminating obscene, profane, hate, terrorist or child pornographic material;
o posting, transmitting, distributing, disseminating, uploading or downloading content that is
unlawful, threatening, harassing, abusive, libelous, slanderous, defamatory or otherwise
offensive or objectionable; or encouraging conduct that would constitute a criminal offence,
give rise to civil liability, or otherwise violate any municipal, provincial, federal or
international law, order, rule or regulation;
o accessing any computer systems, software, data, or confidential, copyright -protected,
patent -protected material or personal information of any other person without the person's
knowledge and consent; making unauthorized attempts to gain access to any account or
computer resource not belonging you, or otherwise gain unauthorized access to, alter or
destroy information of another person by any means or device;
o uploading, posting, publishing, defacing, modifying, transmitting, reproducing or distributing
information, software or other material that is confidential, protected by copyright or other
intellectual, property or proprietary right, or related derivative works, without obtaining
permission of the copyright owner or right holder;
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o disrupting our network, directly or indirectly; use the service to restrict, inhibit or interfere
with the ability of any other person to use or enjoy use of our products or services or the
Internet, including, without limitation, knowingly posting or transmitting information or
software that contains a virus, lock, key, bomb, worm, Trojan horse or other harmful,
debilitating or disruptive feature;
o sending unsolicited email ("spamming"), large quantities of unwanted or unsolicited email
messages ("mail bombing") or VoIP messages ("voice casting"); attempting to overload a
system ("flooding"); participating in broadcast attacks; interfering with service to or by any
user host or network; engaging in counterfeit, subterfuge or malicious activities; making
inappropriate postings to news groups; sending false commercial messages; or engaging in
any other abuse of email or news group servers;
o violating any system or network security measures, including engaging in unauthorized
access or use of our network, data or information;
o using, intending or attempting to use, or allowing the use of our service in a way that
violates any municipal, provincial, federal or international law, order, rule or regulation;
o using the service in a way that violates the decisions, orders, policies or other requirements
of the Canadian Radio -television and Telecommunication Commission or any other
regulatory body with jurisdiction over the service or the city;
o engaging in any activity which we advise you, in our sole and unfettered discretion, is an
unacceptable use of telecommunications services, or is otherwise deemed an unacceptable
use of our service.
• If you breach the requirements of our Acceptable Use Policy, you agree that we may immediately
and without notice, and in addition to all other rights and remedies at law and in equity, suspend
the supply of any or all of our Wi-Fi service to you. Suspended service may be resumed at our sole
and absolute discretion, once we determine you are no longer breaching any of the requirements of
our policy. If you continue to breach any requirements of our policy, we have sole discretion to
permanently terminate your access to our Wi-Fi service.
• By choosing "I AGREE," or by using our Wi-Fi service, you acknowledge that you have read and
understand our Acceptable Use Policy, and agree to be bound by its terms and conditions. You also
agree that the policy constitutes the complete and exclusive agreement between you and the city,
and this agreement supersedes any proposal or prior agreement, oral or written, and any other
related communications.
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Appendix - Public Access computer Guidelines
The following guidelines apply to all Public Access computer users.
The Public Access computers are provided as a service by the City of Kitchener to enable access to digital
resources like email, social media, websites, and online services. They are not intended for commercial
use.
Using the computers
• computers are available by signing up at the Community Centre Front Desk.
• You are welcome to use the computer for <insert time limit (minimum 30 minutes) identified by
Community Centre Supervisor>.
• Please be kind to your fellow patrons and Community Centre staff, and use the computers fairly.
Acceptable Use
The City of Kitchener has identified guidelines for how public access computers may be used. You may
be denied access to public computers should you violate guidelines for proper usage as outlined by the
city. Using the computers for illegal purposes may result in prosecution.
The following activities are considered violations of these guidelines:
1. Use of the workstations for illegal or criminal purposes.
2. Posting or sending any unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene,
pornographic or similarly inappropriate material. This includes intentionally exposing other
users to such material.
3. Infringement of copyright and other intellectual property rights.
4. Sending unsolicited commercial material or spam.
5. Deactivating or attempting to deactivate, security devices in either software or hardware
format.
6. Attempting to install viruses or other programs designed to damage, alter, monitor, or control
the workstations.
