Council Info – December 11, 2019

August 01, 2025

Council Info is a summary of discussion and the major items presented at Council meetings. It is circulated immediately following each meeting. You are encouraged to quote from and copy this information. Please refer to the minutes for an official record of the meeting.

Implementation plan for changes to Housing Services Act

Council approved a report that details how the Region will adjust to recent changes to the Housing Services Act, including administration of rent-geared-to-income (RGI) and community housing waiting lists. The changes aim to improve resident outcomes and reduce administrative burdens on housing providers and recipients. Housing Services staff will provide annual progress updates on these changes to Regional Council.

Building condition audits reveal funding shortfall for repairs

The Region will ask the Province and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) to provide adequate and sustainable funding for repairs to community housing units across Waterloo Region. The Region recently conducted building condition and funding audits on local community housing providers to measure the difference between the amount of building repair work required and the funds available to do it. There is an estimated shortfall of $132 million between 2019 and 2034. As Service Manager, the Region is responsible for ensuring the financial and operational stability of community housing providers in Waterloo Region.

Dental care for seniors

The Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program is now available in Waterloo Region. It is a provincially-funded program administered by Region of Waterloo Public Health. In an effort to improved access to dental care for low-income seniors, the Region will ask the province to remove the denture co-payment requirement of this program.

Region partners with FCM for Upgrades at the Hespeler Wastewater Treatment Plant

The Region will enter into a Combined Loan and Grant Agreement with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) through the Green Municipal Fund for Membrane Aerated Biofilm upgrades to the Hespeler Wastewater Treatment Plant. The FCM provides low-interest rate loans, in combination with grants to implement capital projects that will improve environmental performance in municipal, energy, transportation, and waste and water sectors. In this arrangement, the Region could save approximately $302,000.

Council approves water softener pilot project

Regional staff will proceed with a three-year pilot program for water softeners. The program aims to reduce chlorides (water softening salt) from entering local rivers, and conserves backwash drinking water by encouraging homeowners to soften their hot water only.  This will reduce household salt and water consumption by an estimated 65 per cent, and would save a three-person household approximately $84 a year in water and salt costs.  The benefits to homeowners that switch to softening hot-water only include:
· Healthier drinking and irrigation
· Reduced backwash water and salt savings
· Increased life expectancy of water softeners
· Dishwashers, appliances and plumbing still protected
· Reduced chloride impacts on rivers
· Reduced greenhouse gas emissions through salt/water savings
To encourage homeowners to change plumbing to soften hot water only, Water Services will offer a one-time rebate of $50 per household. More information can be found at: www.regionofwaterloo.ca/watersofteners

Council approves two Brownfield Financial incentive grants

Two grants will be awarded, one in Cambridge and one in Waterloo, from the Brownfield Financial Incentive Program. These grants assist with the costs of remediating former industrial or commercial sites that have environmental contamination in order for redevelopment to occur. One grant goes to the former Canada Post sorting facility at 70 King St. Waterloo. The other is for remediation of the Southworks Outlet Mall at 64 Grand Ave. South, Cambridge. The amount of any grant depends on remediation costs, but is not to exceed $3,980,292 for the Waterloo site and $3,551,095 for the site in Cambridge.

Tenders/Contracts:  

The following tenders/contracts were approved by Council:

  • $2,419,686.00 to BGL Contractors Corp. for an ozone sidestream injection upgrade at the Mannheim Water Treatment Plant.
  • $933,583.00 to R.J. Burnside & Associates Limited to provide consulting geoscience services for the Region of Waterloo Groundwater Monitoring Program for the period January 1, 2020 to August 31, 2022 (Phase 1) with a renewal of this contract for the period from January 1, 2022 through August 31, 2024 for Phase 2.
  • $777,752.00 to SPEC Construction Inc. for the Waterloo Regional Police Headquarters front lobby renovation, Cambridge.
  • $772,196.00 to Stantec Consulting Ltd. to provide engineering consulting services for environmental assessment, preliminary design, detailed design, construction administration and construction inspection services for the superstructure replacement of the Scheifele Bridge on Northfield Drive over the Conestogo River in the Township of Woolwich.
  • $767,830.00 to Paladin Technologies Inc. for a Staff Assist and Patient Wandering System at Sunnyside Home.
  •  $654,634.00 to Viking-Cives Ltd. for two plow truck units and to be named Vendor of Record for the procurement of all plow trucks for a three-year period.
  • $295,575.80 to Canadian Linen for Region coverall, overall and miscellaneous item rental and cleaning services for a five-year term.

 

Next Council Meeting


January 22, 2020 at 7 p.m.


For more information, contact:

Bryan Stortz, Director, Corporate Communications, 519-575-4408
Regional Clerk’s Office, 519-575-4400