HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Agenda - 2020-08-31 SCHRISTINE TARLING
� ,4_ Director of Legislated Services & City Clerk
Corporate Services Department
Kitchener City Hall, 2114 Floor
200 King Street West, P.O. Box 1118
M Kitchener, ON N2G 4G7
Phone: 519-741-2200 x 7809 Fax: 519-741-2705
Christine. tarling@kitchener. ca
Due to COVID-19 and recommendations by Waterloo Region Public Health to
exercise physical distancing, City Hall is closed to the public. Members of public
are invited to participate in this meeting electronically by accessing the meeting
live -stream video at kitchener.ca/watchnow.
While in-person delegation requests are not feasible at this time, members of the
public are invited to submit written comments or participate electronically in the
meeting by registering on-line at www.kitchener.ca/delegations. Delegates must
register by 8:00 a.m. on August 31, 2020 in order to participate electronically.
Written comments can be sent to ieff.bunn(a-)kitchener.ca and will be circulated
prior to the meeting and will form part of the public record.
August 28, 2020
Mayor B. Vrbanovic and Members of Council
Re: Special Council Meeting — Monday, August 31, 2020
Notice is hereby given that Mayor B. Vrbanovic has called a special meeting of City Council
to be held electronically / in the Council Chamber on Monday, August 31, 2020 at 9:00 a.m.
to consider the following:
Delegations
Pursuant to Council's Procedural By-law, delegations are permitted to address the
Council for a maximum of five (5) minutes.
• Item 11 — Regan Sunshine Brusse
• Item 11 — Lori Trumper
Planning and Strategic Initiatives Committee Report — August 10, 2020
Attached is Planning and Strategic Initiatives Committee Report dated August 10, 2020,
as deferred from the August 24, 2020 City Council meeting.
2. FIN -20-057 — Towing Services
Attached is Financial Services Department report FIN -20-057 — Towing Services (R.
Scott), dated July 28, 2020, as deferred from the August 24, 2020 City Council meeting.
Accessible formats and communication supports are available upon request. If you
require assistance to take part in a city meeting or event, please call 519-741-2345 or
TTY 1-866-969-9994.
CHRISTINE TARLING
� ,4_ Director of Legislated Services & City Clerk
Corporate Services Department
Kitchener City Hall, 2114 Floor
200 King Street West, P.O. Box 1118
M Kitchener, ON N2G 4G7
Phone: 519-741-2200 x 7809 Fax: 519-741-2705
Christine. tarling@kitchener. ca
3. FIN -20-058 — T20-123 Water Heaters: Preventative Maintenance Inspections
and De -Liming Services
Attached is Financial Services Department report FIN -20-058 — T20-123 Water Heaters:
Preventative Maintenance Inspections and De -Liming Services (R. Scott), dated August
12, 2020, as deferred from the August 24, 2020 City Council meeting.
4. COR -20-007 — Execution of Documentation with Municipalities within
Waterloo Region
Attached is Corporate Services Department report COR -20-007 — Execution of
Documentation with Municipalities within Waterloo Region (L. MacDonald), dated August
18, 2020, as deferred from the August 24, 2020 City Council meeting.
5. COR -20-008 — Regional Council Composition Review and Consultation
Process
Attached is Corporate Services Department report COR -20-008 — Regional Council
Composition Review and Consultation (C. Tarling), dated August 19, 2020, as deferred
from the August 24, 2020 City Council meeting.
6. CSD -20-005 — Williamsburg Community Centre Lease Renewal
Attached is Community Services Department report CSD -20-005 — Williamsburg
Community Centre Lease Renewal (M. Hildebrand), dated July 24, 2020, as deferred from
the August 24, 2020 City Council meeting.
7. FIN -20-051 — Sole Source — FP020-071 Mobile Time Entry Solution
Attached is Financial Services Department report FIN -20-051 — Sole Source — FP020-
071 Mobile Time Entry Solution (R. Scott), dated July 13, 2020, as deferred from the
August 24, 2020 City Council meeting.
8. FIN -20-053 — Applications for Cancellation, Refund, Reduction of Taxes —
August 24th Hearing
Attached is Financial Services Department report FIN -20-053 — Applications for
Cancellation, Refund, Reduction of Taxes —August 24th Hearing (S. Saleh), dated August
13, 2020, as deferred from the August 24, 2020 City Council meeting.
Accessible formats and communication supports are available upon request. If you
require assistance to take part in a city meeting or event, please call 519-741-2345 or
TTY 1-866-969-9994.
CHRISTINE TARLING
� ,4_ Director of Legislated Services & City Clerk
Corporate Services Department
Kitchener City Hall, 2114 Floor
200 King Street West, P.O. Box 1118
M Kitchener, ON N2G 4G7
Phone: 519-741-2200 x 7809 Fax: 519-741-2705
Christine. tarling@kitchener. ca
9. Notice of Motion — Tree Significance Identification Program
Councillor M. Johnston has given notice that she will introduce the following motion for
consideration this date:
WHEREAS the City of Kitchener acknowledges trees as important assets shared
with our residents and communities; and
WHEREAS the City recognizes the special role trees play in creating and fostering
a sense of place for our residents as well as their role as landmarks for past events
and stories, which make them special and valued by their communities; and
WHEREAS the City finds it important to celebrate the important stories of our
communities and to create a resource to be used by staff to assist in managing
and stewarding the urban forest canopy for future generations.
NOW THEREFORE the Council of the City of Kitchener directs staff to implement
a web -based platform for residents to identify public trees as significant and
document their importance to the community by sharing those stories on the City's
website; and,
THAT any trees identified by residents as significant will be recognized by City
Parks and Cemeteries and Forestry staff, as well as other staff involved in tree
management prior to any work; and further,
THAT as part of such considerations, staff will make best efforts to provide
appropriate notice and communication with residents and the community prior to
any significant work or removal; and further,
BE /T FINALLY RESOLVED that this resolution be forwarded to municipalities
within the Region of Waterloo; the Association of Municipalities of Ontario; and the
Local Members of Provincial Parliament.
10. In -camera Meeting Authorization
Council is asked to enact the following resolution to authorize an in -camera meeting:
"That an in -camera meeting of City Council be held immediately following this
special council meeting to consider one land acquisition/disposition matter, as
authorized by Section 238(2) (c) of the Municipal Act, 2001, respectively.
Recess and Re -convene
The meeting will then recess and reconvene immediately following the Finance and
Corporate Services Committee meeting at approximately 3:00 p.m.
Accessible formats and communication supports are available upon request. If you
require assistance to take part in a city meeting or event, please call 519-741-2345 or
TTY 1-866-969-9994.
CHRISTINE TARLING
� ,4_ Director of Legislated Services & City Clerk
Corporate Services Department
Kitchener City Hall, 2114 Floor
200 King Street West, P.O. Box 1118
M Kitchener, ON N2G 4G7
Phone: 519-741-2200 x 7809 Fax: 519-741-2705
Christine. tarling@kitchener. ca
11. DSD -20-108 — Affordable Housing Strategy — Phase 4
Attached is Development Services Department report DSD -20-108 — Affordable Housing
Strategy — Phase 4 (K. Cooper), dated August 31, 2020.
12. By-law for Three Readings
a. By-law to amend Chapter 101 of the Municipal Code with respect to the
appointment of staff.
b. By-law to amend the Uniform Traffic by-law #2019-113 to regulate traffic and
parking on highways.
c. By-law to adopt Amendment No. 9 to the Official Plan.
d. To confirm all actions and proceedings of the Council.
Yours truly,
X_____�
lai
C. Tarling
Director of Legislated Services & City Clerk
c: Corporate Leadership Team
J. Bunn
D. Saunderson
S. Goldrup
Records
Accessible formats and communication supports are available upon request. If you
require assistance to take part in a city meeting or event, please call 519-741-2345 or
TTY 1-866-969-9994.
CITY OF KITCHENER
COUNCIL
IN -CAMERA AGENDA
DATE: MONDAY, AUGUST 31, 2020
TIME: IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING (10:30 A.M.)
LOCATION: ELECTRONICALLY/ CAUCUS ROOM
Note: Any member of Council may question the appropriateness of a listed in -camera
item. This may be done during the special Council meeting or at the beginning of the in -
camera session.
ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION
Potential Sites for Affordable Housing (Land Acquisition/Disposition — Section 238(2)
Staff will provide information and seek direction with respect to this item. (60 min)
C. TARLING
CITY CLERK
REPORTS TO BE CONSIDERED BY COUNCIL
AUGUST 31, 2020
PLANNING & STRATEGIC INITIATIVES COMMITTEE — AUGUST 10, 2020
CITY OF KITCHENER
That Zoning By-law Amendment Application ZBA20/002/E/KA (83 Elmsdale Drive) for Aria
Towns Inc., for the purpose of removing Holding Provision 71H from a portion of the lands
specified in the attached Map No. 1, in the form shown in the "Proposed By-law" dated June 30th,
2020, attached to the Development Services Department report DSD -20-065 as Appendix A, be
approved; and further,
That in accordance with Planning Act Section 45 (1.3 & 1.4) that applications for minor variances
shall be permitted for lands subject to Zoning By-law Amendment Application ZBA20/002/E/KA.
2. That Zoning By-law Amendment Application ZBA20/001/D/GS for The Trustees of the Pilgrim
Evangelical Lutheran Church & Trustees for the Pilgrim Evangelical Lutheran Church requesting
a change from Neighbourhood Institutional Zone (1-1) and Residential Seven (R-7) to Residential
Seven (R-7) with Special Regulation 755R and Special Use Provision 480U on the parcels of
land specified and illustrated on Map No. 1, be approved in the form shown in the "Proposed By-
law" dated July 8, 2020, attached to Development Services Department report DSD -20-069 as
Appendix "A"; and further,
That in accordance with Planning Act Section 45 (1.3 & 1.4) applications for minor variance shall
be permitted for lands subject to Zoning By-law Amendment Application ZBA20/001/D/GS.
3. That the City of Kitchener, pursuant to Section 51(31) of the Planning Act R.S.O. 1990, c.P.13,
as amended, and By-law 2002-164 of the City of Kitchener, as amended, hereby grants draft
approval to condominium Application 30CDM-19205 for 625 Blair Creek Drive in the City of
Kitchener, subject to the conditions shown in Development Services Department report DSD -
20 -079, Appendix "A".
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Staff Repod i
iv it"i iF.`r.R
Financial Services Department wwm.kitchener.ca
REPORT TO: Committee of the Whole
DATE OF MEETING: 2020-08-24
SUBMITTED BY: Ryan Scott, Manager of Procurement, 519-741-2200 ext. 7214
PREPARED BY: Jenny Ung, Associate Procurement Specialist, 519-741-2200 ext. 7216
WARD (S) INVOLVED: N/A
DATE OF REPORT: 2020-07-28
REPORT NO.: FIN -20-057
SUBJECT: T20-135 Towing Services
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City of Kitchener's portion of Co-operative Tender T20-135 Towing Services, be
awarded to Becker Bros. Towing, Kitchener, Ontario, at their tendered price of
$195,310.00, plus H.S.T. of $25,390.30, for a total of $220,700.30, for a one (1) year term,
with an option to renew for two (2) additional twelve (12) month terms.
BACKGROUND:
This is a co-operative tender issued by the City of Kitchener (Lead Agency) on behalf of the
Grand River Cooperative Procurement Group (GRCPG). Participating agencies include: City of
Waterloo.
This contract is to provide towing and related services, as requested, by both the fleet and bylaw
enforcement divisions. The bylaw enforcement initiates tag and tow services during snow events
and towing of vehicles that are illegally parked. When a vehicle is towed to an impound lot, the
cost is paid by the owner of the vehicle. The fleet division initiates towing of City owned
equipment to and from the Kitchener Operations Facility when repairs are required and for
transporting City owned equipment to various job sites. When relocation tows are required, the
City bears the cost. This includes the floating of heavy equipment, which requires specialized
trucks which limit the number of vendors able to provide this service.
The contract is based on fixed unit prices for a representative sampling of towing services used
over the last year.
The average annual spend over the past three (3) years was $142,737.80. The actual spend will
depend on the level of activity throughout the term of the contract.
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
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REPORT:
As per clause 170.7.3 of the Purchasing By-law 2017-106, it states, "Regardless of Procurement
Value, the Manager of Procurement shall submit a report to Council recommending award of a
purchase greater than $100,000 if any one or more of the following conditions apply:
d. only one Bid was received in response to a Solicitation".
Tenders were advertised publicly on the City of Kitchener website. Documents were downloaded
by one (1) interested party and by the closing date of Monday July 27, 2020, one (1) tender had
been received.
The following tenders were received:
Bid Price
Becker Bros. Trucking Inc. Kitchener ON $220,700.30 *
The unit pricing by service requirement for towing services has increased 32% from the 2017
contract.
Under the City's requirements, the contractor is to hold 8 to 10 vehicles on standby at all times
to meet service demand which limits the number of towing companies capable of providing the
service. This is to respond effectively to City requirement during snow events.
In the previous 2017 contract for towing services, one submission was received for this bid
opportunity.
The tender was reviewed by M. Born, Manager of Fleet, who concurs with the above
recommendation.
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
The recommendation of this report supports the achievement of the city's strategic vision through
the delivery of core service.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
Funding will be provided from the Fleet operating account.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
INFORM — This report has been posted to the City's website with the agenda in advance of the
council / committee meeting.
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PREVIOUS CONSIDERATION OF THIS MATTER:
Not applicable
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Jonathan Lautenbach, Chief Financial Officer, Financial Services
Department
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I
Staff Repod i
iv it"i iF.`r.R
Financial Services Department www1itchener.ca
REPORT TO: Committee of the Whole
DATE OF MEETING: 2020-08-24
SUBMITTED BY: Ryan Scott, Manager of Procurement, 519-741-2200 ext. 7214
PREPARED BY: Adam Buchholtz, Associate Procurement Specialist, 519-741-2200 ext.
7217
WARD (S) INVOLVED: N/A
DATE OF REPORT: 2020-08-12
REPORT NO.: FIN -20-058
SUBJECT: T20-123 Water Heaters: Preventative Maintenance Inspections and De -
Liming Services
RECOMMENDATION:
That Tender T20-123 Water Heaters: Preventative Maintenance Inspections and De -
Liming Services, be awarded to 4 Seasons Heating and Cooling Ltd., Waterloo, Ontario,
at their tendered price of $473,100.00, plus H.S.T. of $61,503.00, for a total of $534,603.00
per year, for a two (2) year term, with an option to renew for two (2) additional twelve (12)
month terms.
BACKGROUND:
The water hardness in Kitchener is in excess of 25 grams per gallon. The hardness of the water
contributes to reduced life of rental water heater assets. The inspection and removal of lime
increases safety and extends the life of water heaters up to an additional three (3) years.
Inspection and de -liming of the water heater is intended to meet regulatory obligations of the
Technical Standards and Safety Authority. Preventative maintenance is based on the age of the
water heater and will determine if the water heater also requires de -liming.
This tender is based on fixed unit prices for two (2) years for preventative maintenance and de -
liming of residential water heaters. Under the previous contract, the City was not able to provide
the level of service expected and this service had been underspent year over year. This contract
is functioning as a catchup and the amount of planned work will increase significantly from prior
years in order to inspect and maintain a higher percentage of rental water heaters. The quantity
planned through this tender process will start the practice of inspecting each asset once at
roughly the mid -point of it's ten-year life.
This increase in service will initially create a budget deficit, however it will be funded in full from
increased budgeted rental revenue. The incremental revenue budget is based on current
existing deployed rental units at current approved rates.
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 520-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
3-1
With a more regimented inspection schedule, staff expect long-term savings from both
replacement costs by extending the life of the assets, as well as reduced risk of catastrophic
failure of the tanks reducing claims for damage against the City.
The average annual spend over the past three (3) years was $75,368. The actual spend will
depend on the level of activity throughout the term of the contract.
REPORT:
Tenders were advertised publicly on the City of Kitchener website. Documents were downloaded
by five (5) interested parties and by the closing date of Wednesday July 15, 2020, three (3)
tenders had been received.
The following tenders were received:
Bid Price
4 Seasons Heating and Cooling Ltd. Waterloo ON $534,603.00
Triple 8 Plumbing & Heating Inc. Kitchener ON $679,695.00
CJs Express Plumbing and Electrical Ltd. Cambridge ON $1,118,700.00
The price for preventative maintenance inspections and de -liming services has increased 18.8%
from the 2019 contract.
The tender was reviewed by J. Thomson, Manager of Business Development and Customer
Experience and D. Oswald, Supervisor Customer Service Utilities, who concur with the above
recommendation.
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
The recommendation of this report supports the achievement of the city's strategic vision through
the delivery of core service.
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FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
The net cost for this request for tender (A), is fair and reasonable for a project of this scope and
the upset limit exceeds the budget allowance (B) provided within the budget. The estimated
deficit (D) will be funded through a conservative increase in budgeted revenues.
Financial Summary for Request for Tender T20-123
Water Heaters: Preventative Maintenance Inspections & De -Liming Services
Estimated Surplus/(Deficit) (B - C) (153,100.00) D
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
INFORM — This report has been posted to the City's website with the agenda in advance of the
council / committee meeting.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Jonathan Lautenbach, Chief Financial Officer, Financial Services
Department
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Tota I
Estimated Cost
Request for Tender T20-123 costs, including HST
534,603.00
less: HST rebate on tender
(61,503.00)
Net Cost Being Awarded
473,100.00 A
Estimated Cost
473,100.00 C
Funding Available
Contracted Services
320,000.00
Total budget
320,000.00 B
Estimated Surplus/(Deficit) (B - C) (153,100.00) D
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
INFORM — This report has been posted to the City's website with the agenda in advance of the
council / committee meeting.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Jonathan Lautenbach, Chief Financial Officer, Financial Services
Department
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Staff Report 11� l JR
Corporate ServicesDepartment wwwkitchener.ca
REPORT TO: Committee of the Whole
DATE OF MEETING: August 24, 2020
SUBMITTED BY: Lesley MacDonald, Director Legal Services & City Solicitor
519-741- 2200 ext. 7267
PREPARED BY: Lesley MacDonald, Director Legal Services & City Solicitor
519-741- 2200 ext. 7267
WARD (S) INVOLVED: All
DATE OF REPORT: August 18, 2020
REPORT NO.: COR -20-007
SUBJECT: Execution of Documentation with Municipalities within Waterloo
Region
RECOMMENDATION:
"That the CAO, Deputy CAO or Department Head be authorized to execute routine
applications, permits, agreements and other such documentation with Municipalities
within Waterloo Region to facilitate the day to day business of the City of Kitchener,
provided however if such documentation requires a financial commitment in excess of
$50,000 or in excess of that which may have been authorized in the budget, then Council
approval of such expenditure is required before said documentation is executed; said
documentation to be to the satisfaction of the City Solicitor."
BACKGROUND:
City staff deal with Municipalities within Waterloo Region as part of the day to day operation of
the City for which routine applications, permits, agreements and other such documentation need
to be executed, in particular when dealing with municipally owned lands or infrastructure that are
situate near, or straddle, the municipal boundaries. Currently the City is seeking to have
executed an Agreement to provide for the City of Waterloo to continue the ongoing maintenance
of the City -owned lands known as the Kaufman Flats, which lands are situate in the City of
Waterloo and were bequeathed to the City of Kitchener by the late Jean Kaufman for recreational
purposes. This Agreement and the maintenance provided for therein is routine in nature and
facilitates day to day business of the City.
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
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REPORT:
Delegated authority to the CAO, Deputy CAO or the Department Heads (currently known as
General Managers but in the event those titles change using a generic reference) would facilitate
the completion of City business in a timely manner. More and more of the documentation is
requiring execution by authorized signing representatives and in some cases, proof of such
authority is required. This resolution would clearly establish the authorized signing
representatives for documentation required for the day to day business between the City and
other Municipalities within Waterloo Region. Council has already delegated authority to the CAO,
Deputy CAO or Department Heads for documentation executed under similar circumstances for
dealings with The Regional Municipality of Waterloo and the Federal and Provincial
Governments.
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
The recommendation outlined in this report supports the achievement of the City's strategic
vision through the delivery of core service.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
This may vary depending on the nature of the business but it could include application or permit
fees which would be paid for out of the operating budget of the division involved. If the
documentation requires the City's financial commitment in excess of $50,000 or in excess of a
financial commitment authorized in the budget, then Council's approval of such expenditure will
be sought before the documentation is executed.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
INFORM — This report has been posted to the City's website with the agenda in advance of the
Council meeting.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Victoria Raab, General Manager, Corporate Services
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Staff Re art �r J R
Corporate Services Department www.kitchenerca
REPORT TO: Committee of the Whole
DATE OF MEETING: August 24, 2020
SUBMITTED BY: Christine Tarling, Director of Legislated Services/City Clerk, 519-741-
2200, ext. 7809
PREPARED BY: Jeff Bunn, Manager of Council/Committee Services & Deputy Clerk,
519-741-2200, ext. 7278
WARD (S) INVOLVED: All
DATE OF REPORT: August 19, 2020
REPORT NO.: COR -20-008
SUBJECT: REGIONAL COUNCIL COMPOSITION REVIEW AND CONSULTATION
PROCESS
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT Option 1 — Status Quo as set out in the Region of Waterloo Report: PDL -CAS -20-05
as it pertains to the Composition of Regional Council for the upcoming 2022 municipal
election, be endorsed; and further,
THAT staff be directed to submit this Report and the adopted Resolution to the Regional
Clerk for Region's review and consideration.
