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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCAO-19-010 - City of Kitchener 2019-2022 Strategic PlanREPORT TO:Financeand Corporate ServicesCommittee 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:May30,2019 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 Ato report CAO 19-010be approved. BACKGROUND: Process guided the City since then. The The strategic p strategicgoals 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. *** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. *** Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance. 1 - 1 Previous Engagement InAugust2018, the Compass Kitchener advisorycommittee 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 consultwith over 150 staff to obtain their input andestablished a 25 member corporate-wide strategic plan staffteam to support them in draftinggoals 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 th On January 29,2019 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 Figure 1: Distribution of Responses by Ward Staff completed the work requested by Council in March 2019. To validate that the proposed Strategic Plan goals and actions aligned with communityexpectations,an additional on-line Engage Kitchener survey thth was conducted from April 9to April 30, 2019. Appendix B contains the detailed Engage Kitchener online survey results. The surveypage 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 with81responses across the three wards. A key finding of the community, staff and Council engagement is the high degree of alignment on what the City should be addressing. 1 - 2 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 LeadershipEconomyTransportationCommunityService The themes directly relate to the community priorities proposed by Compass Kitchener andthe community can see themselves broadly reflected in these five areas. For each of thefive themes, agoal statement and fiveimplementingactionswere 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 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 As indicated in Figure 2 the level of support for the proposed goals and actions was very positive, validating that they reflect community priorities andinterests. Many thoughtful comments werealsoprovided, 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 outreachto 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. 1 - 3 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 populationare 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 opportunitieson staff developmentand 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 notedthatthemes that have emerged in Kitchener alsoalign with discussions Cambridge staff are having regarding customer service and creating new feedback loops, diversity and inclusion, active tr- 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 ona leadership role inthe development of the Arts and Culture Plan that they identified asbeing a missing pieceacross Waterloo Region. REEP Green Solutionsidentified 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 accessingCommunity EcoEfficiency Acceleration Fundto 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 Partnershipencouragesthe City of Kitchener to leverage the capacity of and engage with the Immigration Partnership as a resource and partner The Partnership provided thoughtful comments on implementing the strategic plan, including the following points: Overall Specifically includeimmigrants 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, 1 - 4 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. stth Staff attended citizen advisory committee meetings held between April 1to April 30to 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 Committeesexpressed particular support for the bikeshare and cycling actions. The Environment Advisory Committeenoted the interrelationship of the actions in supporting all of the themesand encouraged the city to advance the sustainability agenda. The Downtown Advisory Committeereinforced 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 preparethe 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 1 - 5 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 so that thevision tobuild an innovative, caring and vibrant Kitcheneris 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 pointsfor the introduction, message from council, sustainable development goals and accountability message from the Corporate Leadership team in the recommended strategic plan weredrafted 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 inthe recommended strategic plan: uild a vibrant city by making strategic investments to support job creation, economic prosperity, thriving arts and culture, and great places to live. Launch and implement a Corporate Climate Action Plan to achieve an absolute greenhouse gas emissions reduction of at least 8% by 2026. Complete a new Urban Design Manual by 2019 that expresses city building and design expectations to ensure vibrant new development throughout Kitchener 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. : Create an Affordable Housing Strategy for Kitchener by 2020 in collaboration with the Region of Waterloo, community groups and the development industry. following action, so that it reads: Provide on-demand support for customer service requests in many languages by 2020. Simplified the following customer servicEnhance 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. 1 - 6 Recommended Strategic Plan Appendix Acomprises the recommended 2019-2022Strategic Plan, includingthemes, goals and actionsand 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 UnitedNationsSustainable Development Goals, and commitment to deliveron the recommended strategic actions. The 5recommended strategic plan goalsare: 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: providing welcoming community spaces and programs, better engaging, serving and supporting our diverse populations and helping to makehousing affordable. 5.Great Customer Service: with the City by providing friendly, easy and convenient services. The twenty-five strategic actions recommendedto be implemented over the term of Council are: 2019202020212022 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.B. 