Council Summary June 23, 2025

** The council summary below provides a snapshot of the major items presented at Monday’s council meeting. The council meeting webcast is available on the City of Waterloo YouTube page. Please refer to the minutes for an official record of the meeting.

Temporary dog park coming to Waterloo Park West

Council approved the construction of a temporary leash-free dog park in Waterloo Park West (near the Westmount Road entrance). The temporary location will be constructed later this year. Staff continue their work to determine the location of a permanent leash free dog park in the city’s core. As part of the process, staff will engage with the community to gather community feedback on the evaluation criteria and return to Council.

Waterloo to provide affordable housing incentives with Additional Residential Unit (ARU) Grant Program

The City of Waterloo continues to support gentle intensification and more housing options as part of the Housing Accelerator Fund Action Plan. The City has already encouraged more Additional Residential Unit (ARU) development through the creation of the ARU Guide toolkit and amendments to the City's zoning by-law to enable four units/four stories on residential properties. Today they approved the ARU Grant Program, to help incentivize construction of additional housing units and encourage their rental at affordable rates.

The ARU Grant Program will have two streams to support different project types:

1. Detached ARU Grant: provides eligible property owners financial assistance of up to 50% of the eligible project costs or $30,000, whichever is less, for the construction of a detached ARU as a separate building (such as a coach house)
2. Interior ARU Grant: provides eligible property owners financial assistance of up to 50% of the eligible project costs or $20,000, whichever is less, for the construction or creation of an ARU(s) within new or existing residential buildings (such as a basement conversion).

Priority will be given to short-term affordable housing in exchange for funding through the ARU Grant Program. As part of the program, the ARU must be rented at an affordable rate for a minimum duration of 5 years. The program is expected to launch in the fall of 2025.

 Waterloo updates Residential Rental Licensing By-law to improve safety and support long-term housing supply

The City of Waterloo’s Residential Rental Licensing By-law serves as an effective tool to support safety and habitability by establishing minimum standards for the low-rise rental housing sector. Council approved updates to the by-law to enhance tenant protections, improve the livability and safety of rental units, support long-term housing supply, and ensure fair and effective enforcement across all forms of rental accommodations in Waterloo:

• Updates to the Residential Rental Licensing By-law to ensure continued protections for tenant safety and habitability, while removing barriers to the creation of more rental units;
• A more comprehensive and refined approach to regulating short-term rentals, focused on protecting long-term rental stock and mitigating neighbourhood impacts; and,
• Continued review of the viability of an Apartment Building Safety Program and enhancements to the Property Standards By-law to address the maintenance, safety, and oversight of Waterloo’s growing number of apartment buildings.

While Waterloo has a significant student population, these regulations are intended to improve the quality, safety and liveability of all low-rise rental units, regardless of who occupies them. The new regulations will go into effect July 1, 2026. Staff will return in the fall with recommendations for an Apartment Building Safety Program.

Waterloo approves actions to reduce unlawful evictions and improve housing security

As part of the City’s review of rental and housing regulations, staff provided a review of regulatory and non-regulatory approaches to prevent or minimize unlawful tenant evictions. Based on this review, Council approved the following actions to reduce the frequency of unlawful evictions and improve housing security for tenants:

• Work with the Region of Waterloo and City of Kitchener to create a clear Tenant and Landlord Information Package to provide information about rights and responsibilities.
• Advocate to the Province to proclaim tenant protections in Bill 97 and increase funding for the Landlord Tenant Board and legal clinics.
• Provide one-time funding to local tenant eviction prevention programs.
• Consider opportunities for long-term funding for the Multi-Unit Residential Acquisition (MURA) Program to preserve affordable housing.
• Proceed to explore a Rental Replacement By-law as recommended in the City’s Affordable Housing Strategy.
• Monitor existing renovation by-laws in other municipalities and report back.

Council added two additional directions to the recommendations in the report:

• Direct staff to bring forward a framework for a draft Renovation License by-law program.
• Direct staff to look at options for better coordinating and navigating the Housing system.

Lease agreement for St Columba not approved

Council did not approve the lease agreement for the interim operation of the St. Columba space. The long term intention for this site has always been to support a future affordable housing development. Staff will return in the fall with a report on the next phase of the process towards that affordable housing use.

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Media contact:
Cari Van Niekerk
Director, Corporate Communications
cari.vanniekerk@waterloo.ca