BACKGROUND:
Correspondence dated June 25th, 2020 (Appendix `1'), was received from the Region of
Waterloo (the Region) concerning a Study and Staff Report (Regional Report PDL -CAS -202-05
—Appendix `2') that was undertaken to consider Regional Council Composition — Review Options
and Consultation Process. Both the Correspondence and the Report were circulated to the area
municipalities seeking input on the options related to the composition of Regional Council, and
then subsequently circulated to Kitchener City Council and the Corporate Leadership Team
(CLT) on June 29, 2020.
This report has been brought forward to the Committee of the Whole this date in order to provide
Council and the public with sufficient notice of the public meeting being conducted by the Region
on September 30, 2020. Prior to that date, Regional staff will report to Regional Council on
September 15, 2020 detailing the preferred option and will include any input provided by the
lower -tier municipalities.
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
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REPORT:
Context and Overview
The Region, being an upper tier municipality, is required under the Municipal Act to conduct a
Council Composition Review before the end of 2020. The Region is required to pass a resolution
to maintain the status quo or pass a by-law to change the size of Regional Council by the end
of 2020. This by-law or resolution must be endorsed by a triple majority, being:
a majority of the votes on Regional Council;
supportive resolutions from a majority of the Councils of the area municipalities; and
the area municipalities that have passed resolutions consenting to the by-law, or the
resolution, must represent a majority of the electors in the Region.
If the triple majority is not obtained, the Municipal Act allows the Minister of Municipal Affairs &
Housing to change the composition of Regional Council through the adoption of a regulation.
Provincial legislation requires that the composition of Regional Council be reviewed again
following the 2026 election.
To commence the composition review process, the Region hired a consultant to work with
Regional staff to develop options for inclusion in the public consultation process. Arising from
this, the Region developed four (4) options that have been circulated to the area municipalities
for input. A public survey was also launched for a six (6) week period on the Engage Waterloo
Region platform that opened on June 25, 2020.
Following a review of the feedback received through the initial round of the engagement process,
the Region intends to recommend an option to the Committee on September 15, 2020. Following
that, a public input meeting of the Administration and Finance Committee will be held to hear
delegations on September 30, 2020.
Regional Council will need to declare its intention to confirm the current composition or to
approve a by-law adopting a change to the composition of Council at its meeting scheduled for
October 14, 2020. The position undertaken by Regional Council will then be circulated to the
Area Municipal Councils to obtain the triple majority with the final confirmation of the resolution,
or by-law to be considered on November 25, 2020.
Kitchener Council Representation
The City of Kitchener is represented on Regional Council by its Mayor and 4 Kitchener
Councillors. As such, Kitchener is represented by 5 members on Regional Council.
It is also important to note that on January 1, 2018, section 268 of the Municipal Act entitled
"Temporary replacement, member of upper -tier council" came into effect. This provision allows
the option for the Council of a lower tier to appoint an alternate for the term of Council, should
the Mayor for any reason be unable to attend Regional Council meetings. This provision provides
added flexibility for lower tier municipalities to ensure continuous representation at Regional
Council to secure and safeguard the interests of the lower tier municipality at the upper tier due
the unforeseen absence of the Head of Council.
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OPTIONS AND ANALYSIS
The Region in their Report PDL -CAS -20-05 has recommended four (4) options for consideration
relating to the future composition of Regional Council using the following guiding principles:
1) Representation by population;
2) Balance of Rural and Urban Communities;
3) Current and Future Population Trends; and,
4) Effective Representation.
The four options being proposed as part of the consultation process by the Region are identified
and explained on pages 4-7 of the Region's Report. The four options are:
1. Status Quo;
2. One Regional Councillor per 25,000 Residents in an Area Municipality (Based on Largest
Township Population);
3. Target of 30,000 residents per Regional Councillor for all of Regional Council (Based on
Previous Representation); and,
4. Combined Urban and Rural Representatives.
Alternative Options Not Advanced in the Region's Report for Consideration
Not included as an option by the Region is reducing the size of Regional Council. All options
provided by the Region propose either keeping the number of elected Councillors the same or
proposing an increase. The Region highlights the following reasons for why reducing the size of
Regional Council was not included as one of the options:
• Waterloo Region already has the smallest Regional Council compared to the other
Regions and has the same or fewer Councillors than similar sized single -tier
municipalities such as Ottawa (23) or Hamilton (15);
• On average, each Regional Councillor represents a population of 39,904 which falls within
the range of the other Regions;
• Reducing the size of Council would reduce the directly elected urban Councillors which
is not in line with the principle of representation by population; and,
• Should Regional Council be reduced then the Region would need to look at introducing
a complex system of weighted voting for Regional Council to reflect some resemblance
to representation by population.
Staff, in consultation and in collaboration with the other area municipalities, identified potential
other models or options for the potential composition of Regional Council that were not included
as options by the Region as part of this consultation process. Included with this report is a
collated table that includes all the Region and County Composition models (Appendix `3') that
currently exist across Ontario. The common models used in other upper tier municipalities
across Ontario include:
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Alternative Option 1: Directly/Indirectly Elected to Sit on Upper Tier
Council, or a Combination of Both
Description
Directly Elected Regional Council — Would be comprised of members who
that sit on both the lower -tier and Regional Councils. By virtue of being elected
ran for the office of regional councillor in their municipality and serve only on
to the lower -tier, the candidate would also serve on Regional Council. For
regional Council. This model is already in place for the three cities within the
example, the Mayor of the City of Kitchener is double direct elected by serving
Region but would represent a change for the Townships. The Regional Chair
as both the Mayor to the City and as a Regional Councillor. In some regions
is currently directly elected across all the lower tiers.
(i.e., Halton Region), both the Mayor and some members of local Council are
Indirectly Elected Regional Council — Those elected to a lower tier
double direct elected to Regional Council in addition to the local municipality.
municipality would select amongst themselves who would sit on Regional
. One election for lower tier and upper tier council.
Council. Not currently in place in the Region of Waterloo.
Pros
. Simple model that reduces confusion for public; and,
times between which interests are being articulated by the Councillor.
• Selection of the Chair allows the Chair to have the confidence and support
There will be times when an item requires a "big picture" regional
of either the public by having been directly elected or the majority of
perspective which could be at odds with the desires of the area
councillors by being indirectly elected.
Cons
. Could be viewed by public as being "over governed" meaning there could
be too many Councillors;
• Disagreements over which is better, or preferred by the community
• Chair has a great deal of informal influence; and,
• Diversity of the Region would also give a decided advantage to someone
from one of the larger cities.
Alternative Option 2: Double Direct Elected Representation
Description
Double Direct Elected Representation — Candidates would run for offices
that sit on both the lower -tier and Regional Councils. By virtue of being elected
to the lower -tier, the candidate would also serve on Regional Council. For
example, the Mayor of the City of Kitchener is double direct elected by serving
as both the Mayor to the City and as a Regional Councillor. In some regions
(i.e., Halton Region), both the Mayor and some members of local Council are
double direct elected to Regional Council in addition to the local municipality.
Pros
. One election for lower tier and upper tier council.
Cons
. Effective and consistent representation — there could be a conflict at
times between which interests are being articulated by the Councillor.
There will be times when an item requires a "big picture" regional
perspective which could be at odds with the desires of the area
municipality.
5-4
Alternative Option 3: Mayors only with Weighted Voting based upon
Population
Description
Mayors with Weighted Voting — The Mayors sitting on Regional Council
would be assigned a weighting to their vote based upon population. This
would mean the Mayors of the larger cities would be assigned more votes
than the Mayor of the Townships. Northumberland County currently uses a
weighted voting system.
Pros
• Allows for a close approximation to the representation by population
principle via voting without requiring a large number of bodies around the
table.
Cons
• Could result in the marginalization of some members of council whose
votes will have one-fourth of the weight of other members.
Recommendation and Rationale
Staff is recommending the status quo as it pertains to the composition of Regional Council
leading into the next municipal election scheduled for 2022. Staff believes the status quo
represents the most appropriate/sound decision at this time for a few reasons:
• With a deadline of year-end quickly approaching, the window of time to pursue the
alternative options in a more structured and formal review/analysis is not available;
• Due to the significant financial impact of COVID-19, a complicated and costly review of
alternative regional composition models is currently not the best interest of the City
currently; and,
• Considering the recent provincial regional government review process, there is a level of
confidence that the provincial government is supportive of the current regional
composition.
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
The recommendation of this report supports the achievement of the city's strategic vision through
the delivery of core service.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
There are no implications on the 2020 or 2021 Operating Budget in the consideration of this
Report.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
INFORM — This report has been posted to the City's website with the agenda in advance of the
council / committee meeting.
CONSULT — The Region's consultation process will include a public input meeting of the
Administration and Finance Committee on September 30, 2020.
5-5
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Correspondence received from the Region of Waterloo dated June 25, 2020.
2. Region of Waterloo staff report PDL -CAS -20-05: Regional Council Composition Review
Options and Consultation Process.
3. Summary Table: Council Representation for all Regions and Counties in Ontario.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Dan Chapman, Chief Administrative Officer
5-6
Attachment "1"
REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY OF WATERLOO
OFFICE OF THE REGIONAL CLERK 150 Frederick Street, 2nd Floor
Kitchener ON N2G 4J3 Canada
Telephone: 519-575-4400
TTY: 519-575-4608
Fax:519-575-4481
pROSPtiR`�a www. req i onofwaterloo.ca
June 25, 2020
A34-80
Local Area Municipal Clerks
Dear Clerk's Office:
Re: PDL -CAS -20-05, Regional Council Composition Review Options and
Consultation Process
Please find enclosed a copy of the staff report relating to this resolution. The
options are being provided to the area municipal Councils and public for input.
Public engagement through Engage WR opens on June 25, 2020 and will close on
August 15, 2020. Another report with a preferred option will be presented (with no
decision being made at that time) on September 15th and a public meeting
scheduled on September 30th. On October 14th, Regional Council will then pass
an intention to confirm the current composition or intention to approve a by-law
adopting a change to the composition of Regional Council. A triple majority will be
required from the area municipalities for the recommended option from Regional
Council. This will be sent out to each of you on October 15, 2020 with a response
required from your municipality by November 20, 2020. Final confirmation will be
done by Regional Council on November 25, 2020.
That the Regional Municipality of Waterloo direct staff to undertake
public consultation on the four options for Regional Council
Composition described in report PDL -CAS -20-05, dated June 16, 2020;
And that a public meeting be scheduled for September 30, 2020 to
consider the matter;
And that the report be circulated to the Area Municipal Councils for their
input on the four options.
If you have any questions please contact Lee Ann Wetzel, Manager, Council &
Admin Services/Deputy Clerk, 519-575-4410 or Iwetzel(a)regionofwaterloo.ca
3336936
5-7
REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY OF WATERLOO
OFFICE OF THE REGIONAL CLERK 150 Frederick Street, 2nd Floor
Kitchener ON N2G 4J3 Canada
Telephone: 519-575-4400
TTY: 519-575-4608
Fax:519-575-4481
pROSPtiR`�a www. regi onofwaterloo.ca
Please forward any written responses to this letter to Kris Fletcher, Director, Council
& Administrative Services/Regional Clerk.
Regards,
Kris Fletcher, Director, Council & Admin Services/Regional Clerk
KF/hk
Enclosed: Report PDL -CAS -20-05, Regional Council Composition Review
Options and Consultation Process
cc: Lee Ann Wetzel, Manager, Council & Admin Services/Deputy Clerk
3336936
5-8
Region of Waterloo
Planning, Development and Legislative Services
Council and Administrative Services
To: Chair Tom Galloway and Members of Council
Attachment "2"
Report: PDL -CAS -20-05
Date: June 16, 2020 File Code: A34-80
Subject: Regional Council Composition Review Options and Consultation
Process
Recommendation:
That the Regional Municipality of Waterloo direct staff to undertake public consultation
on the four options for Regional Council Composition described in report PDL -CAS -20-
05, dated June 16, 2020;
And that a public meeting be scheduled for September 30, 2020 to consider the matter;
And that the report be circulated to the Area Municipal Councils for their input on the
four options.
Summary:
The Region of Waterloo is required by the Municipal Act to conduct a Council
composition review by the end of 2020. Staff have prepared four options for
consideration:
• the status quo;
• an allocation of one Regional Councillor per 25,000 residents in an area
municipality, based on largest Township population;
• an overall target of 30,000 residents per Regional Councillor for all of Regional
Council , based on previous representation; and
• a system of Combined Urban and Rural Representatives
Staff are recommending that these options be provided to the Councils of the area
municipalities and to the public for input.
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After the public consultation, any option selected by the Region must be supported by
the triple majority as outlined in this report.
Report:
The Region of Waterloo is required by the Municipal Act to conduct a review of the
composition of Regional Council by the end of 2020. While staff have made inquiries,
there has been no confirmation that the province is considering waiving or delaying this
requirement due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
On March 24, 2020 Council approved report PDL -CAS -20-03 and directed the Regional
Clerk to complete the required Council Composition Review using in house resources
with the assistance of a consultant. Dr. Robert Williams was selected as the consultant
and has met with staff on the formulation of the options included in the report and the
development of the public consultation process.
The Municipal Act requires that Regional Council be composed of a minimum of five
members and that each area municipality be represented on the upper -tier council.
Currently each area municipality is represented on Regional Council by the City and
Township Mayors. Historically this was the requirement in the Regional Municipality of
Waterloo Act passed in 1973. This remained in place in 2000 when provincial legislation
was passed that set the current composition of Council and the direct election of
Regional Councillors.
Section 218 and 219 of the Municipal Act (Appendix 1) outlines the requirements for the
review of the composition of Regional Council. The Region is required to pass a
resolution to maintain the status quo or pass a by-law to change the size of Council by
the end of 2020. This by-law or resolution must be endorsed by a triple majority, being:
• a majority of the votes on Regional Council;
• supportive resolutions from a majority of the Councils of the area municipalities;
and
• the area municipalities that have passed resolutions consenting to the by-law, or
the resolution, must represent a majority of the electors in the Region.
If the triple majority is not obtained, the Municipal Act allows the Minister to change the
composition of Regional Council through a regulation.
Guiding Principles
Staff have utilized the following guiding principles when reviewing the council composition
• Representation by Population — Subject to the overriding principle of effective
representation, it is desirable that voters should be relatively equally represented
across the Region. The principle is intended to ensure that residents have
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comparable access to their elected representatives and that the workload of these
representatives is relatively balanced. Representation by population will be
calculated using total population figures rather than by the number of eligible
electors, recognizing that non -voters are also participants within the community.
• Balance of Rural and Urban Communities (as outlined in the Strategic Plan) — It is
important to recognize the uniqueness of our rural and urban communities and to
ensure that residents of Townships and Cities are all provided with effective
representation.
• Current and Future Population Trends — The next composition review will occur
between 2026 and 2028 as mandated by the Municipal Act. This review will
consider anticipated population trends to ensure effective representation for the
2022 and 2026 Municipal Elections.
• Effective Representation — In the "Carter decision", the Supreme Court of Canada
concluded that the "purpose of the right to vote enshrined in s.3 of the Charter is
not equality of voting power per se but the right to `effective representation"'. While
voter parity is important, exact voter parity is not obtainable. Rather, since a vote is
intended to provide meaningful on-going representation after the election, it may
be necessary to consider the best forms of representation and place a higher
priority on other principles to create plausible and coherent electoral areas that
better contribute to `effective representation' than electoral areas that are equal in
population.
Previous Composition Reviews
The composition of Regional Council was last reviewed in 2008. At that time Regional
Council decided to defer an Administration and Finance Committee motion that would
have increased the size of Council by four members (two in Kitchener and one in each of
Waterloo and Cambridge), but the issue was not brought back.
The last change to the composition of Regional Council was done by the province through
the Direct Democracy Through Municipal Referendums Act for the municipal election held
in November 2000. At that time Council was reduced from twenty-two (22) members to
the current sixteen (16) members, with eight (8) members being directly elected. The
Regional Chair was first directly elected starting in 1997.
As Table 1 demonstrates, the population balance between the area municipalities has not
varied significantly from the creation of the current composition. After the 2026 election
provincial legislation requires that the composition of Regional Council be reviewed again.
Population projections to 2026 demonstrate that that all of the area municipalities are
expected to continue to grow at a somewhat equal rate.
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Table 1 - Regional Population Figures for 2001, 2019, and 2026
Municipality
2001
Pop.
% Region
Pop.
2019
Pop.
% Region
Pop• 1
2026
Pop.
% Region
Pop• 2
Cambridge
113,571
25%
136,345
23%
156,137
24%
Kitchener
199,027
43%
256,340
43%
272,965
42%
North
Dumfries
8,883
2%
10,769
2%
14,222
2%
Waterloo
93,296
20%
135,127
23%
146,407
22%
Wellesley
9,581
2%
11,570
2%
11,785
2%
Wilmot
15,187
3%
21,783
4%
24,155
4%
Woolwich
18,566
4%
26,622
4%
30,776
5%
Region
458,111
100%
598,556
100%
656,447
100%
Option 1 - Status Quo
The Region is permitted to pass a resolution supporting the status quo. Just like the other
options, a resolution to maintain the status quo must also be endorsed by a triple majority.
The current composition does not strictly match with the principle of representation by
population but it may strike an acceptable balance for ensuring the principle of effective
representation is being met. Although the population balance between the municipalities
has not varied significantly since 2001, the number of residents that are represented by
each Councillor has risen by approximately 9,000 to approximately 39,000 per Regional
Councillor. This is projected to continue to increase though 2026 to approximately 43,000.
Table 2 - Status Quo
Municipality
2019
Population
Regional
Councillors*
2019 Population
per Regional
Councillor
2026 Population
per Regional
Councillor
Cambridge
136,345
3
45,448
52,046
Kitchener
256,340
5
51,268
54,593
North Dumfries
10,769
1
10,769
14,222
Waterloo
135,127
3
45,042
48,802
Wellesley
11,570
1
11,570
11,785
Wilmot
21,783
1
21,783
24,155
Woolwich
26,622
1
26,622
30,776
Region
1 598,556
1 15*
1 39,904
43,763
*Does not include the Regional Chair, includes Mayors
1 2019 are best estimates based on information currently available.
2 Population forecasts to 2026 reflect the Region's moderate forecast scenario that is used in
master plans.
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Option 2 - One Regional Councillor per 25,000 Residents in an Area Municipality
(Based on Largest Township Population)
This option would aim to balance the representation by population. A target of 25,000
residents per councillor would be set based on the population of the largest Township.
Setting the target at 10,000 to be in line with the smallest Township would result in a
Regional Council of 58 members, which is not practical nor fiscally desirable.
Under this option the size of Council would increase by 8, to 24 members including the
Regional Chair, with Cambridge and Waterloo increasing their Councillors by 2 and
Kitchener increasing by 4. None of the Townships would see an increase in the number
of representatives but the population per Regional Councillor would become closer to
those in the Cities.
This option better aligns with the principle of representation by population but may
negatively impact the principle of balancing rural and urban communities. The size of
Regional Council and the average population represented by each Councillor would be
closer to those of Halton and Durham Regions (see table 6), under this option.
Table 3 - One Regional Councillor per approximately 25,000 - 30,000 Residents
Municipality
2019
Population
Regional
Councillors*
2019 Population
per Regional
Councillor
2026 Population
per Regional
Councillor
Cambridge
136,345
5
27,269
31,227
Kitchener
256,340
9
28,482
30,329
North Dumfries
10,769
1
10,769
14,222
Waterloo
135,127
5
27,025
29,281
Wellesley
11,570
1
11,570
11,785
Wilmot
21,783
1
21,783
24,155
Woolwich
26,622
1
26,622
30,776
Region
598,556
23*
26,024
28,541
*Does not include the Regional Chair, includes Mayors
Option 3 -Target of 30,000 residents per Regional Councillor for all of Regional
Council (Based on Previous Representation)
This option recognizes the balance of rural and urban communities that is served under
the current model, while acknowledging that the number of residents that are
represented by each Councillor has risen by an average of more than 9,000 since the
current composition was established and is projected to be over 13,000 by 2026.
Under this option a target of 30,000 residents per Regional Councillor, for all of
Regional Council would be set. This target is based on the average number of residents
that were represented by Regional Councillors when the current composition was
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June 16, 2020 Report: PDL -CAS -20-05
established.
In order to reach this target, while being mindful of the principle of representation by
population, Cambridge and Waterloo would each increase by 1 Regional Councillor and
Kitchener would increase by 2. Including the Regional Chair, this would result in a 20 -
member Regional Council.
Table 4 — Overall Target of approximately 30,000 Residents per Regional Councillor
Municipality
2019
Population
Regional
Councillors*
2019 Population
per Regional
Councillor
2026 Population
per Regional
Councillor
Cambridge
136,345
4
34,086
39,034
Kitchener
256,340
7
36,620
38,995
North Dumfries
10,769
1
10,769
14,222
Waterloo
135,127
4
33,782
36,602
Wellesley
11,570
1
11,570
11,785
Wilmot
21,783
1
21,783
24,155
Woolwich
26,622
1
26,622
30,776
Region
598,556
19*
31,503
34,550
*Does not include the Regional Chair, includes Mayors
Option 4 — Combined Urban and Rural Representatives
This option attempts to address the principles of effective representation, representation
by population, and rural and urban communities. Under this option the Mayors would
continue to represent their area municipalities. The directly elected Councillors would
change from representing a single City, to representing at least one Township and one
City.