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 Planand achievement of the strategic actions. The concluding section of the Strategic Plan outlines this commitment,including integratingpreparation of annual business plans and budgets,workingwith Compass Kitchener to publicly report out on progress to implement the Strategic Planand working in partnership with stakeholders to be innovative and use technology to implement the strategic plan. 1 - 7 Design Overview The 2019-2022Strategic Plan hasa four-year lifespan. From an internal perspective, it To the community, it is a commitment on how specific, measurable actions that will contribute to a more innovative, caring and vibrant committeewill 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 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: 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 financialandhuman resources to deliver enhanced service levels. Where possible, staff will explore alternate funding sources or reallocate existing orities, but it is expected some of the priorities identified in the report will require investments of tax supported or user rate supported funding. th On April 25Council approved a prioritizedlist ofcommunity facilities to be expanded or constructed over the 2019-2022 Strategic Plan time period. Provinciallyproposed 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 Centrein 2021 as their funding is secured at this time. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: INFORM advance of the council / committee meeting. 1 - 8 CONSULT Over 1,250citizens 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 inJune 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, fivegoals and 25 actions were developedfor final public review through an online Engage Kitchener Survey inApril 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 todeliver transformative projects through a wide variety of partnerships. Implementation of the strategic actionswill 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 1 - 9 Appendix A: Recommended 2019-2022 Strategic Plan -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) 1 - 10 City of Kitchener Vision and Mission It was created through extensive consultation with the people who live, work, play and lead in our city. an innovative, caring and vibrant Kitchener. Our mission is: Proudly providing valued services for our community. Our promise to the community is community, a vibrant economy and a stronger and more resilient environment. (Text only at this time Design to follow after Council approval) 1 - 11 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 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. 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, important to you. And 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 contin 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. (Text only at this time Design to follow after Council approval) 1 - 12 (Design for this page to follow after Council approval) 1 - 13 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. (Text only at this time Design to follow after Council approval) 1 - 14 -friendly transportation means everyone having a safe, comfortable and connected way to move through our city. (Text only at this time Design to follow after Council approval) 1 - 15 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. People-friendly Transportation Improve connectivity and year-round maintenance Transform how people move through the city by to multi-use trails and pathways as prioritized making the transportation network safe, through the Cycling and Trails Master Plan with an comfortable and connected. 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. (Text only at this time Design to follow after Council approval) 1 - 16 challenges of a changing climate head-on, and protecting our natural resources and areas for future generations. (Text only at this time Design to follow after Council approval) 1 - 17 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 Environmental Leadership in our operations Achieve a healthy and livable community by proactively mitigating and adapting to climate Develop a Community Climate Action Plan with change and by conserving natural resources. 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. (Text only at this time Design to follow after Council approval) 1 - 18 that will make Kitchener an ideal destination to start, move or grow businesses in a variety of industries. (Text only at this time Design to follow after Council approval) 1 - 19 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- Vibrant Economy 2021 for the food, manufacturing and health/med-tech industries. Build a vibrant city by making strategic investments to support job creation, economic Develop the Make it Kitchener 2.0 Strategy by 2020 prosperity, thriving arts and culture, and great with a focus on transformative actions to ensure the places to live. 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. (Text only at this time Design to follow after Council approval) 1 - 20 everyone feels included, and that no one is left behind. (Text only at this time Design to follow after Council approval) 1 - 21 Create a comprehensive Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy by 2020 to combat systemic barriers to full economic and social participation in the city. Caring Community Create an Affordable Housing Strategy for Kitchener by 2020 in collaboration with the Region of Waterloo, connection by providing welcoming community groups and the development industry. community spaces and programs, better engaging, serving and supporting our Reduce the stigma experienced by those living with diverse populations and helping to make mental illness and addiction in our community by housing affordable. 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. (Text only at this time Design to follow after Council approval) 1 - 22 in with people who use our services to evolve to changing needs and ensure we are getting it right. (Text only at this time Design to follow after Council approval) 1 - 23 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 Great Customer Service requests in many languages by 2020. Enhance the online experience for customers by engagement with the City by providing friendly, delivering customized information, providing easy easy and convenient services. 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 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) 1 - 24 Accountability 2019 2020 2021 2022 Corporate Climate Action Complete Streets Guidelines Bikeshare program Civic District Master Plan Plan Tree Canopy Target New Waste Diversion Programs at Protected cycling network Leverage Energy city facilities and events connecting adjacent Efficiency Reserve Fund Community Climate Action Plan neighborhoods to downtown Arts and Culture Plan Urban Design Manual Make it Kitchener 2.0 Strategy Pedestrian-first street plans to Huron Brigadoon Community connect Victoria Park and City 44 Gaukel Street buildout City-owned property review and Center Hall and connect ION to new parcel of land to market in Kitchener Market downtown Open Space Strategy Elimination of 2018 Tree Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Enhanced Online Customer Planting Backlog Strategy Experience Set service levels for Affordable Housing Strategy Minimum 3 km of additional year-frequently requested services round access to existing trails On-demand support for service requests in many languages Bramm Yards Master Plan Corporate-wide Customer Implement Customer Experience Satisfaction Program Review Program (Text only at this time Design to follow after Council approval) 1 - 25 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. ew 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 live. 