City of Waterloo Council Summary - Sept. 21, 2020

Posted On Monday September 21, 2020

** The council summary below provides a snapshot of the major items presented at today’s council meeting. Please refer to the minutes for an official record of the meeting.

Special nuisance bylaw approved for this coming weekend

Council has approved the use of a special nuisance bylaw, which will be in effect from September 25-27, that addresses noises arising from or that generates unsanctioned public gatherings, (particularly large crowds) that congregate on roadways.

The temporary bylaw is another option in the city’s toolkit to ensure the safety of city residents. It is only used as required and is enacted during St. Patrick’s Day and other events, such as this weekend’s university Homecoming. In the past, during these events, loud music has been played which tends to draw large groups of people. This special nuisance bylaw is designed to discourage that from happening.

East Side branch library

The new East Side branch library achieved a significant milestone with Council awarding the contract to build the new facility at RIM Park. The contract is going to Fortis Construction Group, who submitted a winning bid of just over $7 million.

A construction schedule will now be developed. The new branch is scheduled to open spring 2022. 

City supporting local foodbank a part of Oktoberfest

Each year the city hosts the Mayor & Council's Oktoberfest luncheon; a Waterloo Oktoberfest opening through a partnership with KW Oktoberfest and Piller’s Sausage. This event is an opportunity to celebrate the spirit of Gemütlichkeit, provide an opportunity for the community to come together, enjoy some free food and music. Unfortunately, this year we cannot come together as a large group, but we can still celebrate and feed the community through the Food Bank of Waterloo Region. Therefore the city will be donating the average cost of the event in the amount of $4,000 to the Food Bank and hope this Thanksgiving all families can think about those in need and explore opportunities to support local initiatives.  

City releases funding to “green” its buildings

Council has approved spending $347,000 as part of its efforts to reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions.

In 2018, Council adopted ClimateActionWR’s community scope calling for a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target of 80 per cent below 2010 levels by 2050. In adopting this recommendation, the city approved a Green Building Policy implementation project which is designed to reduce GHGs in city-owned facilities by the same 80 per cent target.

The approved capital budget to support this effort in 2020 is $892,000. The city has already allocated $215,000 to the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex (WMRC) budget for a photovoltaic array and $330,000 of funding was allocated to the East Side Branch Library project’s green building elements.

The latest funding will be used to make further enhancements at both RIM Park and WMRC. 

City receives ISO 37120 platinum certificate

The City of Waterloo has achieved the highest certification – platinum – from the World Council on City Data (WCCD) for ISO 37120: Sustainable cities and communities – Indicators for city services and quality of life. 

This international standard includes 104 indicators to measure and compare inclusive, sustainable, economically attractive and prosperous cities globally. The WCCD’s platinum certification level refers to Waterloo reporting on over 90 of the possible 104 indicators, committing to the most thorough comparison of performance to a global network of cities. 

The platinum certificate was formally presented to Mayor Jaworsky during today’s Council meeting.

 

 

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Media contact:
Tony Iavarone
Director, Corporate Communications
tony.iavarone@waterloo.ca