A target of approximately 50,000 residents per directly elected Regional Councillor
would be used which results in 3 Councillors for North Dumfries and Cambridge; 3
Councillors for Waterloo, Woolwich, and Wellesley; and 5 Councillors for Kitchener and
Wilmot. The directly elected Regional Councillors would be elected by, and accountable
to, all of the residents in the City and Township(s) that they would represent. This would
result in a 19 -member Regional Council, including the Regional Chair.
The target of 50,000 residents per directly elected Regional Councillor is higher than the
targets in the other options that are proposed in the report. This target would only apply
to the directly elected Regional Councillors. Because the Mayors are not factored into
this calculation, the number of Regional Councillors involved is lower than the other
options, without reducing the number of representatives that residents can contact. If a
target of 30,000 residents per directly elected Regional Councillor was used under this
option, the size of Council would increase to 27, including the Regional Chair. If a target
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of 40,000 residents per directly elected Regional Councillor was used under this option,
the size of Council would increase to 23, including the Regional Chair.
Table 5 - Combined Urban and Rural Representatives
Municipality
2019
Regional
2019 Population
2026 Population
Population
Councillors*
per Regional
per Regional
Councillor
Councillor
Cambridge
136,345
1 (Mayor)
136,345
156,137
10,769
1 (Mayor)
10,769
14,222
North Dumfries
Waterloo
135,127
1 (Mayor)
135,127
146,407
Woolwich
26,622
1 (Mayor)
26,622
30,776
Wellesley
11,570
1 (Mayor)
11,570
11,785
Kitchener
256,340
1 (Mayor)
256,340
272,965
Wilmot
21,783
1 (Mayor)
21,783
24,155
Cambridge and
147,114
3 (Directly
49,038
56,786
DumfriesNorth
Waterloo
173,319
Elected)
3 (Directly
57,773
62,989
Woolwich-
Wellesley
-.
Kitchener
-
L •. .
Wilmot
Elected)
L
Region
598,556
18*
33,253
36,469
*Does not include the Regional Chair
Reducing the Size of Council
None of the options that are being presented for public input will reduce the size of
Regional Council. This is due to a number of reasons. Waterloo Region already has the
smallest Regional Council compared to the other Regions and has the same or fewer
Councillors than similar sized single -tier municipalities such as Ottawa (23) or Hamilton
(15). Additionally, as the following table demonstrates, on average, each Councillor
represents a population of 39,904 which falls within the range of the other Regions.
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Table 6 — Other Reaions
Region
Regional
Councillors
*
Local
Municipalities
2019
Population.
3
Population
per
Councillor
Range of local
municipal
representation
Waterloo
15
7
598,556
39,904
10,000 to 52,000
Durham
28
8
697,355
24,906
6,000 to 29,000
Halton
23
4
596,369
25,929
20,000 to 26,000
Niagara
31
12
479,183
15,458
6,000 to 22,000
Peel
24
3
1,541,994
64,250
14,000 to 91,000
York
20
1 9
1,181,485
59,074
24,000 to 82,000
*Does not include Regional Chairs
Finally, reducing the size of Council would require either:
• Reducing the directly elected urban Councillors which is not in line with the
principle of representation by population;
• Reducing the representation of the area Mayors on Regional Council; or
• A complex system of weighted voting for Regional Council.
Staff are not recommending any of these options for reducing Regional Council, so no
option was developed.
Public Engagement and Public Meeting Requirements
With respect to public consultation, a public survey will be available on Engage
Waterloo Region for six weeks, starting on June 25, 2020. A public input meeting of the
Administration and Finance Committee will be held to hear delegations on September
30, 2020.
Staff had originally planned to hold three (3) consultation centres/open houses in
various areas of the Region in June 2020. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic
these events are currently not possible. Staff will monitor the situation and look for
additional opportunities for consultation throughout the summer.
Consultation with the Area Municipalities
The Municipal Act requires that whichever option Council wishes to pursue, it must be
endorsed by a triple majority, namely:
• a majority of the votes on Regional Council;
• supportive resolutions from a majority of the Councils of the area municipalities;
and
3 2019 population figures for the other Regions were obtained from Stats Canada at
https://www150.statcan.qc.ca/tl/tbll/en/tv.action?pid=1 710013901
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• the area municipalities that have passed resolutions consenting to the by-law, or
the resolution, must represent a majority of the electors in the Region.
Staff are recommending that this report be circulated to the Area Municipal Councils to
seek their input on which of the four options they would be prepared to support.
Staff will review the feedback from the Area Municipal Councils and the public, and will
recommend an option to the Committee on September 15, 2020. The Committee will be
able to hear from delegations at the public meeting on September 30, 2020. Council will
need to declare its intention to confirm the current composition or to approve a by-law
adopting a change to the composition of Council on October 14, 2020. This will then be
circulated to the Area Municipal Councils to obtain the triple majority with the final
confirmation of the resolution or by-law on November 25, 2020.
If a triple majority is not obtained for a resolution supporting the status quo, or a by-law
changing the composition of Regional Council within the timeframe outlined below,
Section 218(7) of the Municipal Act allows the Minister to change the composition of
Council through a regulation.
Next Steps
The following is a high level project plan for the proposed work.
Table 7 — Next Steps
Timeframe
Tasks
Late June -
Present the options to the Area Municipal Councils and public
August
for input
• Utilize the Engage Waterloo Region Platform
September
Present preferred option to Council on September 15th (No
Decision)
• Hold the required Public Meeting to hear from delegations on
the preferred option on September 30th
• Pass intention to confirm the current composition or intention
to approve a by-law adopting a change to the composition of
Council on October 14th
October 15 —
• Seek triple majority consent from Area Municipal Councils to
November 20
the confirmation of the current composition or the by-law
November 25th
• Final confirmation of current composition or approval of a by -
Council Meeting
law changing the composition of Council
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Corporate Strategic Plan:
The proposed review of council composition aligns with Focus Area 5 of the Strategic
Plan — Responsive and Engaging Public Service and Strategic Imperative, Balance of
Rural and Urban Communities.
Financial Implications:
In 2019 the average cost of a directly elected councillor was approximately $66,000.
This accounts for salary, benefits, mileage, communication, and conferences. It does
not account for additional staff that would be required to support the additional
councillors or physical modifications to offices that would be required for any new
councillors.
Other Department Consultations/Concurrence:
Staff from Legal Services and Planning provided input on the report.
Attachments:
Appendix 1 — Municipal Act Section 218
Prepared By: Tim Brubacher, Council/Committee Support Specialist
Lee Ann Wetzel, Deputy Clerk/Manager, Council and Administrative
Services
Approved By: Kris Fletcher, Regional Clerk/Director, Council and Administrative
Services
Rod Regier, Commissioner, Planning, Development and Legislative
Services
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Appendix 1 — Municipal Act Section 218
Composition of upper -tier council
218 (1) Without limiting sections 9, 10 and 11, those sections authorize an upper -tier
municipality to change the composition of its council subject to the following rules:
1. There shall be a minimum of five members, one of whom shall be the head of council.
2. The head of council shall be elected by general vote, in accordance with
the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, or shall be appointed by the members of council.
2.1 Repealed: 2018, c. 11, Sched. 2, s. 1 (2).
3. The members of council, except the head of council, shall be elected in accordance
with the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 to the upper -tier council or to the council of one
of its lower -tier municipalities.
4. The head of council shall be qualified to be elected as a member of council of the
upper -tier municipality.
5. If the members of council are directly elected to the upper -tier council and not to the
council of a lower -tier municipality, the members shall be elected by general vote or
wards or by any combination of general vote and wards.
6. Each lower -tier municipality shall be represented on the upper -tier council. 2001,
c. 25, s. 218 (1); 2006, c. 32, Sched. A, s. 93 (1); 2016, c. 37, Sched. 15, s. 1; 2018, c.
11, Sched. 2, s. 1.
Types of changes
(2) Without limiting sections 9, 10 and 11, the power to change the composition of
council includes the power to,
(a) change the number of members of its council that represent one or more of its lower -
tier municipalities;
(b) change the method of selecting members of the council, including having members
directly elected to the upper -tier council and not to the council of a lower -tier
municipality, members elected to serve on both the upper -tier and lower -tier councils or
members elected to the lower -tier councils and appointed to the upper -tier council by
the lower -tier municipalities, or a combination of methods of election;
(c) have a member representing more than one lower -tier municipality;
(d) require that if a member of council is appointed by the members of council as the
head of the upper -tier council, the member is no longer entitled to hold office on the
council of a lower -tier municipality or any other office on the council of the upper -tier
municipality or both; and
(e) require that if a member of council is appointed by the members of council as the
head of the upper -tier council, the appointed member must hold office on the council of
3261926 Page 11 of 1 19
June 16, 2020 Report: PDL -CAS -20-05
a lower -tier municipality. 2001, c. 25, s. 218 (2); 2006, c. 32, Sched. A, s. 93 (2); 2017,
c. 10, Sched. 1, s. 14 (1).
Number of votes
(3) Without limiting sections 9, 10 and 11, those sections authorize an upper -tier
municipality to change the number of votes given to any member but each member
shall have at least one vote. 2006, c. 32, Sched. A, s. 93 (3).
Term of office
(4) Without limiting sections 9, 10 and 11, those sections authorize an upper -tier
municipality to change the term of office of an appointed head of council so long as the
new term does not extend beyond the term of council. 2006, c. 32, Sched. A, s. 93 (3).
Term unaffected
(5) Except as provided in subsection (4), nothing in this section authorizes an upper -tier
municipality to change the term of office of a member of council. 2017, c. 10, Sched. 1,
s. 14(2).
Reviews by regional municipalities
(6) Following the regular election in 2018 and following every second regular election
after that, a regional municipality shall review, for each of its lower -tier municipalities,
the number of members of its council that represent the lower -tier municipality. 2017, c.
10, Sched. 1, s. 14 (2).
Regulations
(7) The Minister may make a regulation changing the composition of a council of a
regional municipality if the regional municipality does not, in the period of time that starts
on the day the new council is organized following a regular election referred to in
subsection (6) and ends on the day two years after that day, either,
(a) pass a by-law to change, for one or more of its lower -tier municipalities, the number
of the members of its council that represent the lower -tier municipality; or
(b) pass a resolution to affirm, for each of its lower -tier municipalities, the number of the
members of its council that represent the lower -tier municipality. 2017, c. 10, Sched. 1,
s. 14(2).
When regulation may be made
(8) The Minister may make a regulation under subsection (7) only after the period of
time referred to in that subsection but before the year of the next regular election after
which the regional municipality has a duty to conduct a review under subsection (6).
2017, c. 10, Sched. 1, s. 14 (2).
What regulation may include
(9) A regulation made under subsection (7) may include anything that could be included
3261926 Page 12 of13_
20
June 16, 2020 Report: PDL -CAS -20-05
in a by-law of the upper -tier municipality under subsections (1) to (5) and is subject to
the limitations set out in those subsections. 2017, c. 10, Sched. 1, s. 14 (2).
What Minister shall have regard to
(10) When considering whether to make a regulation under subsection (7), the Minister
shall, in addition to anything else the Minister wishes to consider, have regard to the
principle of representation by population. 2017, c. 10, Sched. 1, s. 14 (2).
Transition
(11) Until after the regular election in 2026, subsections (6) and (7) do not apply to a
regional municipality that, during the period between the regular election in 2014 and
the regular election in 2018, passes a by-law to change, for one or more of its lower -tier
municipalities, the number of members of its council that represent the lower -tier
municipality. 2017, c. 10, Sched. 1, s. 14 (2).
Section 219 Notice and Triple Majority
Notice
219 (1) Before passing a by-law described in section 218 or a resolution described in
clause 218 (7) (b), the municipality shall give notice of its intention to pass the by-law or
resolution and shall hold at least one public meeting to consider the matter. 2017, c. 10,
Sched. 1, s. 15.
Validity
(2) A by-law described in section 218 making changes described in clauses 218 (2) (a),
(b) and (c) or in subsection 218 (3) or a resolution described in clause 218 (7) (b) is not
valid unless,
(a) a majority of all votes on the upper -tier council are cast in favour of the by-
law or the resolution;
(b) a majority of the councils of all lower -tier municipalities forming part of the
upper -tier municipality have passed resolutions consenting to the by-law or the
resolution; and
(c) the total number of electors in the lower -tier municipalities that have
passed resolutions consenting to the by-law or the resolution form a majority of all the
electors in the upper -tier municipality. 2017, c. 10, Sched. 1, s. 15.
3261926 Page 13 of 1 21
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5-23
i
Staff RepoilK�Ai \_1 R
Community Services Department www.kitchener.ca
REPORT TO: Committee of the Whole
DATE OF MEETING: August 24, 2020
SUBMITTED BY: Mark Hildebrand, Director, Neighbourhood Programs and Services,
(519-741-2200, ext.7687)
PREPARED BY: Mark Hildebrand, Director, Neighbourhood Programs and Services,
(519-741-2200, ext.7687)
WARD (S) INVOLVED: Ward 5
DATE OF REPORT: July 24, 2020
REPORT NO.: CSD -20-005
SUBJECT: Williamsburg Community Centre Lease Renewal
RECOMMENDATION:
That the Mayor and Clerk be authorized to execute a lease renewal agreement and related
documents for the Williamsburg Community Centre with Schlegel Urban Development
Corp. for an additional three year period, commencing on the first day of August, 2020,
such documents to be satisfactory to the City Solicitor.
BACKGROUND:
Since August 1, 2009, the City of Kitchener has been leasing 3,000 square feet of space at 1187
Fischer Hallman Road, Unit 620, in the Williamsburg Town Centre, which houses the
Williamsburg Community Centre ("Centre"). The Williamsburg Community Association, a very
active affiliated association, has been offering a number of programs at the Centre and
throughout the neighbourhood for over 10 years. The Centre is highly valued by residents in the
local community and to date usage and attendance at the Centre continues to reflect this.
The City of Kitchener is leasing this space until such time that a permanent facility is built.
REPORT:
The City of Kitchener is interested in renewing the lease for the space at Unit 620, 1187 Fischer
Hallman Road, for a third term. Details of the lease are as follows:
Landlord: Schlegel Urban Development Corp.
Term: Renewed for 3 years, August 1, 2020 to July 31, 2023
• There is 1 further right for the City of Kitchener to renew for a period
of three years
• There is a one-time right for the City of Kitchener to terminate the
lease upon the construction of a new community centre building in
the area as identified in the Rosenberg Secondary Plan study
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
6-1
Minimum Rent $17.68 per square foot, per annum
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
The recommendation in this report supports the achievement of the City's strategic vision
through the delivery of core service.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
Renewal of the current lease is supported within the current operating budget.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
INFORM — This report has been posted to the City's website with the agenda in advance of the
council / committee meeting.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Michael May, DCAO Community Services
6-2
I
Staff Repod i
iv it"i iF.`r.R
Financial Services Department wwm.kitchener.ca
REPORT TO: Committee of the Whole
DATE OF MEETING: 2020-08-24
SUBMITTED BY: Ryan Scott, Manager, Procurement, 519-741-2200 ext. 7214
PREPARED BY: Dianne Stewart, Manager, Business Solutions —Work Management,
519-741-2600 ext. 4654
WARD (S) INVOLVED: N/A
DATE OF REPORT: 2020-07-13
REPORT NO.: FIN -20-051
SUBJECT: Sole Source — FP020-071 Mobile Time Entry Solution
RECOMMENDATION:
That KRONOS, Mississauga, Ontario, be the sole source provider for the purchase of
Mobile Time Entry (Workforce Dimensions) software at a cost of $110,000.00, plus H.S.T.
of $14,300.00, for a total of $124,300.00, provided a satisfactory contract is executed.
BACKGROUND:
For many years, a manual paper-based procedure has been in place to capture, approve and
process hourly timesheets for most divisions within Infrastructure Services and some divisions
in Community Services. The current process includes several hand-offs and data -entry before
posting the time to payroll, leading to the potential for data errors and time needed for follow-
ups, corrections and clarifications. On average, thirteen (13) administrative staff data -enter over
2,108 timesheets on a weekly basis totalling over 109,000 timesheets per year. In addition,
substantial time is taken by supervisory staff to approve, clarify and correct daily timesheets for
staff.
The current solution through the City's work management solution (Cityworks) has exceeded its
end -of -life and is no longer supported by the vendor. The increased volume of data -entry
needed for payroll; the current system; and, the supporting process creates an unacceptable
risk error and failure. Further there is a growing need to establish a mobile solution for
timesheets in order to increase capacity for new/additional responsibilities for administrative
staff.
Over the last 6 years, the City explored directly or by way of market scans various options to
modernize the approach to timesheet processing. In 2019 a Request for Information (RFI)
document was released to aid in identifying vendors capable of delivering a mobile -ready
application for field and office staff with the capability to integrate into Cityworks as well as the
City's core financial system, SAP.
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
7-1
KRONOS established itself as the only vendor capable of providing the advanced functionality
required by staff; the integrations with both Cityworks and SAP for now, and into the
foreseeable future.
SAP has been the City's Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution since 2008. The strength
in partnership between SAP and the KRONOS product set allows the City of Kitchener to fully
leverage the integrated solution with the full support of our enterprise solution provider. The
long-term strategic collaboration between SAP and KRONOS will ensure a robust solution best
suited for the City of Kitchener.
REPORT:
As per clause 170.8.2 of the Purchasing By-law 2017-106, it states, "The use of a Non -Standard
Procurement process is only permitted under the following circumstances:
c. where there is an absence of competition for technical reasons and the Goods,
Services, Construction, or Consulting Services can only be supplied by one particular
Supplier and no alternative or substitute exists;"
As per clause 170.8.3 of the Purchasing By-law 2017-106, it states, "All non-standard
Procurement processes must be approved and conducted in accordance with this By-law
including the table set out in this section and all applicable procedures."
Requirement
Procurement
Value
Excluding Taxes
Procurement
Process
Approval Authority
Goods,
Up to $99,999
Non -Competitive or
Director of Supply
Services, Construction,
Limited Competition
Services
Consulting Services
Goods,
Greater than
Non -Competitive or
Council
Services, Construction,
$100,000
Limited Competition
Consulting Services
The KRONOS solution is compatible with robust integrations to both Cityworks, SAP and is
capable of integrating with an HRIS system (PeopleSoft). Given the strategic partnership
between solution providers and the lack of viable alternatives base on business logic and
technical requirements, KRONOS satisfies both the compatibility; and the absence of
competition due to technical reasons exceptions under the By-law.
7-2
The recommendation was reviewed by J. Winter, Director — Asset Management & Business
Solutions and D. Stewart, Manager — Business Solutions, Work Management, who concur with
the above recommendation.
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
The recommendation of this report supports the achievement of the city's strategic vision through
the delivery of core service.
The mobile time entry solution provides City staff with dynamic views of work activities across
teams as appropriate. Management staff can utilize the solutions' functionality to be responsive
to customer inquiries thereby establishing efficiencies and consistent workflows which has the
potential of improving customer service both internally and externally.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
The net capital cost for this purchase (A), is fair and reasonable for a purchase of this scope and
the upset limit is within the budget allowance (B) provided within the budget. Funding for this
purchase is included within the approved capital budget. The estimated capital surplus (D) will
remain within the account to help fund additional mobile time management costs.
Operating Costs related to license renewals will be funded from various operating accounts.
KRONOS Software Purchase
Estimated Cost for this Phase of Work
Quote received, including HST
less: HST rebate
Net Cost Being Awarded
Projected additional costs
Total Estimated Cost for this Phase of Work
Budget for this Phase of Work
Cityworks Software Upgrades capital account
Total Budget for this Phase of Work
Estimated Surplus/(Deficit) for this Phase of Work (B - C)
$ 124,300.00
(12,363.99)
111,936.01 A
111,936.01 C
115,000.00
$ 115,000.00 B
7-3
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
INFORM — This report has been posted to the City's website with the agenda in advance of the
council / committee meeting.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Jonathan Lautenbach, Chief Financial Officer, Financial Services
Department
�AMIA I
Staff Repod
Financial Services Department
www1itchener.ca
REPORT TO:
Committee of the Whole
DATE OF MEETING:
August 24, 2020
SUBMITTED BY:
Saleh Saleh, Director of Revenue 519-741-2200 x7346
PREPARED BY:
Feras Abdulhadi, Tax Specialist 519-741-2200 x7440
WARD (S) INVOLVED:
All
DATE OF REPORT:
AUGUST 13, 2020
REPORT NO.:
FIN -20-053
SUBJECT:
Applications for Cancellation, Refund, Reduction of Taxes —
August 24th Hearing
RECOMMENDATION:
That the applications to City Council for cancellation, reduction, refund of taxes totalling
$1,229,867.64 as attached to Financial Services Department report FIN -20-053, be
approved, pursuant to Section 357 of the Municipal Act, S.O. 2001, c. 25 ("the Act").
BACKGROUND:
Section 357 of the Act allows the local municipality to cancel, reduce or refund all or part of taxes
levied on land in the year in respect of which the application is made for certain specific reasons
as laid out in this section of the Act.
REPORT:
One hundred fifty-one applications for adjustment of taxes under Section 357 of the Act were
processed, resulting in a net reduction of taxes in the amount of $1,229,867.64. The required
notices to the affected parties were sent out in accordance with the relevant legislation.
