Good afternoon everyone and welcome to the special council meeting on November 6, 2026. Individuals interested in participating in today's meeting were eligible to register online using the delegation registration form at www.kitchener.ca/delegation. CA/delegation or via email at delegation@kitchener.ca. Written comments received prior to the commencement of today's meeting have been circulated to members of council and will form part of the public record. The meeting live stream and archive videos are available at www.kitchener.ca/watch.now. Before we begin today's meeting, I'd like to acknowledge that this afternoon we're gathering on the traditional territory of the neutral Anesnabi and Hodnosoni peoples. We recognize our responsibility to serve as stewards for the land and honor the original caretakers who came before us. Our communities enriched by the enduring knowledge and deeprooted traditions of the diverse First Nations Matei and Inuit in Kitchener today. Are there any disclosures of pecunary interest? There being none, um move on to item number three, mar business. There is none. We'll move then to item four. Uh we have a notice of motion from councelor Oadoneyi pertaining to the uh inaugural meeting of the 2026 to 2030 council. You can key yourself in. Councelor Oduni, go ahead. >> Thank you very much. Uh, Mayor Vanovic. Uh, the motion is moved by myself, seconded by councelor Stretch, that the 2026 council and committee schedule be amended to reschedule the inaugural council meeting for the 2026/2030 term of council from November 16, 2026 to November 23rd, 2026. Okay, thank you very much. That's been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? There being none on. I'm not getting an Okay, you got it. Great. Thank you, Madame Clerk. Um, all those in favor opposed. That is carried. Okay, we'll now move on um to item number five, which is an opportunity for us to uh recognize our uh two outgoing members of council, uh Ward Five Councelor ION, who served from 2022 to 2026, and uh councelor Stephanie Stretch, who um served from January 22nd, 2024 uh to 2026. And I will uh I will begin with uh with ward five. Colleagues, let's begin by recognizing and celebrating someone who has made a lasting contribution to our council, our community, and the history of our city. Our friend and colleague, Councelor Iuni. When I was first elected in 2022, he made history as the first black and first African person elected to Kitchener City Council. But what makes IO special isn't simply the history he made. It's the doors he opened, the relationships he built, and the people he inspired along the way. As a proud Nigerian Canadian, and folks aren't sure about that, always remember there's only one kind of good jolaf rice, and it's Nigerian jolaf rice. Hyo's IO has been an important voice for our growing African and Nigerian communities, for newcomers, and for everyone who believes that Kitchener should be a place where opportunity and belonging know no boundaries. And if there's one thing we all know about IO, it's that he's a super networker, a walking version of LinkedIn. Whether at city hall, a community event, or halfway around the world, IO seems to know someone. And if he doesn't, he soon will. I think we're all going to need to get LinkedIn subscriptions now that he won't be on council anymore. Throughout his term, IO brought that same energy, enthusiasm, and entrepreneurial spirit to representing Ward 5, our city's fastest growing ward. He championed investments in neighborhood infrastructure, including recreation and community spaces at the Hiron and Williamsburg community centers and expanded library services at the New South Community Library. He was equally passionate about housing affordability, economic opportunity, innovation, inclusion, and helping newcomers succeed. IO understood that building a great city isn't just about buildings and infrastructure, but rather it's about building relationships, creating opportunities, and bringing people together to create a sense of belonging. Today, IO brings an ex sorry begins an exciting new chapter returning home to Nigeria to reunite with his wife and children whose professional opportunities took his wife back to Africa. Io, while we'll miss your friendship, your infectious optimism and contributions around this horseshoe, we know your passion for connecting people will continue as you build stronger bridges between Canadians and people throughout the African continent and our respective communities. On behalf of council and the people of Kitchener, thank you for your leadership, your friendship, and your service. You made history here, but more importantly, you made a difference. We wish you, Faka, and your son and daughter every happiness and success in the chapters ahead. If I can ask staff to run the video now. Hey, Mayor Barry here and on behalf of the residents, council, and staff of the city of Kitchener, thanks for your public service to our community over the past four years. a human version of Lincoln. You always look to connect people to build a better community and a better world. As the first African Canadian ever elected to council, you brought the voice of new Canadians to our council horseshoe. Your smile, passion, and energy were always infectious. IO, we will miss you and we wish you all the best as you return home to your family in Nigeria. PS. I'll always remember there's no better jolof rice than Nigerian jolof rice. Now, let's hear from the rest of your council colleagues. >> IO, it's been a real pleasure serving alongside you. You brought energy, kindness, and a fresh perspective to council, and you never stop fighting for W 5. From safer streets to the Williamsburg Community Center, I'll miss working with you, my friend. All the best to you and your family. >> Hey, I Bill here. Uh, I just wanted to wish you, you know, all the success and in your future endeavors. Uh, it was really great working with you and, uh, we're going to miss you. We're going to miss your loud laugh and your hot sauces. It's a sad day, but I know