7. Misrepresenting yourself by posing as another person.
8. Attempting to modify or gain access to files, passwords or data belonging to others, or
otherwise violating the privacy of another person.
9. Vandalism or theft of the Public Access computers, related devices, or the facility where they are
hosted.
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Appendix - Public Access Printing and Photocopying Guidelines
The following guidelines apply to all photocopier and printer users.
We have introduced a new multi -function printer at this Community Centre. This printer is provided as a
service by the City of Kitchener to enable access to digital resources like email, social media, websites,
and online services. It is not intended for commercial use.
Note: Community Centre Staff will review this policy in 2019, to allow for feedback regarding the
introduction of the new printer. Please provide any feedback on the new multi -function printer and
these guidelines to Community Centre Staff.
Using the Printer
• Scan -to -email function is available on an unlimited basis. Where possible, patrons should use
the scan -to -email function to limit paper usage.
• Printing and photocopying are free, to a combined limit of 10 pages per patron, per day.
• Additional printing or photocopying is available for 10 cents per page, payable in cash to the
Community Centre Front Desk staff.
• Where possible, patrons should print or photocopy in black & white to limit color toner usage.
• Please be kind to your fellow patrons Community Centre staff, and use this printer fairly.
Acceptable Use
You may be denied access to use the printer should you violate guidelines for proper usage as outlined
by the city. Using the printer for illegal purposes may result in prosecution.
The following activities are considered violations of these guidelines:
1. Use of the printer for illegal or criminal purposes, or for access to unauthorized areas.
2. Printing, scanning, photocopying, or transmitting any unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous,
defamatory, obscene, pornographic or similarly inappropriate material. This includes
intentionally exposing other users to such material.
3. Infringement of copyright and other intellectual property rights.
4. Sending unsolicited commercial material or spam.
5. Deactivating or attempting to deactivate security devices in either software or hardware format.
6. Attempting to install viruses or other programs designed to damage, alter, monitor, or control
the printer.
7. Misrepresenting oneself by posing as another person.
8. Attempting to modify or gain access to files, passwords or data belonging to others, or
otherwise violating the privacy of another person.
9. Vandalism or theft of the printer, related devices, or the facility where they are hosted.
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Staff Report 11� l JR
Corporate Services Department wwwkitchener.ca
REPORT TO: Finance and Corporate Services Committee
DATE OF MEETING: June 17, 2019
SUBMITTED BY: Janette MacDonald, community engagement consultant,
519-741-2200 ext. 7249
PREPARED BY: Janette MacDonald, community engagement consultant,
519-741-2200 ext. 7249
WARD (S) INVOLVED: All
DATE OF REPORT: May 30, 2019
REPORT NO.: COR -19-021
SUBJECT: Municipal response to the Truth & Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT staff be directed to proceed to implement the Truth & Reconciliation Calls to Action
consistent with the approach outlined in report COR -19-021, beginning with the following
two priorities:
THAT Council introduce a territorial acknowledgement at the commencement of Council
to signal a commitment to responding to the Truth & Reconciliation Calls to Action and
to demonstrate respect for the ongoing relationships we are building; and
THAT Council approve the implementation of a training program for staff that will increase
Indigenous competency at an organizational level, resulting in improved customer
service and increased capacity of non -Indigenous staff across the organization to work
respectfully and appropriately on Indigenous initiatives in a municipal context.
BACKGROUND:
The federal Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was established through the Indian
Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, 2007. The agreement affected approximately
86,000 Indigenous People who had been enrolled in a residential school; however, over the
operating period from 1883-1996, over 150,000 Indigenous youth were placed in the schools.
The TRC determined that the government-sponsored religious school system committed cultural
genocide through forced assimilation of Indigenous youth. In his formal apology, former Prime
Minister Stephan Harper stated that "Two primary objectives of the Residential Schools system
were to remove and isolate children from the influence of their homes, families, traditions and
cultures, and to assimilate them into the dominant culture. These objectives were based on the
assumption Aboriginal cultures and spiritual beliefs were inferior and unequal. Indeed, some
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
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sought, as it was infamously said, `to kill the Indian in the child'. Today, we recognize that this
policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused great harm, and has no place in our country."