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8-1
The following table shows a breakdown of the reduction in taxes in this report by the applicable
reason.
Relevant
subsection of the
Act
Reason for Application
Total Taxes
Reduced
357(1)(a)
Ceases to be liable for tax at rate it was taxed
$68,354.26
357(1)(c)
Became exempt
$251,709.29
357(1)(d)(i)
Razed by fire, demolition or otherwise
$333,309.47
357(1)(d)(ii)
Damaged and substantially unusable
$291,643.43
357(1)(f)
Gross or manifest clerical/factual error (in the assessment roll)
$97,867.45
357(1)(g)
Repairs/renovations preventing normal use
$186,983.74
Total
$1,229,867.64
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
The recommendation of this report supports the achievement of the city's strategic vision through
the delivery of core service.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
The tax reductions are shared with the Regional Municipality of Waterloo and the School
Boards. The net effect to the City of Kitchener is a reduction in current year revenue, including
a reduction in City levies of $272,162.53 and a reduction in BIA levies of $34,881.26, both of
which are accommodated within the 2020 Operating Budget. The City share forms part of the
year's net supplementary taxes and write-offs, which carries a net revenue budget of $1.1 million
annually.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
INFORM — This report has been posted to the City's website with the agenda in advance of the
council / committee meeting.
The required notices to the affected parties were sent out in accordance with the relevant
legislation under Section 357 of the Act.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Jonathan Lautenbach, Chief Financial Officer.
8-2
Staff Report
Development Services Department
K anFvx
www.kitchen er. c a
REPORT TO: Special Council
DATE OF MEETING: August 31, 2020
SUBMITTED BY: Justin Readman, General Manager, Development Services
519-741-2200 ext. 7646
PREPARED BY: Karen Cooper, Manager, Strategic and Business Planning,
519-741-2200 ext. 7817
Andrew Ramsaroop, Engagement and Program Manager
519-741-2200 ext. 7242
WARD (S) INVOLVED: All
DATE OF REPORT: August 31, 2020
REPORT NO.: DSD -20-108
SUBJECT: Draft Housing Strategy
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT report DSD -20-108 Draft Housing Strategy be tabled for further public input with a
final recommended Housing Strategy to be considered by Council in December 2020;
THAT staff be directed to proceed with the four quick wins identified in Report DSD -20-
108 Draft Housing Strategy; namely:
• Responding to homelessness by collaborating with the Region to provide land to develop
supportive housing on city and regional sites in Kitchener that could be built quickly
through private sector involvement and operated by our community's non-profit housing
and service providers;
• Collaborating with community organizations and the Region to create an advocacy plan
for a coordinated "big ask" specific to the communities in the region from the federal and
provincial governments;
• Confirming housing need numbers to achieve agreement on the "right" numbers so that
solid plans can be made to meet the "real" needs in Kitchener; and
• Developing a policy to provide for interest-free development charge deferrals over 20
years for eligible affordable housing projects to improve the financial viability of these
projects and incentivize development of affordable housing in Kitchener.
AND FURTHER THAT staff be directed to use the remaining $40,000 within the 2020
affordable housing budget to advance the "responding to homelessness" quick win
identified above.
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
PURPOSE:
This report presents the Draft Housing Strategy prepared by staff with contributions from the
Affordable Housing Strategy Advisory Committee, Council, stakeholders and the public
through an Engage Kitchener Survey. The Draft Housing Strategy is included as Appendix A to
this report, and provides:
A summary of key housing issues in the City of Kitchener.
5 Strategies and related actions to help guide the City in meeting the housing needs.
A foundation for further public and stakeholder engagement.
BACKGROUND:
On June 24, 2019 Council approved the 2019-2022 Strategic Plan, including the Caring
Community Goal which focuses in part on helping to make housing affordable and the strategic
action to create an Affordable Housing Strategy by 2020. Council also received the Affordable
Housing Strategy Workplan on June 24, 2019 which is summarized in the following graphic.
Figure 1: Work Plan
Phase 1:
Project
Planning _
• Complete
Not yet complete
Phase 2: Phase 3:
Housing Issues and
Assessment Options
9
We are here
Phase q: Phase 5:
Prepare Draft Approval
Housing Strategy
Council received the Housing Needs Assessment on January 13, 2020 and participated in a
Strategy Session focused on Affordable Housing Issues and Options on February 24, 2020. An
Engage Kitchener Survey was launched on March 13, 2020 and concluded on May 8, 2020.
The Housing Strategy
Affordable housing means equitable access to safe and appropriate housing for all. City Staff
therefore shifted the name of the Affordable Housing Strategy to simply, the Housing Strategy.
This removes the stigma sometimes associated with affordable housing as if it is less than other
housing. Through this strategy and its engagement staff are committed to actively working
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11-2
towards removing the stigma from all forms of housing in our City and the people that call it
home. The Housing Strategy aims to provide actions and recommendations across the entire
housing continuum to make housing more accessible for everyone.
Housing Situation
Kitchener's housing situation has dramatically shifted over the last few years. Key findings from
The Housing Needs Assessment showed a 41% increase in average rents and, the average
price for a house increased by 104% between 2009 to 2019, with most of the increase since
2016. As well, about 28.1% of renter households in the City are in Core Housing Need' and
more than 9,300 affordable rental housing units are needed for people with household incomes
under $63,000.
Recent information (July 2020) from the Kitchener Waterloo Association of Realtors indicate that
housing prices continue to rise in the city due in part to purchasers from the Toronto area. The
average home price is now $639,814 in Waterloo Region2.
Ideally, housing demand and housing supply match up. In Kitchener's case there is a gap
between housing need and housing demand as illustrated in red in the following illustration.
There is a need for 450 units of supportive housing, 5,000 units of community housing and 9,300
units of affordable rental housing.
Figure 2: Summary of Needs Assessment— Identification of Gaps
Hof
households
Household Income
f CMHC defines a household as being in Core Housing Need if its housing costs more than 30% of the household income to
pay the median rent, and/or the housing requires major repairs and/or if there is overcrowding in the housing. (CMHC)
' Kitchener Waterloo Association of Realtors, 2020
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11-3
REPORT:
Council Direction from Strategic Session
On February 24th, 2020 Council participated in a Strategy Session focused on Affordable
Housing. Council focused on the issues and options around housing and discussed the top
issues that the Housing Strategy should address.
Council identified homelessness as the top issue to focus on and noted the importance of
supporting the Region of Waterloo in their mandate to lead and address this issue.
Council also noted that the strategy should address transitional housing, supportive housing,
affordable rental including community housing, and affordable ownership housing and to
address each housing category along the housing continuum. A summary of the Council
Strategic Session is attached as Appendix D to this report.
Staff were asked to explore the municipal tools available to the City to address housing issues.
Council wanted to ensure that the housing strategy does not duplicate work done by others. The
array of tools are listed below.
Figure 3: Housing Tools Available to Local Municipalities
Planning
Approval
Financial
Direct
Research
Education
Information
Partnerships
Advocacy
Tools
Process
Provision
Sharing
Affordable Housing Strategy Advisory Committee
The Affordable Housing Advisory Committee is composed of members of the public, Council,
the non-profit community, the development community and city staff. The Committee is Co
Chaired by Karen Coviello, CEO of Habitat for Humanity and Justin Readman, General Manager
of Development Services. The Committee has made significant contributions to the Draft
Housing Strategy, through brainstorming, review and comments, and in providing their insights.
The Affordable Housing Strategy Advisory Committee has met six times over the course of the
project and will continue to meet and provide input and advice to staff in the drafting of the final
Housing Strategy. Through a series of workshops, the Advisory Committee has provided
information and feedback on the following:
• Kitchener Housing Needs Assessment
• Housing Continuum focus
• Identifying the Key Stakeholders in Housing
• Quick Wins and Key Directions
• The Draft Strategy
• Prioritizing City Actions
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
11-4
There are also three active sub -committees focusing on the following mandates:
• Defining Affordability
• Engagement
• Research and Best Practices
The Lodging House sub -committee is the fourth sub -committee and will commence working with
staff in Fall 2020.
A summary of each of the sub -committee's work is provided as an appendix in the Draft Housing
Strategy.
Lived Experience
The Advisory Committee asked that people with lived experience are heard and consulted with
directly in completing and implementing the Housing Strategy. The Engagement Sub -committee
has recommended the creation of a sub -committee composed of a majority of people with lived
experience, members of Council and city staff. The intent of this proposed sub -committee is to
provide a platform for meaningful long-term engagement, empowering and collaborating with
people with lived experience. This sub -committee would be involved during the engagement of
the Draft Housing Strategy, and after the adoption of the Strategy in order to monitor and support
implementation.
Engage Kitchener Survey
Based on responses from the Council Strategy Session and Advisory Committee workshops city
staff created the Engage Kitchener survey in order to receive community input on the public's
opinion on the issues and options surrounding housing in Kitchener, and to describe what the
public sees are the roles and responsibilities of the various sectors that influence housing.
With the help of advisory committee members and other community partners in the non-profit
sector, the survey was able to be delivered to various shelters, supportive housing units and
other service centres in an accessible format to get input from those with lived experience. As
well, committee members dispersed the survey through their various networks which helped the
survey receive insightful responses even throughout the pandemic.
Engage Kitchener - Survey Results
The Engage Kitchener Survey asked the public to provide their input on the issues and options
regarding housing in Kitchener. The Engage Kitchener survey was conducted from March 13tH
2020 to May 8t" 2020 and received 177 unique responses.
Figure 4 illustrates the distribution of responses by postal code forward sortation area, which
closely aligns with the City's Ward boundaries. Ward 9 had the highest proportion of respondents
followed by Wards 10 and 8. Figure 5 illustrates distribution of residents in core housing need
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11-5
by census tract. There is some relationship between the incidence of survey responses and
incidence of residents in core housing need.
Figure 4: Survey Responses by Postal Code Figure 5: % Core Need
The Issues and Options section of the Engage Kitchener Survey asked the following:
1. What were the top three issues that should be prioritized in the Housing Strategy?
2. What are the biggest challenges finding affordable housing?
3. Where along the housing continuum the city should focus its efforts?
4. What were the top options to address housing issues in Kitchener?
The results are summarized in Figure 6.
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
11-6
Figure 6: Engage Kitchener Survey Responses — Issues and Options
VPP,_
//l%s
City of Kitchener
Housing Strategy
Issues and Options Survey
Results
Biggest Challenges to Finding Housing
Cost 31%
Not Enough 24%
Location ii%
Options to address housing Issues
1116. in Kitchener
Inclusionary
Zoning
Make City Land Available
for Affordable Housing and
Encourage Partnerships
Between those that help
and those that build
lnCreate an advocacy plan
Top 3 Issues that should be
prioritized
Need for collaboration between government
16 % agencies and service providers.
0
A greater variety of housing types to meet the
14 � needs of diverse households.
Need for a people centred approach vs. a
13 system or program based approach to support
0
people in leaving homelessness and staying housed
Where along the housing continuum
should the city focus its efforts?
The Roles and Responsibilities section of the Engaged Kitchener Survey asked:
What do you believe are the roles and responsibilities around housing of the following sectors?
Figure 7 illustrates the major themes that emerged through analysis of the Roles and
Responsibilities section of the Engage Kitchener Survey.
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11-7
28%
—���Iflnn
°oo
nn�
I I1. o❑ c
Homelessness, Community Affordable
Emergency Shelter, Housing
Rental
Transitional Housing
The Roles and Responsibilities section of the Engaged Kitchener Survey asked:
What do you believe are the roles and responsibilities around housing of the following sectors?
Figure 7 illustrates the major themes that emerged through analysis of the Roles and
Responsibilities section of the Engage Kitchener Survey.
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
11-7
Figure 7 — Engage Kitchener Survey Results — Roles and Responsibilities
Government
Theme is 26%
answered:
Government
should provide
development
incentives.
j Private Sector
Theme 2: 8% I
answered:
Coordinate efforts
between Levels of I
government.
Theme 3: 6% I
answered:
Government should
establish guidelines I
and regulations to
build affordable I
housing.
Theme s: a5% I
answered: The
need for the private I
sector/developers
to collaborate with I
government and non-
profits.
Theme 2: 15% of I
answered: Private
Sector should have I
an awareness of
the need in the I
community.
Theme 3:14% of
answered: Private I
sector should have a
social responsibility to I
the community,
Draft Housing Strategy
Non -Profit Sector
Theme is 20%
answered: Non-profit
housing providers
should provide
good housing,
diverse options and
appropriate supports.
Theme 2: 15%
answered: Non-profit
housing providers
should Continue to
Listen and advocate.
Theme 3: 15%
answered: Non-profit
housing providers
need more support,
tunding and resources.
000 000
Post- Secondary
Education
Theme is ig%
answered: Post-
secondary institutions
should be responsible
for providing adequate
and affordable housing
for students.
Theme 2: 23%
answered: Post-
secondary institutions
are responsible for
educating and removing
stigma.
Theme 3:12%
answered: Post-
secondary institutions
shouLd provide more
socially aware and
inclusion educations
in planning, health and
economics.
00
000 000
❑D❑ ❑❑❑
000 000
1 Healthcare
ITheme is ,,
answered. Healthcare
system and housing
system need to be
Iinterconnected.
I Theme 2:26%
answered: Equitable
access to healthcare
I for the most vulnerable
populations.
j Theme 3: 13%
answered: Healthcare on
Location including mobile
clinics.
I
KITCH _? ER
Staff used the engagement results from the Council Strategy Session, One-on-one stakeholder
interviews, the Engage Kitchener Survey, input from the Affordable Housing Strategy Advisory
Committee and its subsequent sub -committees and created a Draft Housing Strategy attached
as Appendix A to this report.
The Draft Housing Strategy is comprised of the following main sections:
1. Where We Started
2. Pandemic
3. Where We Want To Be
4. How We Can Get There
5. Strategies
There are five draft Strategies proposed as outlined in Figure 8.
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11-8
Figure 8: Proposed 5 Strategies
Strategy s:
Meeting Needs
Strategy 2:
What the City
Can Do
e
Strategy g:
Working
Together
Inclusionary Housing
Strategy 5:
Implementation
and Work Plan
Strategy 4:
Being Informed/
Informing
A separate report addressing work undertaken to assess the feasibility of requiring affordable
housing to be included in developments in proximity to Major Transit Stations will be presented
in the fall.
Figure 9: Inclusionary Housing Work Program
Background
Work
Jan -Sept 2020
Policy
Development
Q4 2020-201
Policy
Finalization
2021
implementation
2021+
ii r nu ,
A—Assessmen
Financial impact
Key Stakeholdr r
Meetings
Pnlicy 01 ectiorts: set
aside rate, depth of
Explore Ownership and
Community and
affordability, period of
operation models
stakeholder
affordability, tenure,
engagement
phase ins, etc.
Adopt/endorseCPA Finalize ownership and
and Zoning By-law
amendment operation models
Policy Approved by New affordable units Biennial monitoring
Region constructed and reports
B occupied re
Council direction to
continue working on Q
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11-9
City Actions
As illustrated earlier, the City has tools that it can use to help promote, increase and sustain the
affordable housing stock. Using the municipal tools, and listening to the Advisory Committee,
community stakeholders and through the Engage Kitchener survey, City staff developed a robust
list of proposed City Actions that can provide helpful interventions along the housing continuum
to address affordability issues. They are highlighted in the Executive Summary of the Housing
Strategy and for ease of reference are also included as Appendix B to this report.
Priorities
The Housing Strategy is to be implemented over the next five years. Priorities need to be
established amongst the proposed City Actions. The Advisory Committee has suggested the
following priorities:
• Creation of a comprehensive Advocacy Plan outlining all of the needs in the City to secure
federal and provincial funding before the federal election
• Support the Region and partner agencies to address Homelessness through a
reimagined shelter system that integrates permanent supportive housing with healthcare
and reflects the diversity of needs of people who are homeless
• Address need for community and affordable rental housing with private/non-profit housing
partnerships
• Make some parcels of city land available for affordable housing
• Streamline the development review process and provide incentives to develop affordable
housing, including fee waivers, reduced parking standards, etcetera
• Use the $40,000 remaining in the 2020 affordable housing budget to tangibly address
homelessness
Quick Wins
Responding to Council's interest in seeing quick wins or action on improving affordability, four
areas for quick wins include: addressing homelessness, creating an advocacy plan, confirming
housing need numbers and implementing an interest-free deferral of development charges
payable over 20 years for eligible affordable housing projects.
1. Addressing Homelessness
Council, the Advisory Committee and the public desire that homelessness issues be addressed
and would like to see the elimination of homelessness - with everyone in the community having
safe, secure and affordable housing. In working on developing the Draft Housing Strategy we
heard from the public, the business community, service providers and people with lived
experience that the existing shelter system is not effective and that it needs to be reimagined to
better meet the needs of people.
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
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11-10
Council recently directed staff to work with the Region to identify sites to build permanent
supportive housing to address homelessness in the city, including people moving from Lot 42/A
Better Tent City, people in encampments and people in existing shelters.
On August 11, 2020 the Region of Waterloo supported the regional staff report proposal to
secure dormitory style accommodation for up to a year for people leaving the temporary
accommodation at hotels, people moving from Lot 42/A Better Tent City, people who are tenting
and people who are homeless. Regional staff were also directed to report back on their proposal
to secure funding and develop alternative housing with support on surplus lands.
The federal and provincial governments have made funding available for housing people that
are homeless or in shelters that can be accessed by application by the Region.
It is timely to collaborate with the Region to develop housing on city and regional sites in
Kitchener that could be built quickly through private sector involvement and operated by our
community's non-profit housing and service providers.
The aim is to secure and develop sites so occupancy can take place within a year. City staff
recommends that the remaining $40,000 in the Affordable Housing budget should be used to
support this goal and to leverage opportunities to provide permanent supportive housing.
2. Advocacy
Non-profit housing and service providers have indicated the following needs in Kitchener.
• House of Friendship seeking 2 sites and funding for the ShelterCare integrated health
and transitional housing concept (80 units) and for a supportive housing project (60
units)
• YWCA -KW seeking a site and funding for approximately 30 one -bedroom units of
affordable supportive housing for women leaving homelessness
• The Working Centre to acquire and renovate a second site to house and support
people who are homeless and to add 40 units of housing to add to their affordable
housing portfolio
• Kitchener Housing Inc (KHI) seeking a site to work in partnership with a developer to
create new community housing and to purchase buildings to preserve affordable
housing
• One Roof's proposal to develop approximately 58 units of supportive housing for youth
who are homeless in modular housing on their site
• Waterloo Region Habitat for Humanity seeking sites for affordable home ownership
• Indwell seeking 2-3 more sites in Kitchener for approximately 120 to 180 supportive
housing units
• Menno Homes seeking funding to complete its project under development
• Habilitation seeking funding to support development of a supportive housing project
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
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• Reception House Waterloo Region seeking a site and funding for the development of
a Refugee Services Hub.
• John Howard Society Waterloo -Wellington seeking funding and resources for a full-
time staff member to help develop a housing strategy/model
• Church and Religious Institutions within the City have expressed interest in
redeveloping their surplus lands to accommodate affordable housing.
• Private Sector Affordable Housing developers have expressed interest in developing
more affordable housing units
All of these proposals are needed in Kitchener. Usually, each organization has to seek funding
individually or apply through competitive processes, through a myriad of programs which takes
a lot of time and effort. Members of the Advisory Committee indicated that there needs to be a
better way.
A quick win on a better way would be to collaborate with the Region and community
organizations to create an advocacy plan for a coordinated big ask specific to the communities
in the region from the federal and provincial governments. Toronto, Ottawa and Peel Region
have been successful in using this approach.
Peel Region, for example, has a $1 billion plan to build more housing and recently secured a
historic $276 million financial commitment from the federal government and support from the
province enabling 2,240 new affordable rental units and shelter beds on Peel Housing
Corporation and Region -owned sites by 2028.
Waterloo Regional staff have expressed interest in exploring this idea with the local
municipalities and are looking to convene a first meeting in September.
3. Confirming Housing Need Numbers
Kitchener's Housing Need Assessment presented to Council in January 2020 included ranges
in need for the number of people who are homeless and for the number of supportive housing
units needed. Housing advocates say the numbers may be too low and that need is being under
estimated. The Region uses numbers from shelter occupancy which are lower than the
Kitchener Needs Assessment range for people who are homeless.
Questions were also asked about the Needs Assessment indicating that 3,000 new community
housing units are needed by people on the Region's waiting list wanting to live in Kitchener.
Since the Needs Assessment in January 2020 the waiting list has continued to increase and
currently 5,000 people needing community housing want to live in Kitchener.
It is important that there be agreement on the "right" numbers so that solid plans can be made
to meet the "real" needs in Kitchener.
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
11-12
On August 11 Regional staff confirmed that their numbers for people who are homeless do not
include people who do not use shelters. The Region committed to work with housing advocates
and service providers to provide better numbers on people who are homeless. As part of working
on developing a plan to address homelessness in downtown Kitchener regional staff were asked
to cross reference information from the police, social services, service providers, soup kitchens,
bylaw enforcement etcetera to create a census of people known to be homeless inside and
outside of the shelter system.
This work should be completed quickly as it informs and substantiates what is needed to address
homelessness and to prepare the advocacy plan.
4. Interest -Free Deferral of Development Charge Payments for Non -Profit Housing
The Provincial government recently enacted changes to the Development Charges Act that
allows deferral of development charge payments for some types of development over multiple
years and allows municipalities to charge interest when a deferral is made.