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. o regularly report on our progress. (Text only at this time Design to follow after Council approval) 1 - 26 Appendix B: Analysis of Survey Results 2019-2022 STRATEGIC PLAN DRAFT GOALS AND ACTIONS ANALYSIS OF ONLINE ENGAGEMENT RESPONSES 1 - 27 Summary Analysis Introduction -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 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. A very 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. 1 - 28 Figure 1: 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: 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 1 - 30 People-Friendly Transportation People-Friendly Transportation 128 respondents 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. 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. 1 - 31 Environmental Leadership 128 respondents 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. 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 1 - 32 Vibrant Economy 105 respondents 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. 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. 1 - 33 Caring Community 107 respondents 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. 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. 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. 1 - 34 Great Customer Service 75 respondents 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. 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! Agree I think it reflects the demand for safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists. 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? I.e. 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 1 - 36 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 St). I feel that the continues protected cycling network is more important, and should be prioritised over 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 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 Ithink 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. 1 - 37 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. Agree Fantastic Agree Great. Agree Good. Agree Pedestrian first streets should be everywhere. Agree 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, Agree 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! Agree good plan Agree I am an active cyclist and I'm very excited about the plan Agree They're great. Agree It's great, and ambitious...didn't see this one coming, it's exciting. Agree Looking forward to seeing the changes Agree I think it's a very necessary initiative and will fit nicely with your goals of more inclusion. Agree I like these goals Agree Good start Agree Very very pleased! Agree I am very happy to see that cycling is at the top of the list. I would use downtown WAY more often if I Agree 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 Agree Well done but keep going. Agree Transportation hub needs to be a priority. o good to be true ... but it sounds wonderful. Agree Agree 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 Agree supportive cycling infrastructure changes. 1 - 38 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, 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. 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 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. 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 Agree 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 Agree 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 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. 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 Agree 5. Keep private cars out of the downtown by shifting traffic around the area and the parking on the Agree circumstances. 1 - 40 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 k to the market and the different stores on my Saturday downtown trip. Right now the parking is a by law 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 1 - 41 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 Agree cycle for exercise and transportation. Disagree 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. Agree Disagree I think that bike lanes are a good idea but I do not believe in building a separate infrastructure right off Agree the bat. for 1 we do not know if it is necessary and 2 we have many other core services that have been Disagree 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! 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 Neutral would benefit my children. I do question the value in focusing on bike transportation given we have Winter. Will not affect me at all. Neutral Lets work on getting LRT up & running & paid for before I can answer such a question. Neutral How will this decrease travel times? Will this ease traffic congestion if we eliminate multi use (AKA road Neutral lane)? 1 - 42 As described, these are vague ideas. What specifically are you going to do? Neutral Appears to be a lot of emphasis on walking and bicycling, while the vast majority of people still use cars Neutral for transportation. Many streets in the city require extensive repairs. If I lived in the downtown area, I might be excited. Neutral Get rid of transportation that isn't doing it's job - moving people! Your LRT hasn't been up for over 2+ yrs Comments 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 Comments 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. Comments 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 Comments important Allow those who wish to drive to have access to the roads Comments Pedestrian streets only work if the community has a way to get there. Get the trains running. Comments 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. 