Further atrocities included starvation, abuse and the proliferation of disease. The TRC
documents 3,200 deaths as officially recorded, but according to chair Justice Murray Sinclair,
there are at least 6,000 deaths and more uncounted after record-keeping was abandoned in
1920. As of 2015, there were almost 32,000 resolved claims of sexual assault with another 6,000
claims in progress. To learn more about the impact of the residential school system, see
Appendix A.
The TRC's mandate included themes such as gathering and sharing the truth, restoring culture
and establishing respectful relationships. Its final report includes 94 calls to action to
government, churches, the corporate sector, national art galleries and more. Four items call on
municipal government to respond, and nine items call on all levels of government to respond
(See Appendix B).
While the TRC's official mandate was to address the residential school system, in its final report
it concluded that "reconciliation must support Aboriginal people as they heal from the destructive
legacies of colonization that have wreaked such havoc in their lives".
As a result, in the 2018 business plan, Kitchener City Council adopted item OG24 Municipal
Response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action (Strategic Item) as follows:
This project will result in a potential municipal response for Council consideration
to the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Final Report, including its Calls
to Action, and identify and make recommendations for other ways the City can
support Indigenous peoples in Kitchener. Deliverables will include a staff report
detailing the full scope of work and a report with recommendations on our
approach to key issues defined through the initial project scope.
REPORT:
Part A: Scope of work
While the work of the TRC outlines a path toward reconciliation in the form of a potential
framework for examining municipal -Indigenous relations in Kitchener, the Calls to Action
delivered by the Truth and Reconciliation Committee (see Appendix B) are not intended to be
a `checklist' approach; this dishonours the true nature of reconciliation. The Calls to Action
should be viewed a starting point in a larger exercise of establishing trusting and respectful
relations with Indigenous Peoples, as identified by both the TRC and the Royal Commission on
Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP). For more on RCAP, see Appendix C.
Therefore, the scope of work for this business plan item is not delineated by functional areas,
calls to actions or other easily identifiable or discrete tasks. Rather, it is defined by a corporate
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commitment to respectfully recognize and work with Indigenous Peoples based on the RCAP
and TRC principles, and to begin to prioritize and integrate Indigenous initiatives into our work.
Reconciliation is not a set of things to do; it is about doing things differently.
Part B: Recommendations
Recommendations on how to move forward are influenced by both internal and external factors,
as well as demographic impact.
Through community consultation the following themes emerged:
■ The City has a distinct responsibility to engage in a way that recognizes the status of
Indigenous Peoples as nations within Canada and that we are all Treaty People;
■ This work is distinct from other inclusion work with respect to the relationship of
Indigenous Peoples to the land, given the City's role as stewards of the land;
■ Indigenous Peoples experience different degrees of enculturation as many were stripped
of language and culture through policies of assimilation. This differentiates support for
Indigenous community development from other inclusion (e.g., newcomers might require
translation services, Indigenous languages are at risk of extinction);
■ There are Indigenous organizations and representatives who desire a positive,
collaborative working relationship with City staff and Council.
Through internal consultation the following themes emerged:
■ Some staff are already attempting to pursue Indigenous initiatives, but the majority are
constrained by a lack of knowledge, skills and confidence to move forward.
■ Expectations of the corporation to respond to emerging and continuing Indigenous issues
are increasing.
■ Immediate project opportunities exist in the context of corporate priorities (e.g.,
sustainability) and staff desire meaningful Indigenous engagement to advance this work.
According to Census data:
■ In 2016, there were approximately 8,900 people (1.7 %) who identified as Indigenous,
and 15,200 (2.9 %) who indicated Indigenous ancestry. By ethnic origin, this is the 14th
largest group in Waterloo Region.
■ This is an increase of 98% over 2006 Census data, and represents an average growth of
750 people per year.
■ Nationally, the Indigenous population grew by 42.5 per cent in the same period,
comprising 6.2 per cent of the population of Canada.
■ According to Statistics Canada, this high growth rate was partially the result of natural
growth, including both longer life expectancies, as well as high fertility rates. Another
contributing factor was the increase of people who self -identified as Aboriginal on the
2016 Census.
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■ According to the former Ministry of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, the Indigenous
population is expected to continue to be the fastest growing segment of the Canadian
population, with more than half living in urban areas.
