Waterloo ranks high in citizen satisfaction

The City of Waterloo recently conducted its first citizen satisfaction survey and the results are in – 99 per cent of residents state the quality of life in Waterloo is good and 94 per cent of residents are satisfied with Waterloo as a place to live. In addition, 88 per cent of residents polled say they receive good value for the taxes they pay, and 82 per cent of residents say they are aware of opportunities to participate and engage with city staff. 

The survey also highlighted key areas to help improve residents’ satisfaction, including road maintenance and repair, bylaw enforcement and snow clearance. 

“The survey validates that Waterloo is a great place to live, work, learn and play,” says Mayor Dave Jaworsky. “We also know that we can do better in a number of areas and this input will assist council as we develop our next strategic plan. We will focus our energy and resources on priorities that are important to residents.” 

The citizen satisfaction survey aimed to kick off the 2019-2022 strategic planning process. The results of this survey, along with input collected from City of Waterloo Council, staff, advisory committees of council and the community provide a snapshot of current perceptions of Waterloo. This feedback has been compiled in a comprehensive summary report which includes findings and emerging themes and priorities. The report will be presented to council on March 4, 2019, and will serve as a foundation to inform discussions with council and staff as we move forward to build a new strategic plan; a plan that will guide the city over the next four years. Council will approve the draft of that plan in April 2019.

The next phase of public engagement will take place in May. The goal is to encourage the public to review the draft strategic plan and ensure it captures their thoughts and input collected during the first phase of consultation. The draft strategy will be posted on engagewr.ca/waterloo at that time.

The City of Waterloo strategic plan for 2019 to 2022 is scheduled to be unveiled in June 2019. 

Citizen satisfaction survey results

• In 2018, 99 per cent of respondents found the quality of life in Waterloo to be good
• Ninety-four per cent are satisfied with Waterloo as a place to live
• Eighty-eight per cent say they receive good value for the taxes they pay
• Eighty-two per cent say they are aware of opportunities to participate and engage with city staff
• Sixty-eight per cent are satisfied with the way the city is run and 24% of people had neutral feelings in this area
• Key priorities to improve satisfaction are:
  • Road maintenance and repair
  • Bylaw enforcement
  • Snow clearance
• Some of the highest-rated City of Waterloo services include:
  • Fire services – 98%
  • Library – 98%
  • Arts and culture programs – 92%
  • Parks and recreation programs and facilities – 92%
  • Museum – 90%
• The telephone survey was conducted by MDB Insight, on behalf of the City of Waterloo, from November 10 – 24, 2018. In total, 527 surveys were completed with adult residents (18+), with about 75 per ward. The survey collected input on quality of life, delivery of city services, use of tax dollars and preferred methods of communication. The survey is statistically significant, with a margin of error of +/- 4.3%.

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Media contact:

Shelly Reed
Communications consultant
519-747-8515
shelly.reed@waterloo.ca