1 - 43 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 with knees that do not permit cycling. We just need to use streets for airplanes to share it also Disagree 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. Environmental Leadership 1 - 44 Category Comments Received for Environmental Leadership Again, I am very pleased with the leadership that the City is displaying. Federally and provincially we are Agree 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. Agree Anything that helps mother earth keeps us healthy. Reducing waste ,carbon emissions. Agree Excellent! One of my goals in retirement was to reduce my carbon footprint, so I sold my car & Agree downsized to a 1one-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 Agree your leadership. Sounds great. Agree Great! Agree Exciting times ahead of us and I'm glad we're moving towards more sustainability. Agree Good idea Agree Happy to see these in the plan. Agree The goals are great, are they really achievable Agree They are excellent, I would support much more aggressive sustainability policies. Agree It is a timely and vital initiative. Agree Good idea Agree This very important. Agree GREAT PLAN!!! Agree I think newer/increased diversion programs are wonderful and a great way to keep waste out of the landfill Very good concepts. Agree Sounds amazing Agree It is a good start. Agree Number 2 & 3 I'm most interested in. I would love more details on the waste diversion program. Agree This needs to be high priority Agree love it. Agree They're great. Agree As an active citizen, I think it is very important to focus on our environment. Agree good ideas Agree engage the public in these actions All good ideas. I would also identify informing and educating the citizens as a critical components in the Agree 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 1 - 45 Category 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 Agree 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. Agree 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 Agree 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 1 - 46 Category Comments Received for Environmental Leadership 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 Agree improve waste management. Many commercial and residential buildings don't compost or recycle. Why? EVERYONE should recycle and compost. Agree for plans that provide further climate action? 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. Agree I like the corporate climate action plan idea - I would be interested in seeing tactics on how the 8% Agree 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. 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. 1 - 47 Category Comments Received for Environmental Leadership 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. I 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. I 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. I 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. I 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 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! 1 - 48 Category Comments Received for Environmental Leadership Fair--happy to see the sustainabble forest strategy in there. Kitchener needs more clean, safe green Agree space Okay Agree We need more trees so hopefully they will deliver on this. Agree 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 Agree 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 on deck on this one, so we need to find a way to involve the 200,000+ people in our community, 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 Agree 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. 1 - 49 Category Comments Received for Environmental Leadership 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 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. Agree Let's really reduce the salt used in winter and get a truly proactive enforcement team. 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 City who could help in this area. A backlog should not be acceptable. 1 - 50 Category Comments Received for Environmental Leadership 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 Ithink 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 Agree 8% is insufficient. We need deeper reductions Agree 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. Agree 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. Agree 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. 1 - 51 Category Comments Received for Environmental Leadership 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 years is pitiful. Agree Kitchener's contributions as a corporation to greenhouse gas emissions are minuscule in scale and Agree 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 Agree and protect property values. Other environmental initiatives are basically greenwashing in my opinion. Disagree 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 Agree talking about climate change because it's a big lie pushed by the extreme left and has no basis in reality. Disagree 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 I can't tell how ambitious these goals are. Neutral It seems to be a broad plan to focus on several areas in need. Neutral 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. I am all for doing anything but the information is too vague to be able to say whether or not they will Neutral work. Ambitious Neutral Not really sure what these actions involve, so I'm not prepared to voice an opinion. 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. 1 - 52 Category Comments Received for Environmental Leadership 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. 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. Vibrant Economy 1 - 53 Category Comments Received for Vibrant Economy Great! Agree So happy to see that arts development is at the forefront. Agree 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 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 1 - 54 Category Comments Received for Vibrant Economy 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? I.e. Stanley Park, Belmont Ave (with Catalyst 137) for example. Great Agree Since I'm retired, I am not sure I am the best person to voice an opinion about economic Agree 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. 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. 1 - 55 Category Comments Received for Vibrant Economy 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 5. 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. 1 - 56 Category Comments Received for Vibrant Economy 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 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. 1 - 57 Category Comments Received for Vibrant Economy 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... 1 - 58 Category Comments Received for Vibrant Economy 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. 1 - 59 Category Comments Received for Vibrant Economy 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. 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? Comment Where do we address the issue of affordability? Comment Comment - 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 1 - 60 Category Comments Received for Vibrant Economy 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 1 - 61 Category Comments Received for Vibrant Economy 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. Caring Community 1 - 62 Category Comments Received for Caring Community 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, Agree 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. Agree 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. 