it's a day that, you know, you're looking forward to and reconnecting with your family. So, again, all the best. >> Hey, I hate to see you go, but I'm pretty sure you're going to be back uh serving the public again before you know it. And I'm coming to visit you uh in Nigeria. So anyway, all the best, buddy. >> Hi. I'm I'm going to miss you. You were my partner in crime and you know, the bantering we had going back and forth, I quite enjoyed. Um I really hope things go well for you in Nigeria. Hey Iio, I wish you nothing but the best in your future. Hope to see you again. IO, thanks for great years. Good on you for putting family first. Thanks for all your contributions. I'm a little worried our local hot sauce economy is going to go down, but all the best to you and your family. >> Hey IO, first off, thank you for your service and your dedication to Kitcher Residence. We will miss you around the horseshoe. We will miss your special brand of charisma. Wishing you all the very best in all of your future endeavors. IO council is losing a truly genuine person in you. Working together has been a blast and you've always kept me smiling. You've taught me so much about your homeland in Nigeria and completely ruined my spice tolerance in the process. I'm going to miss you immensely. Odabo, my friend, thank you for everything and G Nikki. So well >> got the elbows Very nice. >> Um, so um I owe whoever. Sure, we'll do it now. Okay. Can somebody pass me his IO? We have a little we have a couple different keepsakes for both you and Stephanie. One of them you're getting today. Um and the other one you'll get uh next week uh when we're at the opening of the Cowen Rec Center. Um but uh on behalf of all of us on council, thank you for uh for four awesome years and know that uh wherever life takes you, you'll always have a home and friends here in Kitchener. So come on over and we'll we'll give you this this gift. I'll give the floor to you if you want to say if some reflections. >> Sure. Wow. I was not expecting that at all. Um, I do want to say a big thank you to um first my family for their support. Uh, it's been it's been a tough uh two years without them and having to go back and forth and trying to keep the connection alive. It's been a tough few months having to make this decision. But I mean reflecting and looking back over the past four years uh has been it's been a wonderful experience for me experienced learning. I've had a chance to engage with every single counselor here in one form or another. So, I want to say thank you to to all of you, whether it's uh grabbing brani together, you know, or schnitle or, you know, whatever I can't spell or pronounce. That's a new dish, you know. Uh I'm very very grateful. I feel like I've learned so much from all of you. Uh I moved to Kitchener 10 years ago and people ask how did you pick Kitner? It was by luck. That was the first place where we got a job. So it could have been anywhere in Canada but um I'm very grateful that it ended up being Kitner because this place has been a beautiful place. It's been warm. I've met so many amazing people. W 5 has been a phenomenal phenomenal ward. the people there, cordial, caring, welcoming, loving from the start all the way to the beginning. Uh, I guess I'm still in that honeymoon phase. Uh, Bill, you know, Council Aronitis said to me once, he's like, "They're being nice to your year one. Wait till year two." But but it lasted four years. But, um, I'm just very grateful uh to the mayor, uh, to Dan and his team. Uh, thank you all. Thank you all for making this an amazing amazing experience and um you know this is a place that I will never forget. I will say that. Uh fun fact there was once I was at an airport in Nigeria and some random person just pointed at me and said Kitchener right and you know it's amazing how we have gone global you know people are recognizing counselors across the world from this you know from this city. Uh so please I want to just encourage you to keep doing the great things you're doing. Uh there is a particular story I share with people constantly about counselor uh Michelle where we were talking about should the speed limit be 30 kilometers or 40 kilometers. And to be quite honest with all of you I could care less. I was like it's 11:30 p.m. Let's just beg the question and let's move on with our lives. But that was a hill she was willing to die on. And I remember she started pointing at all of us. I don't know if you all remember that like you all your conscience. I'm like, "Oh my gosh, over 30 kilometers or 40, you know, but I I that's the type of I mean, that is just one story." But when we talk about affordable housing and Jason turns red immediately, you know, when we talk about landlords and tenants and um council Ionitis is ready to jump in or the BIA and uh councelor Johnson is jumping in, whatever it is, there is just we have so much passion when it's spending money and councelor Davy's hair starts sticking up, you know, the remaining strands that are left. But but I I say all that just to say you are all passionate in your own unique way about the things that are important to your community and that forever uh you've rubbed off on me the importance of servant leadership listening to your people engaging the community and ensuring that their voices are heard and um that is a a brand of leadership that if it goes across the world we will have a much greater place. So, thank you all very much once again. I'm very grateful. Thank you. >> Thank you very much, IO. And now we'll move to uh our war 10 counselor, Stephanie Stretch. Stephanie, you joined us partway through the term, but you quickly became a beloved colleague, a trusted friend, and a passionate champion for our community. From your very first meeting, you brought something special to this table. A genuine love for people, a deep commitment to community, and a determination to make Kitchener better for everyone. And Stephanie, during this time, you certainly made your mark. Whether advocating for affordable housing like the housing project fireh