Staff report FIN -20-54 to the Finance and Corporate Services Committee on August 31, 2020
recommends that non-profit housing development be permitted to defer development charges
through payments over 20 years. The report also recommends that no interest be charged for
these deferred payments. Approval of this City of Kitchener policy would result in reduced
financial hurdles for non-profit housing developers as they will be able to spread one of their
upfront costs (development charges) over 20 years interest free. It also provides an incentive to
develop affordable housing in Kitchener.
Next Steps
Between now and December 2020, city staff will be undertaking steps to progress the work of
the Housing Strategy work program and draft the final Housing Strategy document based on
additional input from the community.
In September 2020, city staff will begin a new phase of stakeholder engagement around the
Draft Housing Strategy and its proposed Strategies and Actions. City staff will be seeking
direction from Council on Inclusionary Housing with a report on its feasibility going forward on
September 28th, 2020.
Further work will be undertaken to further explore the prioritization, implementation and the
financial implications around the proposed Strategies and Key Actions.
In October/November 2020, city staff will analyze stakeholder engagement and begin to draft
and design the final Housing Strategy. The recommended Housing Strategy will be delivered to
Council for consideration in December 2020.
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
11-13
Conclusion
The City of Kitchener recognizes the importance of strong and diverse neighbourhoods where
residents can grow and thrive. As a vibrant and caring community, the Draft Housing Strategy
outlines actions the City can take to help make housing more affordable so Kitchener can be an
even better place for everyone to call home.
The creation of the Draft Housing Strategy is a culmination of the community engagement
process to date. The Housing Strategy is intended to be a living and guiding document to call
the City and the community to action, encourage partnerships, and to demonstrate the City's
commitment to the community.
ALIGNMENT WITH THE CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
2019-2022 Strategic Plan — Caring Community Goal: Enhance people's sense of belonging
and connection by ... helping to make housing affordable.
Strategic Plan Action: Create an Affordable Housing Strategy for Kitchener by 2020 in
collaboration with Waterloo Region, community groups and the development industry.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
Development of the draft strategy is within the approved budget.
Federal and provincial governments have pledged funding for municipalities to deal with the
pandemic, including providing housing for people who are homelessness. The funding would
be administered through the Region but the details of accessing funding are not yet available.
One of the actions in the draft strategy is to prepare a co-ordinated funding ask with the Region
and housing and service providers to the federal and provincial governments to address
homelessness and affordable housing for people with low to moderate incomes based on the
needs of the local municipalities.
Financial implications of implementing the Housing Strategy are being compiled and will be
reported with the recommended Housing Strategy due later this year.
There is $40,000 remaining for Affordable Housing initiatives funding in 2020. Staff recommend
that it be used to advance responding to providing permanent supportive housing for people
leaving homelessness, as it is a priority of the Advisory Committee, the community and Council.
Examples of the potential use of funds could include: creation of a welcome to the
neighbourhood campaign to help the public learn about supportive housing through the voices
of people with lived -experience, amenity facilities for supportive housing, capital development
contribution, relocation supports for people, etcetera.
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
11-14
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
This phase of the project primarily used the INFORM and CONSULT aspects of the City's
engagement strategy with COLLABORATE for data components. The community was engaged
using the following methods:
• Advisory Committee workshops
• Engage Kitchener Survey
• One-on-one stakeholder interviews
• Meetings with community groups.
Preparations for the next phase of engagement have begun. City staff will begin further
consultation with the community prior to, and during the drafting of the final Housing Strategy.
The Advisory Committee has suggested the following ways to further engage the public in the
next phase as staff moves toward drafting the final Housing Strategy:
• Go to where people are (Kitchener Market, Community Centres, KPL, street engagement).
• Meet with Neighbourhood Associations and other community stakeholders
• Use a mix of media to capture those who use online and social media platforms, as well
as those who use traditional media such as newspapers, radio, and interviews.
• Engage with other committees such as the Mayors Task Force on Equity, Diversity and
Inclusion and MACKS (Mayors Advisory Committee for Kitchener Seniors)
The Engagement sub -committee suggests that City staff move towards the COLLBORATE and
EMPOWER aspects on the City's engagement strategy and explore new ways of engaging with
the public including moving away from point -in -time engagement to meaningfully engaging,
empowering and collaborating with people with lived experience.
This included a recommendation and a subsequent Action within the Draft Strategy of the
formation of a group composed of a majority of people with lived experience. This group would
also include city staff and members of City Council. The group would be tasked with providing
insight and feedback on drafting the Final Strategy and measuring the success of its
implementation
INFORM - This report has been posted to the City's website with the agenda in advance of the
committee/council meeting.
PREVIOUS CONSIDERATION OF THIS MATTER:
DSD -20-034 — Council Strategy Session — Affordable Housing Issues and Options
DSD -20-006 — Affordable Housing Strategy Phase 2: Housing Needs Assessment
DSD -19-134 — Affordable Housing Strategy — Work Program Overview
CAO -19-010 — City of Kitchener 2019-2022 Strategic Plan
CSD -17-034 — Development Incentives for Affordable Housing Implementation
CSD -17-018 — Development Incentives for Affordable Housing — Phase 2
CSD -15-085 — Development Incentives for Affordable Housing Discussion Paper
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
11-15
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Justin Readman, General Manager, Development Services
Attachments:
Appendix A — Draft Housing Strategy
Appendix B — Key Actions
Appendix C — List of Public Engagement
Appendix D — Council Strategy Session Summary
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
11-16
APPENDIX `A'— Draft Housing Strategy
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
11-17
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Land and Call to Action Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that Kitchener is situated on the traditional territory of the Neutral,
Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee Peoples. We recognize our responsibility to serve as
stewards for the land and honour the original caretakers who came before us.
We would also like to acknowledge that our community is enriched by the enduring knowledge
and deep-rooted traditions of the diverse First Nations, Metis and Inuit in Kitchener today.
We acknowledge that the City's initial response to the Calls to Action of the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission is a starting point in the City's journey to develop meaningful
relationships and work toward reconciliation with the local First Nations, Metis and Inuit
communities. We recognize and acknowledge, however, that a more comprehensive approach
to reconciliation is required to address systemic inequities, racism and to better support,
celebrate and deliver services to Indigenous Peoples in Kitchener.
In order to uphold commitments made to respond to the Calls to Action of the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission, a region -wide Reconciliation Action Plan is being launched by area
municipalities, the Region and the Grand River Conservation Authority. This work will involve
comprehensive engagement with local Indigenous communities, including Elders, knowledge
keepers and youth, to better understand the range of interests, community needs,
opportunities, and associated challenges experienced locally.
Draft Housing Strategy 2
11-19
Housing is one of our most fundamental needs. Its impact goes well beyond a basic
requirement for shelter. Our homes shape nearly every aspect of our lives:
➢ Health and wellbeing,
➢ Educational achievement,
➢ Success in the workplace,
➢ Security of our retirement, and
➢ Dignity in old age
Housing's impact extends to the broader community, too. The availability of housing choices
that meet people's needs mean safer, more sustainable and more vibrant communities. It
enables public services to be more efficient and effective, and businesses to be more diverse
and prosperous. It helps heal social divisions and make cities stronger. 1
1 Housing Strategy for Nova Scotia (2013)
Draft Housing Strategy 3
11-20
Acknowledgements
The preparation of the draft Housing Strategy is informed by the voices of those with lived experience,
generously shared through in-person, virtual and survey connections.
The direction to prepare a housing strategy for Kitchener came from the community, Council and staff.
With the leadership of Kitchener City Council, the Housing Strategy will help implement the City's 2019-
2022 Strategic Plan contributing to an innovative, caring and vibrant community.
We would like to thank the City of Kitchener Affordable Housing Strategy Advisory Committee for their
insights, review and input to this document, along with the review and strategy support of Justin Readman
and Kathryn Dever. The Affordable Housing Strategy Advisory Committee is Co -Chaired by Karen Coviello
and Justin Readman and its members are:
Council
' •Non
-Profit 104ustry 1E
Debbie Chapman
Kathy Hamilton
Lori Trumper Alex Sumner
Christine Michaud
Linda Terry
Elizabeth Clarke Mike Maxwell
Dave Schnider
Martin Asling
Karen Coviello George Bikas
Paul Singh
Margaret Ellis -Young
Dan Driedger Stephen Litt
- •
Karen Taylor -Harrison
Aleksandra Petrovic Graonic Tracey Appleton
Ryan Pettipiere
Regan Brusse
Jessica Bondy
Charles Nichols
Joe Mancini
Rhonda Wideman
Alan Praught
Al Mills Brian Doucet
Janice Bock
Carl Cadogan
The City of Kitchener Housing Strategy was prepared under the direction of Justin Readman, General
Manager of Development Services by a staff working group consisting of:
Karen Cooper, Office of the CAO
Tim Donegani, Planning Division
Andrew Ramsaroop, Planning Division
Mike Seiling, Building Division
Brandon Sloan, Planning Division
Nancy Steinfield, Technology Innovation and Services
Draft Housing Strategy 4
11-21
Kitchener is a dynamic city experiencing strong recent growth and development which is
expected to continue in the future. Kitchener contributes to Waterloo being the fastest growing
region in Canada. Over a 25 -year period, Kitchener is expected to grow by approximately 80,000
people, which is equivalent to about 35,000 new household s2. The city is changing with taller
buildings, increasing urbanization and a trend to smaller household sizes. This growth brings both
benefits and challenges.
This is the first time in several decades that Kitchener is examining affordability across the
housing continuum - from homelessness to community housing to affordable and market rental
and ownership housing as illustrated in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Housing Continuum
Source: CMHC
When the Housing Needs Assessment was prepared and presented to Council in January 2020,
affordability issues were documented throughout the housing continuum. It became clear that
a Housing Strategy was needed to address issues along the complete continuum and not just the
more usual approach to address the housing needs of people with low incomes.
Coming out of the first pandemic wave, Kitchener retains a strong resale market for housing and
applications to permit new residential development continue to be submitted to the city. New
ways of responding to homelessness during the pandemic demonstrated that providing better
supports and housing resulted in improvements in health and housing outcomes for people who
are homeless
The city is attracting a wide diversity of people eager to live and work in the community. Housing
is critical to the City's long-term prosperity, as attracting and retaining residents requires housing
options that serve all income levels and household types. As our city becomes more diverse, we
must become a more equitable and inclusive community. A city where everyone feels like they
belong, are welcome, their needs are met and they can fully share in our city's prosperity.
All levels of government, the private sector and the non-profit sector have roles to play in
addressing housing need in a community.
2 Region of Waterloo, 2017
Draft Housing Strategy 5
11-22
The Region of Waterloo has the mandate to address housing issues in the region and performs
the following significant roles in relation to affordable housing:
• Provides policy and strategic direction, including target setting for affordable housing;
• Designated by the Province as the Service Manager for housing and homelessness;
• Provides housing and support programs; and
• Is the largest community housing provider in the region.
Part of the reason for developing a strategy was to explore what local roles the City of Kitchener
could play that are complementary to the responsibilities and work of the Region, the non-profit
sector and the private sector to help ensure housing is provided in the city that meets the needs
of existing and future residents.
Building on the findings of the 2020 Needs Assessment, the Housing Strategy is intended to help
Kitchener maximize the use of senior government programs and private sector incentives to
increase the supply of affordable housing for residents.
Housing Need and Supply
The amount, type and cost of housing describe the "supply" side of the housing market. The
number of households, their income and housing requirements describe the "demand" side of
housing. Ideally, the supply of housing provided by the market through the development industry
matches and meets the needs of the people living in a municipality. In reality, there is a gap
between what housing people need and what is supplied by the market. For Kitchener, the
existing housing supply gaps are illustrated in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Existing Gaps in Kitchener's Housing Supply
of
households
Household Income
Draft Housing Strategy 6
11-23
The current housing delivery and support system is not functioning effectively. Housing needs
are not being met and the existing silo approach by levels of government, non -profits, institutions
and the private sector is not as effective as needed. Filling the housing gaps cannot be met by
market forces and the development industry alone. Significant investment from the federal and
provincial governments in funding housing that fills the gaps is needed to meet people's existing
needs.
➢ Housing as a Human Right.
➢ Elimination of Not -In -My -Back -Yard (NIMBY) opposition to varied housing tenures
and types.
➢ Equity, Diversity, Inclusion in Housing.
➢ Housing as a Safety Net.
➢ A Reimagined Shelter and Supportive Housing System.
➢ Stable, secure, affordable housing is a human right.
➢ People focused — must think about the people affected the most.
➢ Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) principles help identify and remove barriers and
reinforce best practices.
➢ Explicitly anti-racist/anti-discriminatory.
➢ Realistic timelines and achievable actions.
➢ Creation of a collaborative, co-ordinated Housing Advocacy Plan (to end
homelessness).
➢ New ways of working together.
➢ Focus on what Kitchener can uniquely do.
➢ Kitchener advocating for others in what they need to do.
➢ Making best use of resources.
➢ Five Strategies - Meeting Needs, What the City Can Do, Working Together, Being
Informed/Informing and Implementation/Work Plan.
A critical element of Housing Strategy is the recognition that we must all work together, through
partnerships and creative solutions, to make the needed substantive and long-lasting changes to
help make housing more affordable.
Draft Housing Strategy 7
11-24
Proposed Strategic Actions Include:
1. Meeting Needs
1.1 Establish the following housing targets:
• 450 units of transitional and supportive housing for people who are homeless or at risk
of homelessness are needed. This includes approximately 170 housing units for men, 70
housing units for women, 60 housing units for youth, 50 housing units for people with
acute concurrent mental health and addiction challenges and 100 units for people with
cognitive challenges.
• 5,000 units of community housing for people with low and modest incomes on the
Housing Waiting List wanting to live in Kitchener are needed. Note: Increase from 3,000
households reported in Dec 2019
• 9,300 new affordable rental housing units at monthly rents under $1,300 for people with
household incomes under $63,000 are needed. Nearly 4,000 of these needed units are
for people paying more than 50% of their income on rent.
2. What the City Can Do
Staff and the Advisory Committee have focused their efforts on identifying roles and responses
that are unique to the City and where Kitchener has jurisdiction or resources. All agreed that
the Region of Waterloo should continue with its mandate, roles and responsibilities regarding
homelessness and housing. Effort has been made for the city actions to be complementary and
supportive of Region of Waterloo mandate, roles and responsibilities.
Policies
2.1 Report to Council on the feasibility and implications of the following potential policies:
• Inclusionary Housing Policy and implementing Zoning Bylaw (September 2020)
• Lodging House Policy (December 2020)
• Parking Waiver Policy and implementing Zoning Bylaw for affordable housing
developments (December 2020)
• Parkland Dedication Waiver Policy for affordable housing developments (2021)
• Tenant Relocation Assistance Policy to mitigate the impacts resulting from
redevelopment of purpose-built rental apartments on current tenants, including
consideration of developers providing advanced notice and assistance to residents
including plans for relocating existing residents (Propose doing this in collaboration with
Cities of Cambridge and Waterloo in 2021)
• Request Region to include consideration of funding for growth related (future)
affordable housing developments in creation of development charge and community
benefit policies (2021)
• Community Improvement Plan for affordable housing (2021)
• Request Region to explore feasibility of a HomeShare living model
Draft Housing Strategy 8
11-25
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Development Approval Process
2.2 Continue improving the development approval process through the Development Services
Review with input from the development industry and the community
Incentives, Fees and Waivers
2.3 Report to Council on the feasibility and implications of the following incentives, fees and
waivers:
• Continue the Fee Waiver Policy for non-profit organizations and expand its application to
affordable housing units provided in private sector development applications.
• Implement a 20 -year, interest-free deferral of development charges for eligible affordable
housing projects
• Request the Region and School Boards to jointly review with the City a reduction of
Development Charges for affordable housing developments
• Report to Council on the feasibility of establishing an Affordable Housing Reserve Fund to
provide ongoing funding to support Housing Intiatives
City Lands
2.4 Develop a strategy for the use of specific surplus city lands for affordable housing, including:
• Identifying City and Regional site(s) for development of permanent supportive housing for
people to move to from Lot 42 A Better Tent City, tenting encampments, shelters and
homelessness (immediate)
• A "priority' Pilot Project involving supportive and community rental housing in proximity
to transit /major transit center (initiate in 2020)
• Identifying city lands suitable for others to develop for affordable housing and seek to
incorporate units that house people leaving homelessness, supportive housing,
community housing, below market rental and below market ownership (2021)
• Assessing feasibility of including affordable housing in the development of new or
redeveloped City facilities, eg. community centers, fire stations (2022)
Draft Housing Strategy 9
11-26
• Kitchener playing a leadership role in advancing innovative mixed housing communities
utilizing strategic parcels of city land, as a model for other Canadian communities to
replicate. (2022)
3. Working Together
Advocacy
3.1 Request the Region of Waterloo develop, in collaboration with local municipalities, non-
profit housing, support, and philanthropic organizations and the private sector, a capital
and operating funding strategy to end homelessness through a reimagined shelter,
supportive and community housing plan. This strategy should integrate affordable housing,
economic development and transit strategies as they all corelate to affordability and
wellbeing outcomes.
3.2 Jointly advocate for Provincial and Federal funding for housing acquisition, renovation and
development of affordable housing and related supports along the housing continuum as
part of community building, sustainability and economic recovery, including funding and
supports for:
• House of Friendship seeking 2 sites and funding for the ShelterCare integrated health
and transitional housing concept (80 units) and for supportive housing project (60
units)
• YWCA -KW seeking a site and funding for approximately 30 one -bedroom units of
affordable supportive housing for women leaving homelessness
• The Working Centre to acquire and renovate a second site to house and support
people who are homeless and to add 40 units of housing to add to their affordable
housing portfolio
• Kitchener Housing Inc (KHI) seeking a site and work in partnership with a developer to
create new community housing and to purchase buildings to preserve affordable
housing
• One Roof's proposal to develop approximately 58 units of supportive modular housing
on their site for youth who are homeless
• Waterloo Region Habitat for Humanity seeking sites for affordable home ownership
• Indwell seeking 2-3 more sites in Kitchener for approximately 120 to 180 supportive
housing units
• Menno Homes seeking funding to complete its project under development
• Habilitation seeking funding for a supportive housing project
• Reception House Waterloo Region seeking a site and funding for the development of
a Refugee Services Hub.
• John Howard Society Waterloo -Wellington seeking funding and resources for a full-
time staff member to help develop a housing strategy/model
• Church and Religious Institutions within the City have expressed interest in
redeveloping their surplus lands to accommodate affordable housing. However, they
often lack the capital funds and development experience to do so.
Draft Housing Strategy 10
11-27
• Private Sector Affordable Housing developers have expressed interest in developing
more affordable housing units, but face barriers around acquiring sites and capital
funds.
3.3 Request the Region of Waterloo to revise its Housing and Homelessness Plan to incorporate
local municipal input and needs and develop future plans in collaboration with local
municipalities, non-profit housing, support and philanthropic organizations and the private
sector.
3.4 Request (through AMO) the Government of Ontario to develop and adopt a provincial
housing strategy including measurable targets and provision of sufficient funds to
accelerate progress on ending homelessness and ensuring access of all Ontarians, including
those of limited income, to housing of an adequate standard without discrimination. It
should also take into consideration the needs of Indigenous people, people with disabilities
including mental illness, women experiencing domestic violence, Ione parents, immigrants
and newcomers and other people living in poverty or with low incomes.
Partnerships
3.5 Develop jointly a Region/City Charter to ensure more collaboration and opportunities to
identify and address housing challenges in Kitchener.
3.6 Continue working with the private sector and facilitate partnerships with non-profit
partners to provide more affordable housing
4. Being Informed/Informing
Housing data specific to the City of Kitchener has been challenging to collect. Renovictions remove
affordable housing and generally result in much higher rents being charged post renovation or
redevelopment. Commodification of housing, where housing is held on speculation, for
investment, or used to generate income instead of as a place to live is increasing through Airbnbs,
rental condos, or other untracked rental housing types.
4.1 Provide regular updates to the Council, the public and staff on housing needs assessments
4.2 Undertake additional work to assess housing needs for:
• People who are homeless
• Indigenous Peoples
• Seniors
• Immigrants
• Students
• Future population
• LG BTQ+
• Women
4.3 Track and monitor renovictions, where tenants are displaced from their homes to allow major
renovations or redevelopment to proceed and housing held for investment in Kitchener.
Draft Housing Strategy 11
11-28
4.4 Use the City's Social Media Platform to engage and inform the public on addressing housing
issues in the city.
4.5 Establish a Lived -Experience advisory group to advise staff on addressing housing issues in
the city and to monitor strategy implementation and measure success.
S. Implementation/Workplan
5.1 Develop a prioritized annual work plan to implement the Housing Strategy including timing
and responsibilities, to be used to inform annual budgets
5.2 Recommend an annual operating amount to support housing initiatives (To be quantified)
5.3 Provide staffing to support implementation of the Affordable Housing Strategy (To be
quantified)
5.4 Provide regular public reports on success and challenges in implementing the Housing
Strategy
Draft Housing Strategy
"Governments must recognize the needs of
affordable housing. People have different
needs, regarding housing. Whether you are
on OW, Ontario disability, Mental health,
senior working and make a low Income.
There is a need for affordable housing.
Affordable housing that is in good repair,
safe, that you can call home [...] If I lost my
affordable housing I would end up in a
shelter or the street."