Recommendation 1: Adopt a territorial acknowledgement
The work of reconciliation must take into account a plurality of Indigenous Peoples, needs,
priorities and cultural practices — not all Indigenous People are alike. However, given a profound
common connection to the land, it serves to unify culturally -distinct groups. According to the
Assembly of First Nations, "She is the basis of who we are as `real human beings' that include
our languages, our cultures, our knowledge and wisdom to know how to conduct ourselves in a
good way."
To demonstrate recognition for the vital role of the land in reconciliation, it is recommended
that Council proceed with the introduction of a territorial acknowledgement at the
Commencement of Council. While there is a need to establish a corporate protocol and training
for giving acknowledgements, the introduction of a territorial acknowledgement outside of this
process signals a commitment to this work and respect for the relationships we are building.
It is common practice to periodically review and update acknowledgements so this first
acknowledgement represents a starting point in a corporate practice which should welcome
continued feedback and review. It is also appropriate to develop context -specific
acknowledgements to deliver on special occasions or events. Staff can work with Council to
prepare meaningful acknowledgements, recognizing the importance of choosing words
authentic to both the speaker and audience.
Staff developed the following acknowledgement based on feedback gathered to date, and with
input from Indigenous Peoples, to be introduced at the commencement of Council:
I (we) would like to begin by acknowledging the land on which we gather today,
recognizing that the city of Kitchener is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the
traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee Peoples. I
(we) would also like to acknowledge the enduring knowledge, presence and
deep-rooted traditions of the First Nations, Metis and Inuit who continue to enrich
our community to this day.
Taking time to understand the history of the land and the people connected to it is important in
delivering meaningful acknowledgements. The proposed acknowledgement represents three
distinct groups with historical connections to this area. The original caretakers of the land were
called the Neutral by the French, to reflect their peaceful relations with proximate nations. The
Huron referred to the Neutral as the Attawandaron, meaning people who speak a little different.
It is not known how the Neutral referred to themselves as they died due to famine, disease and
war, with the last being absorbed by the Haudenosaunee. There is evidence that some Neutrals
referred to themselves as the Chonnonton meaning "people who tend deer".
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The Anishinaabeg (meaning "human beings") are culturally -related peoples who speak the
Algonquin family of languages. This includes the Mississaugas (meaning "many river mouths"),
one of the Objibwe nations who lived in parts of southern Ontario, and ceded territory to the
British on present-day Kitchener.
A portion of the ceded territory of the Missisaugas known as the Haldimand Tract was promised
to the Haudenosaunee (meaning "they made the house") Confederacy to thank them for their
loyalty during the American Revolution. The Confederacy is one of the oldest participatory
democracies in the world. It originally consisted of the Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, Mohawk,
and Seneca, and became known as the Six Nations when joined by the Tuscarora.
The closest reserve to Kitchener is the Six Nations of the Grand River, the largest reserve in
North America. The Six Nations also welcomed the Mississaugas of Port Credit to their reserve
by granting them 4,800 acres as compensation to the Mississaugas for their authorization for
the purchase of the land that became the Haldimand Tract.
The population of Waterloo Region today includes approximately 11,600 people of First Nations
ancestry, but also another 3,500 who identify as Metis and 400 who identify as Inuit. The
proposed acknowledgement aims to recognize both the history of the lands and its Peoples, as
well as the diversity of Indigenous Peoples living in Kitchener today.
Recommendation 2: Implement training for staff
To establish respectful working relationships with Indigenous Peoples, training should be
implemented in accordance with Call to Action 57.
We call upon federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments to provide
education to public servants on the history of Aboriginal peoples, including the
history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the
Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and
Aboriginal—Crown relations. This will require skills -based training in intercultural
competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti -racism.
The benefits of training include improved customer service and increased capacity of non -
Indigenous staff across the organization to develop respectful relationships with Indigenous
Peoples. Further consideration can be given to partnering with regional municipalities to deliver
training given common needs and a desire to understand a history that precedes municipal
boundaries.