hall in your ward, championing a safer and more welcoming downtown, championing the market, supporting our arts and culture organizations, or fighting for greener, more accessible neighborhoods. You approached every issue with compassion, thoughtfulness, and conviction. Your leadership on the downtown action and advisory committee, the climate change and environment committee, and numerous community boards reflected your belief that a great city is one where everyone belongs. You helped advance important investments in affordable housing, neighborhood parks, our tree canopy, and downtown safety. Always remembering the people behind the policies. But Stephanie, what I or we will remember most isn't simply what you accomplished. It's how you served. You listened. You showed up. You cared. You brought your heart to this job each and every day. And people noticed. Your colleagues respected your integrity, appreciated your perspective, and valued your warmth, kindness, and humanity that you brought to our council family. and your W 10 residents knew they had someone who genuinely cared about them. I also want to acknowledge your family whose love and support made your service possible. While the election result wasn't what you had hoped for by a hair, please know that your contributions to this city will always be me measured by the lives you've touched, the relationships you've built, and the difference that you've made. And so on behalf of council, our staff, and a grateful community, thank you. As you begin your next chapters, I know your passion for making a difference while being in service to others will continue to shine. We wish you, Nathan, and your two awesome daughters every happiness and success. And now I would ask staff to play your video. Hey Stephanie, Mayor Barry here and on behalf of the residents, council and staff of the city of Kitchener, thanks for your public service to our community since joining council on January 22nd, 2024. Stephanie, you have always been one of the kindest and most caring and compassionate people I know. Always a champion for all your residents in the downtown. You achieved so much during your time on council. Steph, I will miss our talks. I will miss your notes. And most of all, I will miss your smile and your passion for life. Thanks and best wishes on your next chapter. Now, let's hear from the rest of our council colleagues. >> Hey Steph, it's been a real pleasure serving alongside you on council. You stepped into the role midterm and hit the ground running and your work on the downtown climate and accessibility made a difference for board 10 and for the whole city. Thanks for your dedication, your collaboration around the horseshoe and most of all your friendship. I wish you and your family some welldeserved rest. Hey Steph, uh you already know how I feel about all this, but uh just want you to know that the best decision I made last term of council was uh voting to appoint you. Hey Steph, sad day. Um we really are going to miss you, but we want to wish you all the best. you have a bright future ahead of you. Uh you've been an amazing addition to our council. I really enjoyed our time together and working together with you. Uh I wish you nothing but all the success. >> Hi Stephanie. I really hate to see you um gone. I think we had a great team going, you and I, with downtown issues, downtown safety, all the events and just, you know, staying on top of things. So, I really wish you the best in everything you do. Steph, I won't look at another plate of nachos without thinking of you. I miss you around here. We'll stay in touch. Stephanie, thank you for your positivity, enthusiasm, and hard work. It's inspiring and it made a big difference at our community. Thanks for being you because you are awesome. Steph, it was an absolute pleasure to be able to serve with you on Katrus Council. I will miss your empathy and your your kindness in approaching issues. Uh your care for this community. Um you'll be very much missed around the horseshoe. >> Steph working with you made even the longest caucus and council meetings genuinely fun. I'm really going to miss our backroom office strategy sessions. Thank you for always having my back. This is not goodbye. I'm always here for you, friend. Love you lots. Let's give them a big round of applause. >> Stephanie, uh amazing impact in in three short years. A lot of great things accomplished. And uh while your time at the council table may be ending, know that your place in the Kitchener family never will. And we'd like to present you with something. Stephanie, would you like to say a few words? >> Sure. Um There we go. >> Okay. Um, I am not as gifted as an aertor as IO is. Um, and I'm sure if I had one, I'd probably have a nice polished, elegant something to say, but I I I'm feeling less than polished these days. Um, of course, I would have loved to have been back. I really felt like I was just getting started. Um, and part of that was because I had such a positive and really good experience working with all of you. Um, I am so grateful for all of the time and questions and the patience you had with me as I joined partway through. Um, I can only I can only imagine the trepidation kind of going into that decision. And I'm just so grateful that I got to be here. And um, I think I can genuinely say it's the council table, but it's also staff. Um, I learned a lot um about a lot of different things. And that's one thing I really loved about the the job of being a counselor is you have one foot in the the frontline uh work working with people and you have one foot in kind of big picture decision- making and they both inform each other really well and I loved it. Yeah, I would have loved to have been back and been able to keep working on the different projects and keep building relationships in this in the city and with out at representing Kitchener. I think, you know, I think what I thought a lot about what I was going to say and I think I'm I'm going to land with um I think I learned that there's way more gray than I thought in decision