- Engage Kitchener Survey
Respondant
12
11-29
Table of Contents
1. Where We Started........................................................................................................................14
StrategicPlan......................................................................................................................................14
WorkPlan............................................................................................................................................15
NeedsAssessment..............................................................................................................................16
HousingNeed and Supply...................................................................................................................17
Development Services Review............................................................................................................
19
InclusionaryZoning.............................................................................................................................20
Council Discussion on Issues and Options..........................................................................................
22
Engage Kitchener Survey on the Issues and Options around Housing ...............................................
22
2. Pandemic.....................................................................................................................................26
ShelterCare..........................................................................................................................................
26
ABetter Tent City................................................................................................................................
27
Regional, City, Service Provider Partnership to Address Homelessness............................................28
3. Where We Want To Be.................................................................................................................29
Housingas a Human Right..................................................................................................................29
Elimination of Not -In -My -Back -Yard (NIMBY)....................................................................................30
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion..................................................................................................................30
Housingas a Safety Net......................................................................................................................
30
A Reimagined Shelter and Supportive Housing System......................................................................
31
4. How We Can Get There................................................................................................................31
5. Strategies.....................................................................................................................................34
Strategy1: Meeting Needs.....................................................................................................................34
Strategy 2: What the City Can Do..........................................................................................................
34
Strategy3: Working Together................................................................................................................
36
Strategy 4: Being Informed/Informing..................................................................................................37
Strategy 5: Implementation/Work Plan................................................................................................
38
Appendix 1: Affordable Housing Advisory Committee — Sub -Committees Work Summary..................39
Draft Housing Strategy 13
11-30
1. Where We Started
Strategic Plan
Kitchener's strategic vision is that "Together we will
build an innovative, caring and vibrant community"
In 2018 the Environics Survey of Kitchener residents
seeking input on community priorities to help
prepare the 2019-2022 Strategic Plan reported a
sizable increase in the interest of residents in seeing
mental health and addictions, homelessness and
affordable housing issues addressed in the city.
Link to Staff Report
Substantiated through additional community
engagement, the Caring Community goal to "Enhance
people's sense of belonging and connection by
providing welcoming community spaces and
programs, better engaging, serving and supporting
our diverse populations and helping to make housing
affordable" was approved by Council in the 2019-
2022 Strategic Plan.
Council also approved the strategic plan action to
"Create an Affordable Housing Strategy for Kitchener
by 2020 in collaboration with the Region of Waterloo,
community groups and the development industry."
Link to Strategic Plan
Public response to the Strategic Plan proposal
to create an Affordable Housing Strategy
"We need this. Seeing the mentally low
individuals on our streets in a bad time in their
life reflects on us all. Everyone deserves a roof to
sleep under and food to eat. Please make it
happen."
"Affordable housing, mental health and
supporting recovery from addictions need to be a
priority for our entire society."
"1 am very excited for a focused city strategy on
affordable housing. At the some time, it is
essential that people feel like they belong. I am
very pleased to see a focus on diversity and
inclusion in a variety of ways."
"These to me (Caring Community) 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 1 often
see Kitchener as taking a lead on a number of the
goals outlined here and I strongly hope that
The Vibrant Economy Goal of the 2019-2022 Strategic I continues and strengthens."
Plan is to build a vibrant city by making strategic
investments to support job creation, economic
prosperity, thriving arts and culture, and great places t
live.
One of the actions under this goal is to complete a
comprehensive city -owned property review by 2020
to determine how properties could be effectively
used to advance city strategic objectives. Properties
are being reviewed by staff. Council will consider
land disposition and acquisition in camera and
decision information will be publicly available.
Draft Housing Strategy
"City needs to be determined to set clear goals in
affordable housing as a priority, as so far, with
the weak enforcement, we are losing low -rent
housing and not rebuilding it. Inclusionary zoning
to be determined asap. No bonusing for things
that developers should do anyway: green space,
arts and such. Incentives only for minimum 10%
affordable housing. "
011
14
-31
Work Plan
The following 5 -phase work plan guides the development of the Housing Strategy.
Link to Staff Report
Council appointed Councillors Chapman, Michaud, Schnider and Singh to an Advisory
Committee of diverse representatives of people with lived experience, affordable housing and
service providers, developers, the Region of Waterloo, the LHN, academia and the community
to provide their advice to staff on developing the housing strategy.
The Advisory Committee began meeting in November 2019. Four Subcommittees were
established and progress reports from three of the sub -committees are contained in Appendix 1.
Work on the Lodging House Sub -committee will commence in Fall 2020.
Draft Housing Strategy 15
11-32
Needs Assessment
Staff completed a comprehensive needs assessment, with input from the Advisory Committee, in
January 2020 to inform Council, the public and stakeholders on the state of housing in the city.
Link to Needs Assessment
Key Findings include:
The current housing delivery and support system is not functioning effectively.
Housing in recent years has become more unaffordable for an increasingly larger share of
Kitchener's population.
Poverty and Core Housing Need is increasing in the City of Kitchener.
Housing prices continue to increase as shown in the following table.
Figure 2: Average Re -Sale Price of Houses & Income Needed to Own December 2019 & July 2020
Average House Price % Increase Household Income Required
Dec 2019/July 2020 Dec -Jul Dec 2019/July 2020
Single Detached $582,080/$745,149 +28% $164,275/**
Semi Detached $435,133/$522,872 +20% $122,803/
Townhouse $401,708/$465,756 +16% $113,370/
Condo
Apartment $304,939/$392,770 +29% $86,060/
Average $499,323/$639,814 $140,919/
Source: Kitchener -Waterloo Association of Realtors 2019 and 2020, House Priced based
on Average MLS Sale Price
(*Rolling 12 months average price as of December 2019 and July 2020)
This has placed pressure on the rental market as people who would have purchased homes are
staying in rental accommodation, because incomes have not increased in pace with increases in
housing costs. Redevelopment has eliminated some of the affordable rental housing and
replaced it with more condos and more expensive rental housing.
In August 2019 Kitchener's rent increases were reported to be the greatest in Canada, up nearly
16% over the previous year. At $1,310 per month for a one -bedroom apartment Kitchener was
the seventh most expensive in the 24 largest municipalities across Canada. In August 2020
Kitchener moved to tenth place of most expensive one -bedroom rents with a median rent of
$1,370.3
s Padmapper 2019 and 2020
Draft Housing Strategy 16
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Housing Need and Supply
In Canada, generally those who can afford to buy housing do so - in part to provide security of
tenure and in part as an investment. Across the country, 67.8% of Canadians own and 30.2% rent
their housing, with the trend being a decline in ownership and an in increase in renting.4 The
amount, type and cost of housing describe the "supply" side of the housing market. The number
of households, income and housing requirements describe the "demand" side of housing. Ideally,
the supply of housing provided by the market through the development industry matches and
meets the needs of the people living in a municipality, as illustrated in the following figure.
Figure 3: Ideal Housing Demand and Housing Supply Graph
x ��
,--hold::.
PIMMUNIUMMM
In reality, there is a gap between what housing people need and what is supplied by the market.
For Kitchener, the existing housing supply gaps are illustrated in Figure 4 and include:
• 450 units of transitional and supportive housing for people who are homeless or at risk
of homelessness are needed. This includes approximately 170 housing units for men, 70
housing units for women, 60 housing units for youth, 50 housing units for people with
acute concurrent mental health and addiction challenges and 100 units for people with
cognitive challenges.
5,000 units of community housing for people with low and modest incomes on the
Housing Waiting List wanting to live in Kitchener are needed. Note: Increase from 3,000
households reported in Dec 2019
4 Stats Canada 2016 Census https://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/economy/demographics/census/cenhil6-
11.html
Draft Housing Strategy 17
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• 9,300 new affordable rental housing units at monthly rents under $1,300 for people with
household incomes under $63,000 are needed. Nearly 4,000 of these needed units are
for people paying more than 50% of their income on rent.
Figure 4: Existing Gaps in Kitchener's Housing Supply
U of
households
Household Income
The current housing delivery and support system is not functioning effectively. Housing needs
are not being met and the existing silo approach by levels of government, non -profits,
institutions and the private sector is not as effective as needed. Filling the Housing Gaps cannot
be met by market forces and the development industry alone. Significant investment from the
federal and provincial governments in funding housing that fills the gaps is needed to meet
people's existing needs.
Attaining affordable housing is especially challenging for:
• People who are homeless — especially for people with mental health and addiction
challenges
• Students and youth
• Recent immigrants
• Indigenous people
• Single parents
• People earning the minimum wage
• People with disabilities with low to moderate incomes
• Seniors, especially those in rental housing or requiring care. (The population aged 65
years and older increased by 35% from 2006 to 2016 and is expected to almost double
(increase by 94%) by 2041.)
Draft Housing Strategy 18
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Housing data specific to the City of Kitchener has been challenging to collect. Additional work is
needed to assess housing for:
• People who are Homeless
• Indigenous Peoples
• Seniors
• Immigrants
• Students
• Future population
• LG BTQ+
• Women
Renovictions, where tenants are displaced from their homes to allow major renovations or
redevelopment to proceed, are not tracked or monitored for Kitchener. Housing held for
investment is not tracked or monitored for Kitchener.
Kitchener has an experienced non-profit housing sector.
The private sector is interested in developing affordable housing and improving the
development review process and planning context to allow more housing to be built.
More collaboration is needed between the City and the Region to identify and address housing
challenges in Kitchener.
Development Services Review
There is a correlation between the review/approval timeline for development applications and
the affordability of housing units. The Development Services Review is underway in parallel
with the development of the Housing Strategy. The goal of the Development Services Review is
to bring a greater focus, coordination and accountability to the City's development functions
and, in doing so, reduce overall process lead times by 30% through a series of cumulative,
incremental process improvements.
City staff have been working with both internal and external stakeholders over the past year to
undertake an end-to-end process review of the full site plan approval process, which has
included the design and implementation of several improvements positively impacting the
development community including:
• The digital submission and review process has been advanced during the pandemic.
Paper files have been eliminated, circulations are completed electronically, there is a
new digital stamping/approval process, and training is underway with staff across all
commenting divisions on a new and standardized approach to completing digital
reviews using Bluebeam. This will save developers time and money and result in
consistent feedback from the City. Commenting parties will see/review the comments of
their colleagues to ensure that comments do not conflict.
• Pre -submission meetings are more meaningful: staff comments are provided to the
applicant in advance of the meeting; there is a new ability to request staff attendance at
Draft Housing Strategy 19
11-36
meeting; the discussion focused on red -flag issues only; there is clarity related to
requirements for submitting a full application.
• Reviewers are assigned across the life cycle of a file beginning at the pre -submission
stage, providing for greater consistency and continuity.
• Staff resourcing has been adjusted to help ensure 'complete application' reviews.
Backlogs have been eliminated with 10 file planners reviewing for completeness versus
1 previously. Complete applications are assigned to the same planner who reviewed the
pre -consultation submission.
• The most common reasons that submissions are incomplete have been identified and 11
improvements are being implemented to help facilitate complete submissions, thereby
eliminating time lost in multiple resubmissions.
• The City now grants partial sign -off for onsite works certifications. Now, once something
has passed an inspection, it is never added back to the deficiency list. This will save
developers a significant amount of time and money through this streamlined process.
• A new proactive process has been established to notify developers when the City is
holding securities. This should result in more timely inspections and return of securities.
• Website updates are currently underway to outline the steps in the full site plan
process, provide estimated timelines, and consolidate all multi -disciplinary
requirements in one location.
The City is using the philosophy of continuous improvements and is employing the Lean
methodology to develop and implement process improvements. In fall 2020, staff will be
working on the development of industry explainers/scorecards that explain how to get a
passing score at various stages of the development process and will be reviewing file
management practices and accountabilities.
As improvements are implemented, measures of success are identified, and data is collected. As
the site plan process is a multi-year process, staff anticipate data will be available later in
2020. More information on the Development Services Review can be found here.
Inclusionary Zoning
Kitchener has been reviewing the feasibility of using inclusionary zoning in collaboration with
the cities of Waterloo and Cambridge and the Region of Waterloo. The work on inclusionary
zoning is underway in tandem with preparing the Affordable Housing Strategy. Steps in the
Inclusionary Zoning Review include:
Draft Housing Strategy 20
11-37
Figure 5: Inclusionary Zoning Workplan
Bacdoun
gr
Work Housing Needs Financial impact Key Stakeholder
As Assessme n Meetings
Jan-Sept2020
kL Policy PalicyDirections: set
Devel• - aside rate, depth of Explore ownership and c ormmunity and
2ffordability, period of operation models stakehotder
affordability, tenure, engagemenk
OFF E2020-201phase ins, etc.
Policy ki
AdopZoningBy-law Finalizeawnershi and
Finalizationand Coning By-law p
amendment operation models
f
• • Policy Approved by New affordable units Biennial monitoring
Region constructed and reports
1 g occupied
Council direction to
continue+worMng on Q
The tool is typically used to create affordable housing for low -and moderate -income
households. In Ontario, this means families and individuals in the lower 60% of the income
distribution for the regional market area, as defined in the Provincial Policy Statement, 2014.
Generally, inclusionary zoning tends to work best in locations experiencing rapid population
growth and high demand for housing, accompanied by strong economies and housing markets.
The key components of inclusionary zoning programs include:
• an assessment report on housing in the community
• financial viability for developers
• located in major transit station areas
• official plan policies in support of inclusionary zoning
• a by-law or by-laws passed under section 34 of the Planning Act implementing
inclusionary zoning official plan policies
Key Principles of successful inclusionary policies include:
r,7 -
M ^AL
L: 9"h! EWA EEF-, R I
Partner with Capture Lona term Moderate Minimize
development value in new sustainability affordability lana market
community density disrupt=ion
Draft Housing Strategy 21
11-38
Staff will be reporting to Council in Fall 2020 with the findings from the review of the feasibility
to implement inclusionary policies and zoning and seeking direction to undertake public
consultation.
Council Discussion on Issues and Options
Council participated in a strategic session in February 2020 to review housing issues and
options identified by staff and the Advisory Committee (Link to staff report). The overall
feedback from Council was that addressing homelessness should be a top priority in developing
the Housing Strategy for Kitchener. Council reiterated that addressing homelessness is not
within the mandate of our local government and it is the Region of Waterloo's mandate.
Council asked: "How do we deal with this?"
Council addressed entering the discussion on resolving homelessness as a partner and not
taking on sole responsibility. Council noted transformational change is needed. Instead of
relying on shelters, housing should be provided with needed services for people. Spending on
homelessness has been reactive, to date. If it was done proactively it would help solve some of
the homelessness issues. The City can be an effective advocate working with the Region.
Other housing issues commented on by Council include:
• Clarity on Defining "Affordable"
• Community Rental Housing
• Affordable Rental Housing
• Affordable Home Ownership
• Controls to ensure units remain affordable
• Recognize Affordable Housing as an Economic Driver
• Development Services processes to achieve greater efficiencies
• Filling Gaps in Housing Supply
• Ways To Increase Housing Supply
• Consider Inclusionary Housing
• Focus on Housing and Transit Strategy Relationship
Engage Kitchener Survey on the Issues and Options around Housing
Based on responses from the Council Strategy Session and Advisory Committee workshops, city
staffcreated the Engage Kitchener survey in order to receive community engagement on what
the public believed were the issues and options surrounding housing in Kitchener, and to describe
what they believe are the roles and responsibilities of the various sectors that influence housing.
With the help of advisory committee members and other community partners in the non-profit
sector, the survey was able to be delivered to various shelters, supportive housing units and other
service centres in an accessible format to get input from those with lived experience. As well,
committee members dispersed the survey through their various networks which helped the
survey receive insightful responses even throughout the pandemic.
Draft Housing Strategy 22
11-39
Engage Kitchener - Survey Results
The Engage Kitchener Survey asked the public to provide their input on the issues and options
regarding housing in Kitchener. The Engage Kitchener survey was conducted from March 13th,
2020 to May 8th 2020 and received 177 unique responses.
Figure 6 illustrates the distribution of responses by postal code forward sortation area, which
closely aligns with the City's Ward boundaries. Ward 9 had the highest proportion of respondents
followed by Wards 10 and 8. Figure 7 illustrates distribution of residents in core housing need by
census tract, and when compared to the distribution of survey responses the two somewhat
align.
rigure b: tngage Kitcnener Kesponaent uistrioution oy rorwara Sortation
Area (FSA)
Draft Housing Strategy
riyure 1. rercenidye of NUMUner MesioenUs ui sore
Housing Need by census tract.
23
11-40
The Issues and Options section of the Engage Kitchener Survey asked the following:
S. What were the top three issues that should be prioritized in the Housing Strategy?
6. What are the biggest challenges finding affordable housing?
7. Where along the housing continuum the city should focus its efforts?
8. What were the top options to address housing issues in Kitchener?
The Roles and Responsibilities section of the Engaged Kitchener Survey asked:TWhat do you
believe are the roles and responsibilities around housing of the following sectors?
Figure 8: Engage Kitchener Survey Responses — Issues and Options
City of Kitchener
Housing Strategy
Issues and Options Survey
Results
Biggest Challenges to Finding Housing
Cost 31%
Not Enough 24%
mm'4 Location 11%
Options to address housing Issues
in Kitchener
• Inclusionary
Zoning
Make City Land Available
for Affordable Housing and
Encourage Partnerships
Between those that help
and those that build
Create an advocacy plan
Top 3 Issues that should be
prioritized
Q1Need for collaboration between government
J/- agencies and service providers.
A greater variety of housing types to meet the
14 � needs of diverse households.
Need for a people centred approach vs. a
13� system or program based approach vs support
used)
people in leaving homelessness and staying housed
Where along the housing continuum
should the city focus its efforts?
,�-- I - -
- " " -
n , --� 771 VO�F� ' ---i- n I - n- I i-1
Homelessness, Community Affordable
Emergency Shelter, Housing Rental
Transitional Housing
Figure 9 illustrates the major themes that emerged through analysis of the Roles and
Responsibilities section of the Engage Kitchener Survey.
Draft Housing Strategy 24
11-41
Figure 9 — Engage Kitchener Survey Results — Roles and Responsibilities
O
Government
Theme 1: 26%
answered:
Government
should provide
development
incentives.
I Private Sector I Non -Profit Sector I
Theme 2: 8% I
answered:
Coordinate efforts
between levels of I
government.
Theme 3: 6% I
answered:
Government should
establish guidelines I
and regulations to
build affordable I
housing.
Theme is 15% I
answered: The
need for the private I
sector/developers
to collaborate with I
government and non-
profits.
Theme 2:15% of I
answered: Private
Sector should have I
an awareness of
the need in the I
community.
Theme 3:14% of
answered: Private I
sector should have a
social responsibility to I
the community,
Theme is 2o%
answered: Non-profit
housing providers
should provide
good housing,
diverse options and
appropriate supports.
Theme 2: 15%
answered: Non-profit
housing providers
should Continue to
Listen and advocate.
Theme 3: 15%
answered: Non-profit
housing providers
need more support,
funding and resources.
000 000
n no
Post- Secondary
Education
Theme 1: s9%
answered: Post-
secondary institutions
should be responsible
for providing adequate
and affordable housing
for students.
Theme 2: 13%
answered: Post-
secondary institutions
are responsible for
educating and removing
stigma.
Theme 3:12%
answered: Post-
secondary institutions
I should provide more
socially aware and
inclusion educations
in planning, health and
economics.
Healthcare
ITheme is 28%
answered: Healthcare
Isystem and housing
system need to be
Iinterconnected.
Theme 2:26%
answered: Equitable
access to healthcare
I for the most vulnerable
populations.
I Theme 3:13%
answered: Healthcare on
I location including mobile
clinics. }
1
KITc R
"I think this is a really important issue and the most helpful thing to do is to bring
together people in the housing field (policy makers, funders, people looking for
housing, people working with those looking for housing etc.)."
- Engage Kitchener Survey Respondant
Draft Housing Strategy 25
11-42
2. Pandemic
Coming out of the first pandemic wave, Kitchener retains a strong resale market for housing and
applications to permit new residential development continue to be submitted to the city.
However, housing has become increasingly unaffordable for an increasingly larger share of
Kitchener's population. Incomes are not keeping pace with rising costs of rental and ownership
housing. Poverty and Core Housing Need is increasing in the city.
COVID-19 affected people's lives through adjustments like working from home, losing jobs or
income, not being able to hug family and friends, or battling new stresses and anxieties
associated with uncertainty. For many, staying indoors and adjusting to a physically distanced
life is challenging; but it has disproportionately increased risks for people who are homeless.
The usual model of sheltering the homeless involves placing several people in close proximity to
one another, giving them a place to sleep and a meal to eat — with no ability to physically
distance. Time allowed in a shelter is usually nighttime only, with people having to leave each
morning.
ShelterCare
Knowing that the existing shelter model would
not work during the pandemic, House of
Friendship, seized the opportunity to pilot its
ShelterCare concept - integrating decent
"/feel like for the first time in a long time I'm ready to
tackle my addictions because, in the conditions of the
hotel, 1 am able to see that I am starting to feel like
me. Thanks to the hotel team I realized that 1 have a
housing, services and health care. Acting quickly life worth living and can do this." Resident
with the Region of Waterloo to find dignified
shelter for homeless men, they secured a "... the rest, and services at the hotel, gets participants
partnership with the Radisson Hotel to provide to think about making healthy, alternative choices.