Within the City of Kitchener, there are Indigenous intersections in the domains of arts and culture,
events, sport, leisure, open space, land development, heritage, environmental sustainability,
economic development, and more. The corporation and community are grappling with everyday
issues such as: permission to light a fire for a sunrise ceremony, access to safe space for
ceremonies, appropriate consultation on Indigenous history, access to public space for healing
symbols, access to funding and services for community development including placemaking,
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environmental stewardship and ecology, and support for events such as Pow Wows. While it will
take significant work and resources to develop a more comprehensive approach to addressing
these issues on an ongoing basis, a staff education and training program is an excellent first
step to equipping staff with the tools and knowledge they need to address these requests as
they arise.
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
The recommendation of this report supports the achievement of the city's strategic vision through
the delivery of core service.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
It is recommended that a consultant with expertise in the area of Indigenous competency training
be retained to develop and implement a staff training program. Based on comparable work, staff
estimate the cost to implement training for City of Kitchener staff at approximately $150,000
which could be funded out of the learning and development reserve fund. Before proceeding,
staff will investigate the opportunity to develop and share the cost of a training program for staff
with other local municipalities.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
A response to the Truth & Reconciliation Report (OG24) was approved as an addition to the
Business Plan on December 11, 2017. Early on, it became clear that the conventional
expectations and timelines on community consultation and engagement are difficult, if not
impossible to apply to working and engaging with Indigenous communities.
First, there are established, trusting relationships the City enjoys with community partners and
residents that did not (and do not) yet exist with Indigenous communities. It is important for staff
to first begin to develop relationships and build trust through meaningful conversations before
traditional consultation could take place. Further, there is an existing formal consultation protocol
with respect to development -related work with Six Nations and the Mississaugas. This is
important to retain to respect the governance structures of these nations, but there is a need to
direct additional attention toward engaging Indigenous communities living in Kitchener to ensure
that local interests are represented as well.
Finally, there are distinct communities within Indigenous communities, and each of these
requires the same time, attention and detail to build respectful relationships — and each of them
proceed at their own pace, determined by the Indigenous community itself. It is important to note
that the City of Kitchener is one of many organizations seeking the time and attention of these
communities for the same purpose — there can be a natural cynicism from some groups about
the motivation for our engagement, and whether or not we intend to take meaningful action as a
result of our engagement.
Given the lack of City of Kitchener staff knowledge and limited resources among Indigenous
organizations, engagement had to build slowly and in some cases is still in the very early stages
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of development. However, over the course of the past 18 months, staff was able to develop
relationships and build trust with a number of communities, enabling consultation with
Indigenous representatives of local organizations and post -secondary schools; attend Pow
Wows, public talks, and events; attended planning meetings for National Indigenous Peoples
Day and consulted with staff from other municipalities, and staff within the City of Kitchener.
CONCLUSION:
The complex and ongoing impact of colonization presents a variety of opportunities and
expectations that the City of Kitchener can address. The work of the TRC provided a framework
to facilitate conversations about the scope of a municipal response, but the desire to establish
meaningful relationships has emerged as the more substantive mechanism to sustain this work.
While the breadth of reconciliation extends to other levels of government, institutions and
organizations, there is a role for everyone. The City of Kitchener does not directly administer
most of the systems targeted by the TRC, such as the courts, child welfare or health services.
Yet when we practice community development we offer programs that promote healing,
belonging, inclusion and social well-being — which in turns creates improved community
outcomes in these other systems of government.
The interrelatedness of this work extends into all aspects related to the land including pressing
concerns for the environment. The land not only unites disparate Indigenous nations, but it unites
all people living upon it. Climate change provides an impetus to come together, to learn from the
original caretakers of the land and ensure that their relationship to the land can be honoured.
Therefore, the framework for scoping out reconciliation is driven by our mandate as a
corporation, but with an understanding, respect and intention to deliver community benefits that
transcend our work.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Victoria Raab, General Manager, Corporate Services
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Appendix A: Resources
Truth and Reconciliation resources
Residential schools
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TeW4hWlQDO
Senator Murray Sinclair: What is Reconciliation?