making. You know, it's not a left or right decision. It's not a blue or green or orange decision. um it's much um foggier and gray and there's many many different shades and sometimes you're clear on what shade of gray you'd like and um you go with that and sometimes you're not as clear and I'm really grateful for the way that you all approach that. Um, I learned a lot about um, yeah, how to make um, big decisions together and sometimes not together and how to move on from that. And I do I feel like this next part for me is pretty gray. But based on the experience I have, I feel confident that, you know, some version of gray will work out. um whatever that is. Um but I see you. I am in solidarity with you for those tough decisions and and I'm with staff and I see you to trying to balance the whole needs and present that um and give counselor the best tools possible to make good decisions. So I am so grateful and so sad, but thank you Thank you. Uh thank you, Stephanie. And uh thank you to you and and to IO for uh your commitment to public service, your uh the the passion that that each of you brought to this role in in your own ways, your collaboration with council, your collaboration with staff, and most of all the difference that you made on behalf of the residents. uh each of you serve both in your wards and uh and throughout the community. I know uh I know all of us will will deeply miss both of you. Um but um the the friendship and the relationships that have been formed will uh will no doubt last a lifetime and and that is partially because of the collaborative way that uh I think we've all worked together as uh as we look to the end of this term. might be remiss if I if I didn't take just a couple moments to to again thank all of you uh as as members of council again for uh for the work and all that we've been able to uh achieve during this term uh together. Um this uh this only happens um when I I believe when you have a council that works well together and a staff team that uh that works together. And on behalf of all of council, I want to thank CLT and by virtue of them um all of the staff that uh that work together with them throughout the organization delivering services to the residents that we all serve. uh from the moment that folks get up in the morning to the moment they go to bed at night and through the night for those services that are either there to respond to emergencies or or uh work that gets done uh overnight either in an emergency or as part of regularly scheduled work. Um I I've said this about both of these groups many many times. Uh we are truly blessed and team Kitchener uh to have some uh some amazing people and um Dan under your your leadership together with the rest of CLT want to uh to say thank you for uh for all that you do to uh to Amanda and and Diana and the clerk's team. Um we couldn't do this uh this without you. you uh you keep all of us honest. You keep all of us uh um making sure that we're doing what we're supposed to do and and and staying out of trouble. Um you do it with professional professionalism and flare. Um and uh we are we are very fortunate and well served by uh by both of you and and your team. And so on behalf of council want to uh to thank all of you as well. And lastly, our uh but but lastly, but firstly, the the people that we get to that council gets to work with uh the most uh day in and day out, and that's our office of mayor and council uh team. We uh we none of us would be what we are. None of us would get done what we can do. None of us would be where we need to be when we need to be um without uh all of the the support, guidance, um friendship, uh reminders, smacks in the head when we need them. um to uh to uh to to get everything done um and to be able to serve uh our our community the way we do. So, a heartfelt thank you to uh the four of you um on on our team. It's uh it's it's great to have you all here and and and to be able to collectively say thank you for uh for all that uh that you do for us. Thank you very much. And uh and so with that uh folks, it's uh it's been quite the uh quite the term and uh lots uh lots of accomplishments. And I'd be remiss if I didn't remind people that next Saturday, uh, the 14th, we have the grand opening of the largest facility ever built in the city's history, and that's the new Cow and Recreation Center. We look forward to welcoming uh, council in the community there for the opening. I think everyone who's been through it so far knows what uh, what an amazing amazing spaces it is. uh and hearing nothing but rave reviews from uh from from everyone. And um that uh opening celebration is we know is going to be too much for one day and people have different schedules, kids have sports and all that kind of thing. And so we said, you know what, it's a we're going to make it a party for a week. And so if you check on the city of Kitchener website at kitcher.ca/rbjl ca/rbjl park you can get all the the details uh about the opening not just on the 14th but the various activities that will take place in the following week as part of that. So, we invite the the community to join us for that. And uh I would also be remiss if prior to that I didn't remind everyone that on November 11th is uh is Remembrance Day. Um, and we invite the community to uh to join our our veterans and those who have served in our community at um the Senate at the corner of uh Duke and Frederick Street for the annual ceremony which uh begins at 10:30 p.m. 10:30 a.m. Um and our our very own Dave Schneider will be serving as the the master of ceremonies at uh at that uh annual commemoration. So with that uh colleagues, uh I do I have to do three readings of the bylaws still? Oh, okay. Um I'll move by councelor stretch, seconded by councelor Oaduni. Uh any discussion on the bylaws? All those in favor? opposed. That's carried. Do you guys want to flip a coin for who gets to move adjournment? >> Okay. Moved by K councelor Ooneyi, seconded by councelor stretch. All those in favor opposed. And that is carried unanimously. Thank you everybody.