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 1 - 63 Category 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 Agree 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 Agree to home in Pioneer Park/Doon South area. Good idea 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 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. 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. Agree Very happy to see this is being taken into account. Agree Love this goal. Agree I support the above strategies. Agree This seems good. I hope that there will be an effort to ensure people living in denser areas Agree (e.g., downtown) have good access to parks and recreation, as they're less likely to have access to private green space. Good ideas Agree Good. We have to be willing to make personal sacrifices for the well being of those in need Agree Reducing stigma and educating staff is critical to having an inclusive community. An Agree 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 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 1 - 64 Category Comments Received for Caring Community Nice to see affordability addressed here. Where is our Age-friendly commitment? Inclusion Agree 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 Agree 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 Agree priority for our entire society. I feel this is great, affordable housing is a necessity. Also as an art and cultural worker, it is Agree 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. 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 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. I 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. Agree This one is also great, because I really care about reducing the stigma surrounding 'mental Agree illness'. These are important goals to over coming the challenges our community faces in terms of Agree social equity. Transportation is an important component as well. I like it. Agree Great to realize the social pathology that exists in our community Agree 1 - 65 Category Comments Received for Caring Community 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. Agree Overdue Agree This is great. I hope it can be followed through to benefit our community residents. Agree 1. Is needed and can be achieved. 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 1 - 66 Category Comments Received for Caring Community 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 Agree 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. Agree 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 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 year. I have seen a rise of overt racism in my community in the past two years, and it is very troubling (for the Agree 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. 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 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. 1 - 67 Category Comments Received for Caring Community 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 daylight. #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 1 - 68 Category Comments Received for Caring Community 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 todays 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?!! Neutral 1 - 69 Category Comments Received for Caring Community 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? Comment Let's see a concrete commitment that I can actually evaluate. Maybe useful to consider encouraging involvement programs like group projects and activities. Comment Oh talk, talk, talk! Adnosium! When will simple action start and provide ease/relief to our more Comment 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 20k! 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? WELL!!! 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 Disagree adapt. Let people move up on their own; equal opportunity is great as long as the outcome is accepted by all. 1 - 70 Category Comments Received for Caring Community 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. Iam 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 Great Customer Service 1 - 71 Category Comments Received for Great Customer Service 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 1 - 72 Category Comments Received for Great Customer Service 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 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 1 - 73 Category Comments Received for Great Customer Service I am a citizen and resident of Kitchener. I do not appreciate being referred to as a customer. Agree 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. document for shareholders not citizens. 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 Analyzing the feedback and engaging those concerned to create improve and develop for the public Agree interest. 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 Neutral 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. 1 - 74 Category Comments Received for Great Customer Service 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! at 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 Category Comments Received for Great Customer Service 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. 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 1 - 76 Appendix C: Additional Directly Contacted Stakeholders Stakeholders Working Centre Citizen Advisory Committees Independent Living Centre Neighbourhood Associations Food Bank of Waterloo Region REEP oneROOF Sustainable WR Food for Kids Waterloo Wellington Climate Action WR KW Community Foundation Grand River Environment Network KW Multicultural Centre Friends of Hidden Valley Social Development Centre Waterloo Region Friends of Greenbelt Waterloo Region Immigration Partnership GRCA Waterloo Region District School Board Community Energy Investment Strategy (/Grand House of Friendship River Energy) Ray of Hope YMCA Immigrant and Employment Services BIAs YWCA Chamber of Commerce Non-profit housing Accelerator Centre St John's Kitchen Communitech United Way Waterloo Region Communities Leadership Waterloo Region LHIN Festival/Event organizers - KOI Music Festival Kitchener Homebuilders Liaison Festival/Event organizers - Oktoberfest Developers Real estate board (Kitchener-Waterloo Builders Association of Realtors) Planning consultants Waterloo Manufacturing Innovative Network Engineering consultants "Green" industry tech companies Waterloo Region Home Builders Association Waterloo Region Police Services (WRPS) Waterloo Region Kitchener Public Library (KPL) Waterloo City KW Community Foundation Cambridge Waterloo University Wilmot Wilfrid Laurier University Woolwich Conestoga College Wellesley Grand River Hospital North Dumfries WR Economic Development Corporation Employee Advisory Committee 1 - 77