News roundup: November 7, 2024

There’s a lot happening in the world, but getting involved locally can help you stay grounded. Here’s the latest:

• ATTEND: Grand River Transit has shared a draft of its new business plan. This includes plans for 10-minute service during weekdays (7 am to 7 pm) and 15-minute service other times for 16 key routes, improved transfers, new and improved coverage, a proposed highway “super express” connecting Waterloo, Kitchener, and Cambridge with 15-minute service, and the introduction of a 30-minute overnight service network. This is a remarkable and ambitious plan, and it needs public support to see it happen. Make sure to attend one of the sessions, or to provide feedback.

  • Virtual session: Join the Business Plan virtual session on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. to learn more about all three parts of the business plan. Join the Zoom webinar

  • Business plan pop-up sessions: Staff will be at transit locations to hand out information and answer questions about the GRT Business Plan. Township open house information can be found here.

    • Ainslie Terminal, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2 - 4 p.m.
    • The Boardwalk Station, Monday, Nov. 25, 2 - 4 p.m.
    • Waterloo Public Square, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2 - 4 p.m.
    • Fairway Station, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2 - 4 p.m.

• ATTEND: The Region of Waterloo is proposing to improve Arthur Street in Elmira for people outside cars, and considering a truck by-pass route outside downtown. There will be an in-person public consultation today–Wednesday, Nov 7 from 7-9 pm at the Woolwich Memorial Centre where people can ask questions and share comments. The online survey will also be open until Nov 28.

• DESIGN: The City of Kitchener is holding a design workshop on Friday, Nov 8 from 1-4 pm for the redevelopment of the Charles Street Terminal in downtown Kitchener. The city is aiming to create a mixed-use development focused on affordable housing, climate action, Indigenous perspectives, and economic development. Registration, more details, and info on other public input sessions can be found at the EngageWR page.

• SPEAK: Budget–Public Input Meeting #2: Nov. 27, 6 p.m. Region of Waterloo Council Chamber (150 Frederick Street, Kitchener). Planning is happening for the 2025 preliminary budget–speak up on key priorities like supporting a frequent transit network, overnight busses, stage 2 ION, and Vision Zero implementation.

• COMMENT: The City of Cambridge is planning to reconstruct Queen Street West in Hespeler, and the current designs for the updated streetscape notably do not make it any safer for biking. The city has a public survey (open until Nov 15) seeking public engagement on the future of the street. Utility reconstruction is done only every few decades, so this is the right time to update the streetscape. The City of Kitchener has included continuous sidewalks, curb-protected bike lanes, and pedestrian crossings in some of its recent reconstruction projects such as Highland Road East.

• CONTACT: Doug Ford’s government is attacking bike lane infrastructure in Bill 212. Submit a comment here and have your voice heard! Ford is also aiming to limit debates and public hearings on this bill. To put pressure on the provincial government to open up due process, please email your MPP here by inputting your postal code and copying their email address.

  • What’s the low down on Bill 212?

    Ford is “using a big hammer to go after a fly,” says Toronto Mayor Chow on Bill 212, which would seriously restrict municipalities from adding bike lanes to streets and roads. Under the bill, bike lanes in Ontario would need to be approved by the province if they require the removal of a traffic lane. The bill also provides for the removal of existing bike lanes on Bloor St., Yonge St., and University Ave. in Toronto. Bike lane infrastructure projects are already being put on hold following the introduction of this bill since, if passed, the lanes may need to be reverted back at heavy costs. Cycling and transit activists are furious, noting that the bill “is not fact-based” and will cause more people to die on Ontario streets if passed. The Association of Municipalities of Ontario has voiced its concerns on provincial overreach, and some municipalities are still interested in making streets safer for biking. This week, a Region of Waterloo committee voted to move forward with new plans to expand its bike lane network with 6 new lanes on key street connections! Be sure to keep an eye out and show your support for these projects as they open up to community discussion.

News Roundup

• The federal government says it will go ahead with consortium selection for a new high-speed rail line between Toronto and Quebec City with speeds up to 300 km/h, however, no details on the design, procurement model, or costs are available yet – nor is there word of any extensions towards southwestern Ontario. It’s expected to take 4-5 years to design the line–funds being allocated at the end–making it possible for a future government to modify or cancel the project.
• TriTAG joins other transit advocacy groups, mayors, and transit agencies across Canada in calling for a ‘new deal’ on public transit funding. The “Transit for Tomorrow” Summit in Ottawa called on the federal government to speed up the Canada Public Transit Fund from 2026 to this year, make it open to operations & maintenance costs, and to increase the fund to truly cover transit needs across the entire country.
• The Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo CMA saw an increase in its commuter transit mode share from 6.1% in 2016 to 8.9% in 2024. This was a larger increase than Hamilton, and those were the only two of the top 10 CMAs to see an increase.
• Kitchener council is not happy with the Region of Waterloo’s approach to speed cameras and wants a different approach for city-owned streets.
• Metrolinx has issued a new request for qualifications (RFQ) for the proposed Hamilton LRT. The project began back in 2007 and had a previous RFQ under the Wynne government in 2017 which was rejected by Metrolinx. Funding currently sits at $3.4 billion, negotiated in 2021 between the federal and provincial governments. Shovels would not be in the ground until 2027 at the earliest.
• The City of Waterloo put in place a new multi-use path connection linking the Spur Line Trail and Willow Street, but some people are upset about several trees which were removed to do it.
• More Transit Southern Ontario makes the case for improved transit connections between Waterloo Region and Guelph.
• A Guelph Transit strike has been averted with a tentative agreement.
• Also in Guelph, a bike repair operation at a private home has been shut down for a single by-law complaint.
• An increase in budgets for several Regional road projects has Cambridge Mayor Doug Craig calling for provincial funding to support road works.