24/7 housing for 51 men from the Charles Typically, at the shelter, we would have had 5 referrals
Street Shelter, until the end of August 2020. to residential addiction treatments every 4-6 months
whereas now we have had 5 in the last month alone."
Through additional partnerships, the capacity
safely increased to 97 people, and healthcare
was provided onsite by Inner City Health
Alliance. A primary care clinic operated from
10am — 3pm, seeing 12 participants a day. A
COVID-19 isolation floor allowed those with
potential Covid symptoms to be tested and
treated. There have been zero COVID positive
cases.
The hotel became a place where all needs were
met under one roof. Staff worked closely with
le to care for their overall wellbein
Draft Housing Strategy
Staff
TOVID-19 has created opportunities for self -
reflection, and prompted discussion of how we treat
marginalized populations. The pandemic showed us
that challenging the status quo is essential in tackling
the inequalities we see today across Canada... There is
nothing radical about housing the homeless,
preventing drug overdoses, feeding the hungry,
increasing minimum wages, or reducing prison
populations. These measures are urgently needed and
are simply humane. They should be our "new normal"
in Canada moving forward."
26
11-43
ensuring food, quality sleep, healthcare,
recreation activities, community and support
are provided. Importantly, staff created a
housing plan with each person, to help them
move forward with their life.
The new model resulted in a safer work
environment for staff, decreased overdoses
(and other serious occurrences), reduced
incident reports, and increased the overall well-
being of participants.
A Better Tent City
Karamouzian, Mohammad, Inequality means we're
not all in this together, Toronto Star, July 29, 2020.
The COVID19 pandemic has caused significant challenges for individuals in our community
experiencing homelessness. People could not self -isolate without a home. Places people
regularly used during the day, such as libraries, community centers, and public washrooms, were
closed. In responding to the COVID19 pandemic, the Region of Waterloo received federal funding
to address needs of people who were homeless and worked with community partners to
temporarily create additional capacity.
The temporary increase in capacity did not meet all of the diverse needs of people who are
homeless. As a grassroots response to this challenge, members of the community developed "A
Better Tent City" to provide an alternative to unsanctioned tent encampments in the city. In April
2020, the owner of 41 Ardelt Place (also known as LOT42) gave permission for approximately 20
individuals to tent on the property, providing access to a portion of the building including
washroom facilities. This was expanded in June to include "shed" structures along with a mobile
trailer adapted with shower and laundry facilities. There are approximately 40 people living on
site. The organizers have indicated that it is intended to be a short-term location for the initiative
t PR
Draft Housing Strategy 27
11-44
Regional, City, Service Provider Partnership to Address Homelessness
The Region of Waterloo has indicated they want to work in collaboration with municipal and
community partners on a "post -pandemic" plan to re -imagine the shelter system in order to
better meet the diverse needs of people experiencing homelessness. This will include identifying
immediate, mid-term and longer-term housing options and supports.
On July 6, 2020 Kitchener City Council passed a resolution that included:
• directing staff to temporarily suspend enforcement of the Zoning Bylaw in support of A
Better Tent City pilot project at 41 Ardelt Place, for up to one year, subject to conditions;
• that the owner engage with the Region of Waterloo, City of Kitchener, community
partners and site residents regarding the relocation of the facility or alternative solutions
for people to support their transition to appropriate housing;
• that City staff work with Regional staff to identify and secure sites for the relocation of
residents of Lot 42 and tenting encampments; and
• deferred until August 31, consideration of the motion that the City of Kitchener use the
remaining $40,000 of the 2020 Affordable Housing Strategy funding to support
development of initiatives to help people move from homelessness to housing."
On August 11, 2020 Regional Council directed regional staff to secure dormitory -style spaces for
up to 12 months to accommodate a minimum of 144 adult men experiencing homelessness.
Regional staff agreed that the accounting of people experiencing homelessness needs to be
improved and agreed to work with service providers and municipalities to develop an
accounting that included people who used the shelter system and people who were homeless
and did not access the existing shelter spaces.
As part of establishing new dormitory -style shelter spaces, Region staff and shelter providers
will be exploring changes to shelter programs and services to respond to individuals who are
unsheltered. These changes could include an exploration of a continuum of harm reduction
models within shelters, a review of service restriction practices and policies, as well as the
provision of additional on-site services related to health, mental health, and addiction supports.
Recognizing that through the lens of health, safety, and infection control, the pandemic has
reinforced the need to make decisions that prioritize permanent housing solutions, Regional
Council also directed staff to explore developing alternative housing with support on surplus
land by identifying potential sites and engaging in an Expression of Interest process. To that
end, Region and City of Kitchener staff are collaborating to develop plans to utilize surplus lands
to provide alternative housing and support to individuals who are experiencing homelessness.
"This pandemic has shown that governments can solve homelessness"
Leilani Farha, UN Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing, April 2020
Draft Housing Strategy 28
11-45
Meeting the needs of our most vulnerable citizens requires creative solutions and flexibility. The
City is committed to work with the Region of Waterloo and our community partners to establish
sustainable solutions to address the needs of people who are homeless in our city.
3. Where We Want To Be
Housing as a Human Right
International human rights law establishes a right to housing.
Canada committed to the United Nations that we would "recognize the right of everyone to an
adequate standard of living... including adequate food, clothing and housing."
In 2019 Canadian law first recognized that the right to adequate housing is a fundamental
human right through the passage of the National Housing Strategy Act.
The Act recognizes that housing is essential to people's inherent dignity and well-being, and is
essential to building sustainable and inclusive communities. The Federal government is
required to develop and maintain a national housing strategy that takes a human rights -based
approach to housing. This involves setting out a long-term vision for housing, establishing
national goals on housing and homelessness, focusing solutions on those in greatest need and
including the public in the process, especially those with lived experience of homelessness or
unstable housing.'
In 2008 the Ontario Human Rights Commission reported on its rental housing consultation that:
"it is Ontario's most vulnerable families and individuals who bear the human toll
of inadequacies in the province's rental housing sector... The racialization of
poverty and the overlaps between mental illness and homelessness were raised
repeatedly throughout the consultation ... For refugees, immigrants, transgendered
people, lone mothers, Aboriginal people, people with mental illnesses or other
disabilities, and other people protected under the Ontario Human Rights Code, the
human rights dimensions of the housing crisis are undeniable.6
Un -coordinated actions between all levels of government to eliminate homelessness and to
provide sufficient levels of adequate and affordable housing to meet the needs of Code -
protected groups and individuals is a concern for many. Housing strategies aimed at addressing
homelessness and increasing access to affordable housing in Ontario must be consistent with
international human rights obligations, the Code and applicable human rights principles.'
5 Hale, Kenn, We got the Right to Housing. Now What? June 27, 2019, https://www.acto.ca/
6OHRC
ibid
Draft Housing Strategy 29
11-46
Elimination of Not -In -My -Back -Yard (NIMBY) opposition to different housing types and
tenures
NIMBY opposition to affordable or supportive housing projects, and the impact of this on
tenants, housing providers and society as a whole is not conducive to a just and sustainable
society. People with disabilities including mental illnesses, young parents and other persons
protected under the Code may be exposed to discriminatory comments or conduct both during
the planning process and once the housing is built. In many cases, NIMBYism prevents, delays
or increases the costs of developing much needed housing for Code -protected groups and
individuals. It is time that a comprehensive strategy be developed to make sure that
discriminatory NIMBYism does not hinder the creation of affordable housing for Code -
protected people.$
The barriers created by NIMBY opposition cannot be overcome by any one stakeholder in
isolation. The committed involvement of housing providers and developers, municipalities,
municipal affordable housing committees and committees of adjustment, and other levels of
government is necessary to eliminate these kinds of barriers to the creation of new and
affordable housing. Neighbourhood groups, local business associations and homeowners in
communities need also be aware that it is not acceptable to oppose affordable housing
developments because of who will live in them. 9
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion
Kitchener is attracting a wide diversity of people eager to live and work in the community.
Housing is critical to the City's long-term prosperity, as attracting and retaining residents requires
housing options that serve all income levels and household types. As our city becomes more
diverse, we must become a more equitable and inclusive community. A city where everyone feels
like they belong, are welcome, their needs are met and they can fully share in our city's
prosperity. To ensure equitable, diverse inclusive communities, housing must serve as a safety
net, a platform and as a building block for inclusion.
Housing as a Safety Net
Housing offers stability and the shortage of affordable housing for people with low and
moderate incomes has implications for their long-term economic security, their ability to
complete education and care for household members. Housing instability includes living in
substandard conditions, severe rent or housing cost burdens, being in overcrowded conditions,
couch surfing, being evicted, moving frequently to reduce housing costs or avoid homelessness,
and homelessness itself. Any of these can be dangerous for health and well-being for adults
and especially for children. Needed reforms include strengthening the legal and consumer
protection framework for all renters; increasing housing assistance for low-income renters; and
transforming the way housing assistance is provided. 10
a ibid
9 ibid
io https://www.urban.org/research/publication/housing-safety-net/view/full report
Draft Housing Strategy 30
A Reimagined Shelter and Supportive Housing System
"We have the opportunity to decide if we go back to the status quo, or if
we build upon the ShelterCare model of saving lives. By providing a
dignified environment with wrap around supports housing and service
providers can engage in healing trauma and help those who are homeless
believe they have a life worth living.... Lack of funding is a big problem,
there is so much uncertainty of what will happen after August and we
cannot sustain this effective model without funds." House of Friendship
4. How We Can Get There
Guiding Principles
• Stable, secure, affordable housing is a human right
For the first time the federal government has created a national housing strategy recognizing
that housing is a human right. The City of Kitchener has an opportunity to localize
implementation of housing as a human right. The existing standard in shelters does not meet
human right to housing standards. There is an opportunity in working together that we can
achieve a reimagined shelter system that includes sufficient housing with supports to meet
needs and eliminate homelessness in our city.
• People focused —think about the people most affected
The Needs Assessment and the responses to the engagement survey indicate that more than
half of residents in Kitchener have affordability issues. This is a relatively new phenomenon that
has been increasing since 2016. We need to develop strategies to address affordability issues
along most of the housing continuum.
• Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion principles help identify and remove barriers and reinforce
best practices
Equity describes fairness and justice in outcomes. It is not about the equal delivery of services or
distribution of resources, it is about recognizing diversity and disadvantage, and directing
resources and services towards those most in need to ensure equal outcomes.
Diversity is a fact in our city. The Needs Assessment clearly showed the diverse range of people
in terms of age, gender, race, ethnic origin, immigration, education attainment, income and other
attributes. We understand that some diverse voices feel unheard, undervalued or unseen in our
community and don't feel represented in decision-making. We have heard the city needs more
diversity in housing form or housing stock for people to be better able to live affordably.
Draft Housing Strategy 31
11-48
Inclusion is a choice in our city.
"Inclusion is the act of creating environments in which any individual
or group can feel welcomed, valued, respected, supported and can
fully participate. An inclusive and welcoming climate embraces
differences and offers respect in words and actions for all people"
Towards Toronto 2015
• Explicitly Anti-Racist/Anti-Discriminatory
An affordable housing strategy must be anti -racist because racism has been and continues to be
a force limiting the access of housing to racialized people. Furthermore, racism has been at the
root of many historical attempts to use zoning to exclude people from wealthier
neighbourhoods with a majority white population. Even if we were to assume that racism is
not currently a motivating source behind continued exclusionary zoning, it is nonetheless likely
to contribute to income -based segregation which will also contribute to segregation of any
racialized people who are also economically disadvantaged. In other words, exclusionary zoning
can reinforce racial discrimination and economic disparities that already exist in society. It is
also important to note that discrimination also exists in the private housing market, and plays a
significant role in the attainability and affordability of housing in the bigger picture.
Kitchener has made some important changes in allowing tiny homes, second suites triplexes
etcetera in its new zoning bylaw to make more affordable forms of housing available across the
city. However, it is still important to acknowledge the negative effect of exclusionary zoning
and to really consider the extent to which it still exists. This could include restrictions on height,
minimum lot sizes, spacing requirements or anything else that limits multi -home buildings. The
ongoing part of Crozby- phase 2 with the neighbourhood reviews, can have a significant effect
on housing affordability in Kitchener.
• Realistic Timelines and Achievable Goals
An ambitious list of actions are under consideration with short term and long term solutions.
Where possible SMART actions — specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely are
proposed. Public engagement is being sought to gain input on priorities and timing.
Draft Housing Strategy 32
11-49
Housing Strategy Overview
The Housing Strategy proposes:
"I work with and advocate for government -assisted refugees.
It is becoming an uphill battle to secure permanent
accommodation for the clients that we serve. They face
regular discrimination in a market that currently favours
landlords - discrimination for being on government assistance,
not having a Canadian credit history, having a large family size.
[... j
Above is just one example, but there are many other
marginalized groups in the city that face unique barriers in
accessing housing. The City should have an understanding of
how these barriers can intersect to bar people from accessing
adequate, affordable housing."
- Engage Kitchener Survey Respondant
• Creation of a collaborative, co-ordinated Housing Advocacy Plan (to end homelessness)
• New ways of working together
• Focusing on what Kitchener can uniquely do
• Advocating for others in what they need to do
• Making best use of resources, and
• Five Strategies
1. Meeting Needs
2. What the City Can Do
3. Working Together
4. Being Informed and Informing
5. Implementation/Work Plan
Draft Housing Strategy
33
11-50
Proposed Strategic Actions Include:
Strategy 1: Meeting Needs
1.1 Establish the following housing targets:
• 450 units of transitional and supportive housing for people who are homeless or at risk
of homelessness are needed. This includes approximately 170 housing units for men, 70
housing units for women, 60 housing units for youth, 50 housing units for people with
acute concurrent mental health and addiction challenges and 100 units for people with
cognitive challenges.
• 5,000 units of community housing for people with low and modest incomes on the
Housing Waiting List wanting to live in Kitchener are needed. Note: Increase from 3,000
households reported in Dec 2019
• 9,300 new affordable rental housing units at monthly rents under $1,300 for people with
household incomes under $63,000 are needed. Nearly 4,000 of these needed units are
for people paying more than 50% of their income on rent.
Strategy 2: What the City Can Do
Staff and the Advisory Committee have focused their efforts on identifying roles and responses
that are unique to the city and where the city has jurisdiction or resources. All agreed that the
Region of Waterloo should continue with its mandate, roles and responsibilities regarding
homelessness and housing. Effort has been made for the city actions to be complementary and
supportive of Region of Waterloo mandate, roles and responsibilities.
Policies
2.1 Report to Council on the feasibility and implications of the following potential policies:
• Inclusionary Housing Policy and implementing Zoning Bylaw (September 2020)
• Lodging House Policy (December 2020)
• Parking Waiver Policy and implementing Zoning Bylaw for affordable housing
developments (December 2020)
• Parkland Dedication Waiver Policy for affordable housing developments (2021)
• Tenant Relocation Assistance Policy to mitigate the impacts resulting from
redevelopment of purpose-built rental apartments on current tenants, including
consideration of developers providing advanced notice and assistance to residents
including plans for relocating existing residents Zoning Amendments (Propose doing this
in collaboration with Cities of Cambridge and Waterloo in 2021)
Draft Housing Strategy 34
11-51
• Request Region to include consideration of funding for growth related (future)
affordable housing developments in creation of development charge and community
benefit policies (2021)
• Community Improvement Plan for affordable housing (2021)
• Request Region explores and adopts policy around HomeShare living model
Development Approval Process
2.2 Continue improving the development approval process with input from the development
industry and the community
Incentives, Fees and Waivers
2.3 Report to Council on the feasibility and implications of the following incentives, fees and
waivers:
• Continue the Fee Waiver Policy for non-profit organizations and expand its application to
affordable housing units provided in a private sector development applications.
• Implement a 20 -year, interest-free deferral of development charges for eligible affordable
housing projects.
• Request the Region and School Boards to jointly review with the City a reduction of
Development Charges for affordable housing developments.
• Establishment of an Affordable Housing Reserve Fund to provide ongoing funding to
support Housing Initiatives.
City Lands
2.4 Develop a strategy for the use of specific surplus city lands for affordable housing, including:
• Identifying City and Regional site(s) for development of permanent supportive housing for
people to move to from Lot 42 A Better Tent City, tenting encampments, shelters and
homelessness (immediate); and
• A "priority" Pilot Project involving supportive and community rental housing in proximity
to transit /major transit center (initiate in 2020)
• Identify city lands suitable for others to develop for affordable housing and seek to
incorporate units that house people leaving homelessness, supportive housing,
community housing, below market rental and below market ownership (2021)
• Feasibility of including affordable housing in the development of new or redeveloped
City facilities, eg. community centers, fire stations (2022)
• Kitchener playing a leadership role in advancing innovative mixed housing communities
utilizing strategic parcels of city land, as a model for other Canadian communities to
replicate. (2022)
Draft Housing Strategy 35
11-52
Strategy 3: Working Together
Advocacy
3.1 Request the Region of Waterloo develop in collaboration with local municipalities, non-
profit housing, support, and philanthropic organizations and the private sectors a capital
and operating funding strategy to end homelessness through a reimagined shelter,
supportive and community housing plan. Integrate affordable housing, economic
development and transit strategies.
3.2 Jointly advocate for Provincial and Federal funding for housing acquisition, renovation and
development of affordable housing and related supports along the housing continuum as
part of community building, sustainability and economic recovery, including funding and
supports for:
• House of Friendship seeking 2 sites and funding for the ShelterCare integrated health
and transitional housing concept (80 units) and for supportive housing project (60
units)
• YWCA -KW seeking a site and funding for approximately 30 one -bedroom units of
affordable supportive housing for women leaving homelessness
• The Working Centre to acquire and renovate a second site (Water Street 2.0) to house
and support people who are homeless and to add 40 units of housing to add to their
affordable housing portfolio
• Kitchener Housing Inc (KHI) seeking a site and work in partnership with a developer to
create new community housing and to purchase buildings to preserve affordable
housing
• One Roof's proposal to develop approximately 58 units of supportive housing for
youth who are homeless in modular housing on their site
• Waterloo Region Habitat for Humanity seeking sites for affordable home ownership
• Indwell seeking 2-3 more sites in Kitchener for approximately 120 to 180 supportive
housing units
• Menno Homes seeking funding to complete its project under development
• Habilitation seeking funding for a supportive housing project
• Reception House Waterloo Region seeking a site and funding for the development of
a Refugee Services Hub.
• John Howard Society Waterloo -Wellington seeking funding and resources for a full-
time staff member to help develop a housing strategy/model
• Church and Religious Institutions within the City have expressed interest in
redeveloping their surplus lands to accommodate affordable housing. However, they
often lack the capital funds and development experience to do so.
• Private Sector Affordable Housing developers have expressed interest in developing
more affordable housing units, but face barriers around acquiring sites and capital
funds.
Draft Housing Strategy 36
11-53
3.3 Request the Region of Waterloo to revise its Housing and Homelessness Plan to incorporate local
municipal input and needs and develop future plans in collaboration with local municipalities,
non-profit housing, support and philanthropic organizations and the private sector.
3.4 Request (through AMO) the Government of Ontario to develop and adopt a provincial
housing strategy including measurable targets and provision of sufficient funds to
accelerate progress on ending homelessness and ensuring access of all Ontarians, including
those of limited income, to housing of an adequate standard without discrimination. It
should also take into consideration the needs of Indigenous people, people with disabilities
including mental illness, women experiencing domestic violence, Ione parents, immigrants
and newcomers and other people living in poverty or with low incomes.
Partnerships
3.5 Develop jointly a Region/City Charter to ensure more collaboration and opportunities to
identify and address housing challenges in Kitchener.
3.6 Continue working with the private sector and facilitate partnerships with non-profit
partners to provide more affordable housing
Housing data specific to the City of Kitchener has been challenging to collect. Renovictions remove
affordable housing and generally result in much higher rents being charged post renovation or
redevelopment. Commodification of housing, where housing is held on speculation, for
investment, or used to generate income instead of as a place to live is increasing through Airbnbs,
rental condos, or other untracked rental housing types.
4.1 Provide regular updates to the Council, the public and staff on housing needs assessments
4.2 Undertake additional work to assess housing needs for:
• People who are homeless
• Indigenous Peoples
• Seniors
• Immigrants
• Students
• Future population
• LG BTQ+
• Women
4.3 Track and monitor renovictions, where tenants are displaced from their homes to allow major
renovations or redevelopment to proceed. Track and monitor housing held for investment in
Kitchener.
Draft Housing Strategy 37
11-54
4.4 Use the City's Social Media Platform to engage and inform the public on addressing housing
issues in the city.
4.5 Establish a Lived -Experience advisory group to advise staff on addressing housing issues in
the city and to monitor strategy implementation and measure success.
Strategy 5: Implementation/Work Plan
5.1 Develop a prioritized annual work plan to implement the Housing Strategy including timing
and responsibilities, to be used to inform annual budgets
5.2 Recommend an annual operating amount to support housing initiatives (This needs to be
quantified)
5.3 Provide staffing to support implementation of the Affordable Housing Strategy (This needs
to be quantified)
5.4 Provide regular public reports on success and challenges in implementing the Housing
Strategy
InDwell supportive housing proposal at St. Marks
Draft Housing Strategy
"The City of Kitchener has the opportunity
to be a leader in Waterloo Region. We need
bold actions to make a significant impact on
this issue. We can't tweak our way to a
solution. We need thousands of new
affordable units and bold, decisive actions
are the only thing that will get us ahead of
the curve."
