City of Waterloo council summary, June 28, 2021

** 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.

Council supports upgrades to popular parks

Council has approved spending $2.5 million to enhance features at Bechtel Park Stadium, Hillside Park diamonds and Waterloo Park diamonds 3 and 4.

The work at Bechtel Park Stadium will include refurbishing/upgrades to the main stadium building, provision of an accessible washroom, upgrades to the diamond facility, replacement of side buildings with dugouts, and general improvements to site accessibility and safety.

At Hillside Park diamonds, the additional funding will amend the current project budget to address general construction cost increases.

For Waterloo Park diamonds 3 and 4, the project includes reorienting one diamond to eliminate the overlap of the outfields, as well as adding lighting.

The ultimate goal of these investments is to maximize the use of these assets and increase the amount of programmable time at existing facilities, to reduce the need for additional diamonds as well as to reduce reliance on non-City owned facilities.

Council calls for changes to Municipal Elections Act

Council is calling on the provincial government to amend the Municipal Elections Act to permit people who have permanent resident status to vote in municipal elections.

Council also directed staff continue to pursue meaningful engagement strategies for all residents, including encouraging civic engagement through joining advisory committees, community associations and participating in public engagement processes that relate to Council business.

Council recognizes that the percentage of the city’s population who are immigrants is increasing. Immigrants are vital members of the city and they contribute to creating and sustaining thriving and prosperous communities through their community involvement, volunteering, philanthropy, arts, culture and more.

Council approves development on Foamflower Place & Raspberry Place

Following a formal meeting, Council has approved an application permitting the construction of multi-unit residential buildings with a height of 12 metres on 142 Foamflower Place and specific parcels on Raspberry Place.

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