State of the City 2026

By City of Waterloo - Apr 16, 2026

Mayor McCabe, on behalf of Waterloo City Council, delivered the 2026 State of the City today.

Reflecting on the past year, Mayor McCabe noted a rapidly changing global landscape, while highlighting the seeds that have been planted to ensure Waterloo remains future-ready and community-driven.

Emphasizing the City of Waterloo’s strengths as a connected, innovative and resilient community, Mayor McCabe shared about the City’s unique approach grounded in sustainability, support for local businesses and thoughtful planning for complete neighbourhoods and accessible healthcare, while continuing to create opportunities that help retain jobs and young people in the community.

“We do the hard work of working together to find solutions. We keep momentum. We strengthen our connections and we build on progress,” said Mayor McCabe during her 2026 State of the City speech, “That’s what our residents expect. That’s what our community deserves.”

Mayor McCabe also highlighted some of the exciting partnerships the City of Waterloo is involved in:

  • Union Community Housing will break ground this spring on Union1, the first building in the BUILD NOW affordable housing development on the City-donated land at 2025 University Avenue East.
  • $540,000 invested by the City of Waterloo over three years in partnership with the Accelerator Centre to launch a new med-tech development program, nurturing and growing up to 45 innovative Canadian homegrown startups and new job opportunities.
  • The Waterloo Region AI Coalition, championed by the University of Waterloo and led by Communitech, is positioning our community as Canada's responsible AI adoption powerhouse, and City of Waterloo is proud to be a partner.

After the Mayor’s remarks, the eight winners of the Council for a Day contest showcased their winning ideas for improving life in Waterloo.

Thank you to all attendees and sponsors of the 2026 City of Waterloo State of the City. Hosted by Rotary Waterloo, this year’s event raised over $24,000 for Waterloo Wayside Centre and an additional $5,000 to Rotary’s Community Grant Fund. 

Watch the recorded speech.
Watch the Council for a Day videos.

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Media contact:

Shirley Luu
Communications Consultant
Corporate Communications
City of Waterloo
Shirley.luu@waterloo.ca

 

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