Engage Kitchener Survey Respondant
11-55
Defining Affordability Sub -Committee
The AHS Defining Affordability sub -committee is tasked with defining what the term 'Affordable' means in a
Kitchener Specific context. The sub -committee began by analyzing datasets from a variety of sources
including the City of Kitchener Housing Needs Assessment, Statistics Canada, The Region of Waterloo,
Kitchener Housing Inc and ACORN Canada. The sub -committee decided to further investigate how ACORN
Canada suggested the Council of the City of Toronto define affordability. This definition is notably not tied to
Average Market Rent (AMR) as these rates rise much faster than rents, but instead is tied to Area Median
Income (AMI), and has set rates for people earn the minimum wage and who are on Government assistance.
As the minimum wage is provincially set, some of the data from ACORN's document Affordable for Who? Is
applicable in Kitchener and has set $700 a month as what is deemed affordable.
City staff have been asked by the sub -committee to further connect with ACORN to discuss methodology and
how to adapt this to a Kitchener -specific definition. The sub -committee will review work done by City staff at
the next meeting, and discuss the next steps required for finalizing the 'Affordable Definition'.
Engagement Sub -Committee
The AHS Engagement sub -committee is tasked with helping City staff build and implement the
engagement plan for the Housing Strategy. The sub -committee began by expressing the need for the
City to explore new ways of engaging with the public, in particular how to move away from point in time
engagement to meaningful long-term engaging, empowering and collaborating with people with lived
experience. The Social Development Centre and lived experience groups (Disabilities and Human Rights,
ALIVe, People's Action Group, Alliance Against Poverty) have revised the Terms of Reference to reflect
the direction the sub -committee would like to head.
The revised Terms of Reference include review of guiding assumptions about engagement in the process
of creation and implementation of the strategy, representative group
composition, expanded term, compensation and responsibilities, measuring impact. The sub -committee
has asked that the revised terms of reference be reviewed for adoption. The sub -committee noted that
this new group needs to be involved during the engagement of the draft strategy and after the creation
of the Housing Strategy in order to be part of implementation.
Research and Best Practice sub -committee
The AHS Research and Best Practices sub -committee is tasked with reviewing and gathering relevant
research, news articles, and any other resources focused on affordable housing in order to support the
Housing Strategy. Research is forwarded to the sub -committee and discussed. Next steps for this sub-
committee may include turning their focus to research that is relevant to the Draft Strategy document.
Lodging House sub -committee
Due to the COVID-19 and the City's pandemic response, many of the necessary City staff could not begin
work on this sub -committee. In discussion with Licensing, Planning, By-law Enforcement, and Kitchener Fire
work on this sub -committee is set to begin in Fall 2020.
Draft Housing Strategy 39
11-56
The purpose of the Glossary is to provide definitions to some of the terms used in the strategy,
as recommended by members of the advisory committee. The intention is this list expands and
becomes finalized through community engagement and further conversations with the
Advisory Committee.
Affordable Housing (general definition): generally refers to housing people with low -to -
moderate -incomes priced at or below the average market rent or selling price for comparable
housing in a specific geographic area. CMHC (2018) defines affordable housing as that which
costs less than 30% of a household's before -tax income.
Ontario's Provincial Policy Statement (2020) defines affordable housing in two ways:
a) in the case of ownership housing, the least expensive of:
1. housing for which the purchase price results in annual accommodation costs which do not exceed 30
percent of gross annual household income for low and moderate income households; or
2. housing for which the purchase price is at least 10 percent below the average purchase price of a
resale unit in the regional market area;
b) in the case of rental housing, the least expensive of:
1. a unit for which the rent does not exceed 30 percent of gross annual household income for low and
moderate income households; or
2. a unit for which the rent is at or below the average market rent of a unit in the regional market area.
In reality, it's a broad term that can include housing provided by the private, public and non-
profit sectors. It also includes all forms of housing tenure: rental, ownership and co-operative
ownership, as well as temporary and permanent housing.
Affordable (Kitchener Specific): Definition is currently being addressed by the AHS Defining
Affordability Sub -Committee.
Community Housing:
Core Housing Need:
Housing Continuum:
Housing System: The set of public and private investments, regulations, and legal and policy
frameworks that shape safety, stability, and affordability in housing and diversity, engagement,
and cohesion in neighborhoods, towns, cities, and regions.
Inclusionary Housing: Housing within a market development required by Official Plan policy
and zoning bylaws to be affordable. Must be financially feasible for developer. Introduced into
Draft Housing Strategy 40
11-57
the Planning Act in 2019, and revised in September 2019 to be applicable near existing and
proposed ION stations.
Lived Experience:
Market Housing:
Rooming House:
Social Housing: is government -assisted housing that provides lower cost rental units to
households with low -to -moderate incomes and can include:
• public housing (owned directly or indirectly by service managers)
• not-for-profit and co-operative housing
• rent supplement programs (often in the private market)
• rural and native housing (owned by Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services) (Ontario,
2018)
Supportive Housing: is a type of social housing for people who need help to live independently.
Currently, supportive housing consists of projects occupied by tenants who have services
provided by a support service agency. Supportive housing is generally administered and funded
by the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care and the Ministry of Children, Community and
Social Services. Some service managers may administer some supportive housing that is
focused on the needs of people who have been homeless, or who are at high risk of
homelessness, while others address needs of people with developmental, cognitive and or
physical challenges (Ontario, 2018)
Transitional Housing: can be broadly defined as the provision of affordable, temporary housing
paired with a mix of appropriate supportive services. The goal of these services is to facilitate
an individual's movement to permanent, stable housing and independent living. Transitional
housing is intended for people who need some degree of structure, support, supervision and
skill building in order to successfully transition to permanent housing. As participants' lives
become more stable, providers often help them find permanent housing. (Ontario, 2016)
Draft Housing Strategy 41
11-58
Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. (2018). About Affordable Housing In Canada. Retrieved
from https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/developing-and-renovating/develop-new-affordable-
housing/programs-and-information/about-affordable-housing-in-canada
Chen, C. (2020). August 2020 Canadian Rent Report. Pad Mapper. Retrieved from
https://blog.padmapper.com/2020/08/13/august-2020-canadian-rent-report/
Government of Nova Scotia. (2013). A Housing Strategy for Nova Scotia. Retrieved from
https://novascotia.ca/coms/hs/Housing Strategy.pdf
Government of Ontario. (2016). Legislative Framework for Transitional Housing. Retrieved from
http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=15806
Government of Ontario (2020). Provincial Policy Statement. Retrieved from
https://files.ontario.ca/mmah-provincial-policy-statement-2020-accessible-final-en-2020-02-14.pdf
Government of Ontario. (2018). The Ontario Municipal Councillors Guide 2018. Retrieved from
https://www.ontario.ca/document/ontario-municipal-councillors-guide-2018/13-affordable-and-social-
housing#section-3
Galvez, M. et al. (2019) Housing as a Safety Net. Urban Institute. Retrieved from
https://www.urban.org/research/publication/housing-safety-net/view/full report
Hale, K. (2019). We got the Right to Housing. Now What?. Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario.
Retrieved from https://www.acto.ca/r2hnowwhat/
Ontario Human Rights Commission. (2008). Right at home: Report on the consultation on human rights
and rental housing in Ontario. Retrieved from http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/right-home-report-
consultation-human-rights-and-rental-housine-ontario
Statistics Canada (2016). 2016 Census Highlights: Factsheet 11. Retrieved from
https://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/economy/demographics/census/cenhil6-11.html
Draft Housing Strategy 42
11-59
APPENDIX `B'
Key Actions
Key Actions
Strategy 1: Meeting Needs
1.1 Establish the following housing targets:
• 450 units of transitional and supportive housing for people who are homeless or at risk of
homelessness are needed. This includes approximately 170 housing units for men, 70 housing units for
women, 60 housing units for youth, 50 housing units for people with acute concurrent mental health and
addiction challenges and 100 units for people with cognitive challenges.
• 5,000 units of community housing for people with low and modest incomes on the Housing Waiting List
wanting to live in Kitchener are needed. Note: Increase from 3,000 households reported in Dec 2019
• 9,300 new affordable rental housing units at monthly rents under $1,300 for people with household
incomes under $63,000 are needed. Nearly 4,000 of these needed units are for people paying more than
50% of their income on rent.
Strategy 2: What the City Can Do
2.1 Reports to Council on the feasibility and implications of the following potential policies:
• Inclusionary Housing Policy and implementing Zoning Bylaw (September 2020)
• Lodging House Policy (December 2020)
• Parking Waiver Policy and implementing Zoning Bylaw for affordable housing developments (December
2020)
• Parkland Dedication Waiver Policy for affordable housing developments (2021)
• Tenant Relocation Assistance Policy to mitigate the impacts resulting from redevelopment of purpose-
built rental apartments on current tenants, including consideration of developers providing advanced
notice and assistance to residents including plans for relocating existing residents (Propose doing this in
collaboration with Cities of Cambridge and Waterloo in 2021)
• Request Region to include consideration of funding for growth related (future) affordable housing
developments in creation of development charge and community benefit policies (2021)
• Community Improvement Plan for affordable housing (2021)
• Request Region explores policy around HomeShare model
2.2 Development Approval Process
• Continue improving the development approval process through the Development Services Review with
input from the development industry and the community
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
11-60
2.3 Incentives, Fees and Waivers
• Continue the Fee Waiver Policy for non-profit organizations and report back on feasibility of expand its
application to affordable housing units provided in private sector development applications.
• Implement a 20 -year, interest-free deferral of development charges for eligible affordable housing
projects
• Request the Region and School Boards to jointly review with the City a reduction of Development
Charges for affordable housing developments
• Report to Council on the feasibility of establishing an Affordable Housing Reserve Fund to provide
ongoing funding to support Housing Initiatives
2.4 City Lands
Develop a strategy for the use of specific surplus city lands for affordable housing, including:
• Identifying City and Regional site(s) for development of permanent supportive housing for people to
move to from Lot 42 A Better Tent City, tenting encampments, shelters and homelessness (immediate);
• A "priority" Pilot Project (involving supportive and community rental housing) in proximity to transit /major
transit center (2020)
• Identifying city lands suitable for others to develop for affordable housing and seek to incorporate units
that house people leaving homelessness, supportive housing, community housing, below market rental
and below market ownership (2021)
• Assessing feasibility of including affordable housing in the development of new or redeveloped City
facilities, e.g. community centers, fire stations (2022)
• Kitchener playing a leadership role in advancing innovative mixed housing communities utilizing strategic
parcels of city land, as a model for other Canadian communities to replicate (2022)
Strategy 3: Working Together
3.1 Request the Region of Waterloo develop, in collaboration with local municipalities, non-profit housing,
support, and philanthropic organizations and the private sector, a capital and operating funding strategy to
end homelessness through a reimagined shelter, supportive and community housing plan. This strategy
should integrate affordable housing, economic development and transit strategies as they all corelate to
affordability and wellbeing outcomes.
3.2 Jointly advocate for Provincial and Federal funding for housing acquisition, renovation and development
of affordable housing and related supports along the housing continuum as part of community building,
sustainability and economic recovery, including funding and supports for:
• House of Friendship seeking 2 sites and funding for the ShelterCare integrated health and transitional
housing concept (80 units) and for supportive housing project (60 units)
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
11-61
• YWCA -KW seeking a site and funding for approximately 30 one -bedroom units of affordable supportive
housing for women leaving homelessness
• The Working Centre to acquire and renovate a second site to house and support people who are
homeless and to add 40 units of housing to add to their affordable housing portfolio
• Kitchener Housing Inc (KHI) seeking a site and work in partnership with a developer to create new
community housing and to purchase buildings to preserve affordable housing
• One Roof's proposal to develop approximately 58 units of supportive modular housing on their site for
youth who are homeless
• Waterloo Region Habitat for Humanity seeking sites for affordable home ownership
• Indwell seeking 2-3 more sites in Kitchener for approximately 120 to 180 supportive housing units
• Menno Homes seeking funding to complete its project under development
• Habilitation seeking funding for a supportive housing project
• Reception House Waterloo Region seeking a site and funding for the development of a Refugee
Services Hub.
• John Howard Society Waterloo -Wellington seeking funding and resources for a full-time staff member
to help develop a housing strategy/model
• Church and Religious Institutions within the City have expressed interest in redeveloping their surplus
lands to accommodate affordable housing.
• Private Sector Affordable Housing developers have expressed interest in developing more affordable
housing units.
3.3 Request the Region of Waterloo to revise its Housing and Homelessness Plan to incorporate local
municipal input and needs and develop future plans in collaboration with local municipalities, non-profit
housing, support and philanthropic organizations and the private sector.
3.4 Request (through AMO) the Government of Ontario to develop and adopt a provincial housing strategy
including measurable targets and provision of sufficient funds to accelerate progress on ending
homelessness and ensuring access of all Ontarians, including those of limited income, to housing of an
adequate standard without discrimination. It should also take into consideration the needs of Indigenous
people, people with disabilities including mental illness, women experiencing domestic violence, Ione
parents, immigrants and newcomers and other people living in poverty or with low incomes.
3.5 Develop jointly a Region/City Charter to ensure more collaboration and opportunities to identify and
address housing challenges in Kitchener.
3.6 Continue working with the private sector and facilitate partnerships with non-profit partners to provide
more affordable housing
Strategy 4: Being Informed and Informing
4.1 Provide regular updates to the Council, the public and staff on housing needs assessments
4.2 Undertake additional work to assess housing needs for:
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
11-62
• People who are homeless
• Indigenous Peoples
• Seniors
• Immigrants
• Students
• Future population
• LG BTQ+
• Women
4.3 Track and monitor renovictions, where tenants are displaced from their homes to allow major renovations
or redevelopment to proceed. Track and monitor housing held for investment in Kitchener.
4.4 Use the City's Social Media Platform to engage and inform the public on addressing housing issues in the
city.
4.5 Establish a Lived -Experience advisory group to advise staff on addressing housing issues in the city and
to monitor strategy implementation and measure success.
Strategy 5: ImplementationMork Plan
5.1 Develop a prioritized annual work plan to implement the Housing Strategy including timing and
responsibilities, to be used to inform annual budgets
5.2 Recommend an annual operating amount to support housing initiatives (This needs to be quantified)
5.3 Provide staffing to support implementation of the Affordable Housing Strategy (This needs to be
quantified)
5.4 Provide regular public reports on success and challenges in implementing the Housing Strategy
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
11-63
Appendix C
List of Public Engagement
1. Advisory
➢ 6 Advisory Committee Meetings
Committee
o
First Meeting: Introduction and Reviewing Workplan
Meetings
o
Second Meeting: Issues and Opportunities and Priorities on the
Continuum
o
Third Meeting: Building Engagement and Issues and Options
o
Fourth Meeting (Virtual): Key Directions
o
Fifth Meeting (Virtual): Finalizing Key Directions and Envisioning
the Draft Strategy
o
Sixth Meeting (Virtual): Committee received the first Draft of the
Housing Strategy and provided comments
➢ Sub -committee meetings
o
Affordability Sub -committee
o
Engagement Sub -committee
o
Research and Best Practices Sub -Committee
2. Stakeholder
➢ Non -Profit
Community
Interviews
o
Kitchener Housing Inc.
o
REEP Green Solutions
o
Traverse Independence
o
KW Urban Native Wigwam
o
Social Development Centre Waterloo Region
o
KW Multicultural Centre
o
YWKW
o
Ray of Hope
o
House of Friendship
o
The Working Centre
o
A Better Tent City
o
John Howard Society of Waterloo -Wellington
o
One Roof
➢ Post Secondary
o
Conestoga Students Inc.
o
UW Supportive Housing Researchers
o
UW Peace and Conflict -Map the System Affordable Housing
➢ Government
o
Region of Waterloo Housing Staff
o
City of Kitchener Staff
■ Kitchener Fire
■ By-law Enforcement
■ Licensing
3. Engage
➢ 177 Unique survey responses
Kitchener
o
A mix of media including: online, digital and paper
Survey
o
Thanks to collaboration and leadership from our non-profit
community partners such as House of Friendship, YWKW, and
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
11-64
This list of engagement will continue to grow as the Strategy progresses through the next
phases. The public and other community partners are encouraged to invite City Staff to
meetings and other engagement opportunities around housing.
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
11-65
One Roof paper copies of the survey were delivered to people
with lived experience to ensure they were able to participate.
4. Other
➢
Council Strategic Session on Affordable Housing
Opportunities
➢
Leadership Waterloo
to be
➢
Waterloo Region Immigration Partnership Working Group
Connected
➢
ALIVE Meetings at the Social Development Centre
➢
Urban Development Institute
➢
Canadian Urban Institute's series on housing (discussions with other
municipalities)
➢
Kitchener Waterloo Community Foundation — Do Good Dialogue
This list of engagement will continue to grow as the Strategy progresses through the next
phases. The public and other community partners are encouraged to invite City Staff to
meetings and other engagement opportunities around housing.
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
11-65
Appendix D
Council Strategy Session - Summary and Response
Member
Top Issues and Priorities
How Staff Addressed Issues and Priorities
of
Council
Mayor
• Homelessness, Transitional Housing,
➢ City staff has engaged with members of the non-
Vrbanovic
Supportive Housing.
profit community. The Housing Strategy contains a
list of actions to address their expressed needs.
Councillor
• Homelessness is the largest issue,
➢ City staff has engaged with members of the non -
Davey
although not within the mandate of the
profit community, including House of Friendship,
City.
The Working Centre, Ray of Hope and the YWKW
• Supply side of housing needs to be
and more. The City is also working with the
addressed, Inclusionary Zoning could
Region. The Housing Strategy contains actions to
address this.
address homelessness.
• Reviewing the development process.
➢ City staff are currently working with the area
municipalities on inclusionary zoning. A separate
report will be presented in September 2020.
➢ The Development Services Review is running in
parallel to the Housing Strategy, it aims to reduce
process times by 30%. There are also actions in
the Housing Strategy that address affordable
housing projects and the development process.
Councillor
• Ensuring controls are in place to ensure
➢ City staff are currently working with the area
Schnider
units built through IZ remain affordable
municipalities on inclusionary zoning. A separate
• Location of affordable housing is
report will be presented in September.
important, should not be just in one area
➢ City staff have identified needs in the Needs
of the City.
Assessment, and produced a map of all non-
• Address the many needs along the
market housing.
continuum.
➢ City staff in collaboration with the Advisory
Committee has ensured there are actions the City
can take for each section of the housing
continuum.
Councillor
• Homelessness is the biggest crisis —
➢ City staff has engaged with members of the non-
Gazzola
although isn't within the City's mandate.
profit community, including House of Friendship,
• City's biggest tool to address
The Working Centre, Ray of Hope and the YWKW
homelessness is advocacy.
and more. The City is also working with the
Region. The Housing Strategy contains actions to
address homelessness
➢ The creation of an advocacy plan is an action
within the Housing Strategy.
Councillor
• Homelessness is the top issue
➢ City staff has engaged with members of the non -
Michaud
• Collaborations with the Region to lobby
profit community, including House of Friendship,
higher levels of government.
The Working Centre, Ray of Hope and the YWKW
and more. The Housing Strategy contains a list of
actions to address homelessness
➢ City and Regional staff have committeed to work
together on a City -Region charter. Together the
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
11-66
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
11-67
will work on lobbying higher levels of government
for necessary funds and supports.
Councillor
• Affordable rental housing and affordable
➢ City staff has engaged with members of the non-
Galloway-
homeownership.
profit community that provide affordable rental and
Sealock
• Homelessness is an extremely important
affordable ownership housing and included their
issue.
needs in the strategy and actions.The Housing
Strategy contains a list of actions to address
homelessness.
Councillor
• Homelessness is a top priority.
➢ City staff has engaged with members of the non -
Singh
• Increase supply at no cost to tax base.
profit community. The Housing Strategy contains a
Look at duplexing and triplexing.
list of actions to address homelessness
➢ CRoZBy will allow for triplexing in residential
zones, garden suites, and additional dwelling
units. Staff is also currently working on
inclusionary zoning which can secure more
affordable units through market development.
➢ The Housing Strategy also includes actions that
will help increase supply across the continuum.
Councillor
• Defining affordable.
➢ The Defining Affordability sub -committee is
Johnston
• Increasing housing stock
currently addressing this.
• Co-operative housing.
➢ The Housing Strategy also includes actions that
will help increase supply across the continuum.
Councillor
• Left side of the housing continuum-
➢ City staff has engaged with members of the non -
Chapman
community housing, supportive,
profit community, including House of Friendship,
transitional and shelters.
The Working Centre, Ray of Hope and the YWKW
• Affordability needs to be defined
and more. The Housing Strategy contains a list of
actions to address the left side of the housing
continuum
➢ The Defining Affordability sub -committee is
currently addressing this.
Councillor
• Homelessness is a top priority. We need
➢ City staff has engaged with members of the non -
Marsh
to collaborate with Region and agencies to
profit community that provide affordable rental and
look at the spectrum from visibly homeless
affordable ownership housing and included their
to precariously housed
needs in the strategy and actions.The Housing
• Affordable rental housing
Strategy contains a list of actions to address
• Explore ways to expand the existing stock
homelessness.
of co-operative housing
➢ The Housing Strategy also includes actions that
will help increase supply across the continuum.
Councillor
Not in attendance
loannidis
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
11-67