https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=swo9fIbACho
Chanie Wenjack Heritage Minute
https://youtu.be/v tcCpKtoUO
Apology on behalf of the Government of Canada
https://www.aadnc-aandc.qc.ca/eng/l 100100015644/1100100015649
Phyllis' story (Orange Shirt Day)
http://www.orangeshirtday.org/phyllis-story.html
Truth and Reconciliation Commission Reports
http://nctr.ca/reports.php
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action
http://trc.ca/assets/pdf/Calls to Action English2.pdf
International resources
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/DRIPS en.pdf
Other government resources
Province of Ontario's Urban Indigenous Action Plan
https://www.ontario.ca/page/urban-indigenous-action-plan
Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples
https://www.aadnc-aandc.qc.ca/eng/l 100100014597/1100100014637
Land acknowledgement resources
Know the Land Territories Campaign
http://www.Ispirg.org/knowtheland/
Other resources
National Indigenous Peoples Day
https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.qc.ca/eng/l 100100013248/1534872397533
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Appendix B: Truth & Reconciliation Calls to Action
If interpreted narrowly, the work of the TRC provides a limited opportunity to frame municipal
reconciliation. The TRC does provide a broad recommendation that "reconciliation must support
Aboriginal people as they heal from the destructive legacies of colonization". To honour this
direction, staff reviewed all calls to action to examine the intent of the work, and researched the
response of other municipalities. This is an ongoing body of work that requires staff to continue
to examine these items as we move forward to identify new opportunities that align with our
corporate mandate.
Calls to action directed to municipal governments (4 items)
Of the four calls to action directed at municipalities, only one is directly applicable to Kitchener
It calls for training for public servants on Indigenous history, rights, and intercultural competency.
Another direct call to action for municipalities relates to Crown -Indigenous relations, which is
outside our jurisdiction. As well, there is a call to release corporate records on residential
schools, but no records exist in Kitchener.
The final call to action directed at municipalities is to adopt the United Nations Declaration on
the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). UNDRIP includes many articles outside municipal
mandates including, for example, direction that no military activities take place on Indigenous
lands, but does include some articles that acknowledge human rights and support cultural and
community development.
Canada has officially adopted UNDRIP, but at this time no other province or municipality has
done so; only British Columbia has tabled it for consideration. Therefore there is no clear
precedent for the application of UNDRIP in a municipal context; however in its Commitment to
Reconciliation, the Province of Ontario has committed to "work in partnership with Canada and
Indigenous partners as the federal government moves forward on its national plan to implement
UNDRIP, and will take a strong, supportive and active role in considering policy options to
address UNDRIP."
At this time, staff is not recommending the adoption of UNDRIP, as there is not a clear
understanding of the long-term municipal implications, and because many of the articles are
outside our municipal mandate. Staff does see an opportunity to honour the spirit of UNDRIP by
working with federal, provincial and Indigenous partners on a national plan to implement
UNDRIP and incorporate the principles into city policy as appropriate.
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Items addressed specifically to municipal governments:
Status
43. We call upon federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments
Only partially
to fully adopt and implement the United Nations Declaration on the
applicable:
Rights of Indigenous Peoples as the framework for reconciliation.
support those
matters within our
jurisdiction without
adopting and
implementing
UNDRIP as the
framework.
47. We call upon federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments
Not applicable:
to repudiate concepts used to justify European sovereignty over
outside our
Indigenous peoples and lands, such as the Doctrine of Discovery and terra
jurisdiction in
nullius, and to reform those laws, government policies, and litigation
domain of Crown -
strategies that continue to rely on such concepts.
Indigenous
relations.
57. We call upon federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments
Included in
to provide education to public servants on the history of Aboriginal
recommendations
peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United
Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and
Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal—Crown relations. This will
require skills based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution,
human rights, and anti -racism.
77. We call upon provincial, territorial, municipal, and community archives to
Not applicable: no
work collaboratively with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation to
corporate records
identify and collect copies of all records relevant to the history and
exist.
legacy of the residential school system, and to provide these to the National
Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.
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Calls to action directed to all levels of government (9 items)
There are nine additional calls to action that are addressed to all levels of government. Most of
these are out of scope for Kitchener (e.g., there are no residential school cemeteries in
Kitchener). Two items (87 and 88) call for recognition and support for the development of
Indigenous athletes. Given Kitchener's mandate to support sport, Kitchener can support
Indigenous sports like lacrosse and increase opportunities for recognition through installations
such as the Aud Parade of History.
