Council Summary November 24, 2025
** The council summary below provides a snapshot of the major items presented at Monday’s council meeting. Please refer to the minutes for an official record of the meeting. Posting of the council meeting webcast to the City of Waterloo YouTube page will be delayed.
City staff identify locations for road safety enhancements
Staff presented the second annual collision countermeasures and traffic calming report to Council, which uses the City’s new network screening process to determine locations most in need of road safety enhancements. The new process is proactive, data-driven and evidence-based, using collision, traffic volume and operating speed data. Collision data is from a five-year period (2018, 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024), looking at all collisions City-wide, including pedestrian collisions and cyclist collisions.
Within the five-year dataset, 2,808 collisions occurred on City of Waterloo roads. This includes 71 collisions involving pedestrians and 54 collisions involving cyclists. The collision network screening process has identified the following locations as priority areas for road safety countermeasures:
- Lexington Road at Dearborn Boulevard
- University Avenue between Bridge Street West and Auburn Drive
- Seagram Drive between Lester Street and University Avenue
- Columbia Street West between Holly Street
- Hazel Street Hazel Street at Austin Drive
Additional locations were identified as priority candidates for pedestrian safety measures, cycling safety measures and traffic calming measures. For a detailed list of identified areas, please refer to the staff report (begins page 71 of the packet PDF).
City responding to tariffs while supporting local
Staff also provided an update on the City of Waterloo's 10 Point U.S. Tariff Response Plan, developed to mitigate risks, support residents and local businesses, and to support Canadian unity. Notable work since the plan was approved by Council in May 2025 include:
- Updating City of Waterloo procurement templates to include a Canadian Business Preference scoring component.
- As of November 1, 2025, 100 per cent of purchases facilitated by the City’s Procurement Team in 2025 (representing approximately $43,000,000 in spending) have been awarded to companies meeting the definition of a Canadian Business. Forty-one per cent of these awards were to local suppliers.
- Successfully negotiating a tariff cap of $3,500 USD per vehicle on seven trucks being purchased. Tariffs incurred were $1,500 USD per unit, a savings of $14,000 USD from the anticipated cost.
- Launching the City of Waterloo’s Support Local Campaign in October 2025. By fostering civic and economic pride, empowering businesses to share their local stories and encouraging a culture of supporting local, the City aims to strengthen economic diversity, support jobs, and foster a thriving and authentic community identity.
For a full list of highlights and actions, please refer to the staff report (begins page 93 of the packet PDF).
Waterloo will explore feasibility of building a High Performance Aquatics facility
Mayor McCabe’s motion to explore the feasibility of building a High Performance Aquatics facility with a 50 metre competition-ready pool in Waterloo, with support from the federal and provincial governments, was unanimously approved. As staff explore options for future recreation facilities on the west side of Waterloo, they will consider the capital and operating costs for a high performance aquatic centre with a 50 metre competition-ready pool, practice pool, training spaces and meeting rooms and appropriate spectator seating incorporating best practices in environmental sustainability, energy efficiency and AODA accessibility in the design.
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Media contact:
Cari Van Niekerk
Director, Corporate Communications
cari.vanniekerk@waterloo.ca