Kitchener City Council Meeting

Kitchener City Council condemned threats against Muslim individuals and Islamic schools, recognized 11 volunteer organizations with a combined 435 years of service, and received updates on housing, climate initiatives and municipal accountability. Council withdrew the proposed heritage designation for the East View Co-op at 265 Weber Street East, deferred a heritage permit decision for 16–20 Street North until January, and approved economic-support and administrative items.

Topics Discussed

PUBLIC SAFETY AND COMMUNITY LIFE

Mayor Berry Vrbanovic condemned threats directed at Muslim individuals and Islamic schools in Kitchener and across Canada. He said, "No child should ever feel afraid to go to school and no family should be made to feel unsafe because of their faith."

Council also discussed the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit People, and October observances including Islamic Heritage Month, Latin American Heritage Month and National Seniors Day.

Council recognized four affiliated neighbourhood associations and seven affiliated minor sports groups for a combined 435 years of service. Vrbanovic said the organizations "help create connections and make a growing city feel like a community."

HOUSING AND HERITAGE DESIGNATIONS

Council withdrew its notice of intention to designate the East View Co-op at 265 Weber Street East under the Ontario Heritage Act. The 15-unit affordable housing co-operative had raised concerns about the potential cost and administrative burden of heritage designation.

Councillor Paul Singh said the property was "a well-loved property by its residents" and that he did not object to the co-op's request not to be designated. Staff said routine like-for-like repairs would generally not require a heritage impact assessment and that designation would not have required immediate renovations.

The property will not be designated and is to be removed from the city's heritage register at the end of the year as part of the Bill 23 work program. Garrett Stevenson said the review was required because of legislated changes and was "not in response to anything that Eastview Co-op has done to their building."

Council also deferred a heritage permit decision for 16–20 Street North until January. The proposed alterations involve removing part of the building's side return and converting a second-floor front-facing window into a door. The developer is to provide an engineer's stabilization report and further information about the planned ground-floor community-benefit space.

CITY PERFORMANCE, HOUSING AND CLIMATE WORK

Troy Glover, chair of Compass Kitchener, reported that all 12 municipal projects reviewed for the 2026 report card met or exceeded performance expectations. The Housing for All initiative helped bring 188 supportive-housing units online, with another 84 underway.

Glover urged the city to measure results for residents rather than only completed plans or programs. He asked whether "housing [is] becoming more attainable," whether "streets [are] safer" and whether residents feel "included and connected."

Sustainable Waterloo Region presented programs for organics collection and food rescue at multi-unit buildings, schools and small businesses. The organization said it rescued more than 550 meals in one day during the Ontario Summer Games. It also discussed net-zero construction, an artificial-intelligence retrofit tool, microforest expansion and preparations for stricter 2030 building-energy standards.

UTILITIES, DATA CENTRES AND TREE CANOPY

Councillor Bil Ioannidis questioned whether Anova Power has the capacity to support a large data centre, asking whether the utility could "service a big data center." Council also discussed potential demands on local electricity and water systems as part of a broader provincial and federal discussion.

Compass Kitchener highlighted the need to direct tree-canopy investments toward neighbourhoods with higher heat exposure and less shade. Sustainable Waterloo Region said more than 60 microforests and 5,000 trees have been planted since 2021, with another community planting planned at Sunnyside.

LOCAL ECONOMIC SUPPORT

The mayor outlined a plan to support local jobs amid trade uncertainty and tariffs. The city plans to use procurement to support Ontario and Canadian businesses, provide outreach to affected sectors and relaunch its Support Local campaign.

Vrbanovic said about 98% of the city's current spending on goods, services and construction goes to Ontario-based businesses. He said, "Trade uncertainty may be beyond our control, but how we respond to it is not."

Motions

• Council minutes: Approved the minutes of the regular meeting of August 24 and special meetings held August 24 and September 14.
• 265 Weber Street East heritage designation: Passed a motion by Councillor Stretch, seconded by Councillor Deneault, to accept the East View Co-op's notice of objection and withdraw the notice of intention to designate the property. The motion passed unanimously.
• 16–20 Street North heritage permit: Deferred the heritage permit decision until January. The developer is to provide additional engineering and community-space information.
• Communications: Placed on file a communication concerning the September 25 Franco-Ontarian flag-raising ceremony.
• Finance and Corporate Services items 71B–71D: Adopted.
• 2027 city calendar: Approved on a motion by Councillor Singh, seconded by Councillor Stretch.
• Bylaw package: Item 121G concerning 265 Weber Street was struck from the bylaw package before the remaining bylaws were passed.
• Closed-session item: An undisclosed item arising from an in-camera meeting was approved.
• Declarations of interest: No pecuniary interests were declared.

Attendees

The supplied list of participating elected officials includes:

• Mayor Berry Vrbanovic
• Councillor Scott Davey
• Councillor Jason Deneault
• Councillor Bil Ioannidis
• Councillor Margaret Johnston
• Councillor Christine Michaud
• Councillor Ayo Owodunni
• Councillor Debbie Chapman
• Councillor Paul Singh
• Councillor Dave Schnider
• Councillor Stephanie Stretch