Items addressed to all levels of government
Status
3. We call upon all levels of government to fully implement Jordan's
Not applicable:
Principle.
applies to
jurisdictional
disputes over
costs
17. We call upon all levels of government to enable residential school
Not applicable
Survivors and their families to reclaim names changed by the residential
school system by waiving administrative costs for a period of five years for
the name -change process and the revision of official identity documents,
such as birth certificates, passports, driver's licenses, health cards, status
cards, and social insurance numbers.
23. We call upon all levels of government to:
Not applicable:
I. Increase the number of Aboriginal professionals working in the health care
related to health
field.
care; workplace
II. Ensure the retention of Aboriginal health-care providers in Aboriginal
diversity is in
communities.
scope for the
III. Provide cultural competency training for all health-care professionals.
Mayor's Task
Force on
Diversity, Equity
and Inclusion
40. We call on all levels of government, in collaboration with Aboriginal
Not applicable
people, to create adequately funded and accessible Aboriginal -specific
victim programs and services with appropriate evaluation mechanisms.
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55. We call upon all levels of government to provide annual reports or any
Not applicable as
current data requested by the National Council for Reconciliation so
data relates to
that it can report on the progress towards reconciliation.
the criminal
system, health,
child services;
but any data the
City has would
be provided upon
request
64. We call upon all levels of government that provide public funds to
Not applicable
denominational schools to require such schools to provide an education on
comparative religious studies, which must include a segment on
Aboriginal spiritual beliefs and practices developed in collaboration with
Aboriginal Elders.
75. We call upon the federal government to work with provincial, territorial,
Not applicable,
and municipal governments, churches, Aboriginal communities, former
no residential
residential school students, and current landowners to develop and
schools in
implement strategies and procedures for the ongoing identification,
Waterloo Region
documentation, maintenance, commemoration, and protection of residential
school cemeteries or other sites at which residential school children were
buried. This is to include the provision of appropriate memorial ceremonies
and commemorative markers to honour the deceased children.
87. We call upon all levels of government, in collaboration with Aboriginal
Honour through
peoples, sports halls of fame, and other relevant organizations, to provide
work in sport
public education that tells the national story of Aboriginal athletes in
history.
88. We call upon all levels of government to take action to ensure long-term
Honour through
Aboriginal athlete development and growth, and continued support for
work in sport
the North American Indigenous Games, including funding to host the games
and for provincial and territorial team preparation and travel.
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Calls to action directed to other organizations (7 items)
There are another seven calls to action that indirectly present reconciliation opportunities for
Kitchener. While the specific action requested is out of scope for our municipal mandate, we
can apply this lens to our work to honour the spirit of the call to action.
For example, Call to Action 83 calls on the Canada Council for the Arts to fund a strategy for
artists to produce works to contribute to reconciliation. Given Kitchener's mandate to program
two galleries and an artist -in -residence program, it is possible to consider opportunities to
support this kind of work and ensure representation of Indigenous content within existing
programs.
Therefore the following calls to action can be honoured through the delivery of core services,
but are not fully within the mandate of the corporation to affect, particularly from a policy
perspective.
Items that Kitchener can honour based on intent
14. We call upon the federal government to enact an Aboriginal Languages
Honour through
Act that incorporates the following principles:
work in culture
i. Aboriginal languages are a fundamental and valued element of
Canadian culture and society, and there is an urgency to preserve them.
79. We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with Survivors,
Honour through
Aboriginal organizations, and the arts community, to develop a reconciliation
work in heritage
framework for Canadian heritage and commemoration. This would include,
but not be limited to:
ii. Revising the policies, criteria, and practices of the National Program of
Historical Commemoration to integrate Indigenous history, heritage
values, and memory practices into Canada's national heritage and history.
80. We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with Aboriginal
Honour any
peoples, to establish, as a statutory holiday, a National Day for Truth and
future holidays
Reconciliation to honour Survivors, their families, and communities, and
and continue to
ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of
recognize
residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.
National
Indigenous
People's Day
and Orange Shirt
Day
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83. We call upon the Canada Council for the Arts to establish, as a funding
Honour through
priority, a strategy for Indigenous and non -Indigenous artists to undertake
work in culture
collaborative projects and produce works that contribute to the reconciliation
process.
89. We call upon the federal government to amend the Physical Activity and
Honour through
Sport Act to support reconciliation by ensuring that policies to promote
work in sport
physical activity as a fundamental element of health and well-being,
reduce barriers to sports participation, increase the pursuit of excellence in
sport, and build capacity in the Canadian sport system, are inclusive of
Aboriginal peoples.
90. We call upon the federal government to ensure that national sports
Honour through
policies, programs, and initiatives are inclusive of Aboriginal peoples,
work in sport
including, but not limited to, establishing:
i. In collaboration with provincial and territorial governments, stable funding
for, and access to, community sports programs that reflect the diverse
cultures and traditional sporting activities of Aboriginal peoples.
ii. An elite athlete development program for Aboriginal athletes.
iii. Programs for coaches, trainers, and sports officials that are culturally
relevant for Aboriginal peoples.
iv. Anti -racism awareness and training programs.
91. We call upon the officials and host countries of international sporting
Honour through
events such as the Olympics, Pan Am, and Commonwealth games to ensure
work in sport
that Indigenous peoples' territorial protocols are respected, and local
Indigenous communities are engaged in all aspects of planning and
participating in such events.
92. We call upon the corporate sector in Canada to adopt the United Nations
Honour through
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a reconciliation
work in economic
framework and to apply its principles, norms, and standards to corporate
development
policy and core operational activities involving Indigenous peoples and their
lands and resources. This would include, but not be limited to, the following:
i. Commit to meaningful consultation, building respectful relationships, and
obtaining the free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous peoples before
proceeding with economic development projects.
ii Ensure that Aboriginal peoples have equitable access to jobs, training, and
education opportunities in the corporate sector, and that Aboriginal
communities gain long-term sustainable benefit from economic
development projects.
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Appendix C: Background on the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP)
The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) concluded that there is a need for a
complete restructuring of the relationship between Indigenous and non -Indigenous people in
Canada. The RCAP proposed four principles to form the basis of a renewed relationship with
Indigenous Peoples:
1. Recognition: The principle of mutual recognition calls on non -Aboriginal Canadians to
recognize that Aboriginal people are the original inhabitants and caretakers of this land
and have distinctive rights and responsibilities flowing from that status. It calls on
Aboriginal people to accept that non -Aboriginal people are also of this land now, by
birth and by adoption, with strong ties of love and loyalty. It requires both sides to
acknowledge and relate to one another as partners, respecting each other's laws and
institutions and co-operating for mutual benefit.
2. Respect: The principle of respect calls on all Canadians to create a climate of positive
mutual regard between and among peoples. Respect provides a bulwark against
attempts by one partner to dominate or rule over another. Respect for the unique rights
and status of First Peoples, and for each Aboriginal person as an individual with a
valuable culture and heritage, needs to become part of Canada's national character.
3. Sharing: The principle of sharing calls for the giving and receiving of benefits in fair
measure. It is the basis on which Canada was founded, for if Aboriginal peoples had
been unwilling to share what they had and what they knew about the land, many of the
newcomers would not have lived to prosper. The principle of sharing is central to the
treaties and central to the possibility of real equality among the peoples of Canada in the
future.
4. Responsibility: Responsibility is the hallmark of a mature relationship. Partners in such
a relationship must be accountable for the promises they have made, accountable for
behaving honourably, and accountable for the impact of their actions on the well-being
of the other. Because we do and always will share the land, the best interests of
Aboriginal and non -Aboriginal people will be served if we act with the highest standards
of responsibility, honesty and good faith toward one another.
The TRC reaffirms the work of RCAP through the following statements:
"...reconciliation involves a conversation not only about residential schools, but also about
all other aspects of the relationship between Aboriginal and non -Aboriginal peoples. As
Commissioners, we believe that reconciliation is about respect. That includes both self-
respect for Aboriginal people and mutual respect among all Canadians."
"For governments, building a respectful relationship involves dismantling a centuries-old
political and bureaucratic culture in which, all too often, policies and programs are still
based on failed notions of assimilation."
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"All Canadians have a critical role to play in advancing reconciliation in ways that honour
and revitalize the nation -to -nation Treaty relationship."
"Together, Canadians must do more than just talk about reconciliation; we must learn how to
practise reconciliation in our everyday lives—within ourselves and our families, and in our
communities, governments, places of worship, schools, and workplaces. To do so
constructively, Canadians must remain committed to the ongoing work of establishing and
maintaining respectful relationships."
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