[0:36] It is still Good morning. Good morning. I'd like to

[0:44] call this Community and Health Services committee meeting to order

[0:49] today. We're going to be discussing the creation of culturally

[0:52] responsive childcare in partnership with the Healing of Seven Generations.

[0:57] We're going to have an update on the Canada wide

[0:59] early learning and childcare directed growth and a preliminary overview

[1:04] of the 2024 point in time count. And finally, an

[1:07] update on Waterloo regional housing revitalization plan. And the plan,

[1:12] committee, and for those who are in the audience, is

[1:15] to Deal with the delegation under 5.1 from CUPE local

[1:20] 5191 and then we'll Also deal with item number

[1:24] 6.1, the strategy On equitable services and opportunities related to

[1:29] 30 Christopher and then, with committee's permission, we'll break for

[1:33] lunch and after lunch, resume with the rest of the

[1:36] agenda Beginning At 6.2, If that's in agreement with everyone.

[1:45] To begin This meeting, we're again reminded that many of

[1:48] our homes and places of employment in Waterloo region are

[1:51] situated on the land that is the traditional territory of

[1:55] the Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, and Chonnonton Peoples. We recognize and

[2:00] deeply appreciate their historic connection to Waterloo Region and also

[2:05] recognize the contributions Indigenous peoples have made in shaping and

[2:09] strength in this community. We are grateful for the opportunity

[2:12] to live and work here and reaffirm our collective commitment

[2:16] to keep the promise that reconciliation takes Place through learning

[2:20] and community building with the Indigenous people who continue to

[2:23] live here. We are all treaty people with a responsibility

[2:27] to honor our relations. And I just realized I forgot

[2:31] To ask for a roll call, which I will now

[2:33] ask Julie Hale to do. Thank you Chair. Regional Chair

[2:37] Redman. Present. Councillor Craig. Present. Councillor Deutschmann. Chair Erb. Here. Councillor

[2:42] Foxton. Present. Councillor Harris. Present. Councillor Huinink. Happy international Day of

[2:47] Persons with Disabilities. Here. Councillor James. Present. Councillor Liggett. Present.

[2:53] Councillor McCabe. Present. Councillor Nowak. Councillor Salonen. Present. Councillor Shantz. Present.

[2:59] We have regrets from Councillor Vrbanovic. Councillor Williams. Present. And Councillor

[3:04] Wolf. Present. Thank you. Thank you. Are there any declarations

[3:08] of pecuniary Interest under the municipal conflict of interest act.

[3:13] Seeing There are none. We have no presentations. We have

[3:17] one delegation that has registered, and I'd Like to remind

[3:19] the delegation of some guidelines For participation. When we're ready,

[3:26] Please proceed to the podium. Make sure the switch on

[3:29] the podium is turned on so that we can hear

[3:31] what you're saying. You have five minutes to speak. If

[3:35] you conduct yourself in any of the following manners, it

[3:38] will Result in an immediate removal from the meeting. interrupting

[3:41] councillors, staff, or other delegations, derogatory statements about councillors, staff

[3:47] or others, and or any hate speech or defamatory comments.

[3:52] And one last reminder for the delegation, Please do not

[3:55] take any offense if following your presentation There are

[3:57] no questions from Council. This is council's time to really

[4:01] listen and reflect upon The opinions and ideas shared with

[4:04] us from our community members. And a quick reminder to

[4:08] the members of the audience, You're asked to maintain order,

[4:12] and this means that you are not to address the

[4:14] committee Without the permission of the chair, Interrupt anyone, Disrupt

[4:18] the meeting with unreasonable noise or vocal expressions such as

[4:21] applause, booing or cheering, And the display of signs or

[4:25] posters. The sweet sound of a baby crying is fine.

[4:31] So I would invite our registered delegation, Nick Desclouds,

[4:36] CUPE, to proceed to the podium. Welcome. You have five

[4:41] minutes. Hello, regional councillors. I'm here today speaking on behalf

[4:48] of CUPE 5191, The paramedics who respond to 911 emergencies

[4:52] in your region. I've come to advocate for an issue

[4:54] that is more prevalent than ever. Wage parity for paramedics.

[4:58] Paramedicine is evolving quickly. It wasn't too long ago we

[5:06] were called ambulance drivers. We are now paramedics. And we

[5:09] worked hard to obtain this title because what we do

[5:12] outside of the hospitals, in your homes, and en route

[5:15] to the hospitals, is medicine. Two paramedics can run a

[5:19] cardiac arrest In your living room with the same protocols

[5:22] as an emergency department's resuscitation Room, which has. Doctors, nurses,

[5:26] respiratory therapists. And that's the part of the job we've

[5:29] been doing for years. What's changed recently is that paramedics

[5:33] are no longer just a means of rapid transport to

[5:36] the hospital. We've had a dramatic increase in our scope

[5:38] of practice with new medications, skills and protocols. We have

[5:43] community paramedics, palliative care directives, The ability to treat and

[5:47] discharge patients in their homes. And in 2025, we are

[5:51] introducing protocols For alternate destinations. All of this extra education

[5:56] has put an increased expectation and responsibility on paramedics to

[5:59] ensure our residents not only receive prompt care, but are

[6:03] taken to the right destination for the right reasons. And

[6:07] I can proudly say the paramedics that serve this region

[6:10] continue to rise to the occasion. But these new complexities

[6:14] have come without recognizing the fact that we sit far

[6:16] behind our emergency services counterparts in wage equality. primary care

[6:21] paramedic hourly wages are 22.5% behind local fire services and

[6:27] 20.8% behind regional police. In addition, due to a

[6:31] recent arbitration, paramedic wages are now 8% behind ambulance communication

[6:36] officers, the people that dispatch us to emergency calls. One

[6:40] of the reasons dispatchers were successful in their arbitration was

[6:43] because they compared their wage inequality to police and fire

[6:47] dispatchers. We are happy to see our dispatchers achieve the

[6:50] wage parity they deserve, but it ignited the conversation between

[6:53] paramedic unions across Ontario. Why aren't we doing the same?

[6:58] Paramedics that serve this region are feeling the weight of

[7:01] this inequality. We see extremely skilled, compassionate, empathetic, and well

[7:06] educated coworkers leave our profession to become firefighters and police

[7:10] Officers because the wage is simply better. Parity exists across

[7:14] police and fire. Why not paramedics? Rectifying this wage

[7:19] Correction is a significant ask. It should be noted that

[7:22] paramedic services are 50% funded By the province of Ontario

[7:25] through the Land Ambulance Service grant So the impact to

[7:28] each resident is vastly different compared to when one of

[7:30] our ally agencies makes a monetary request. with the advocacy

[7:35] from the paramedic services senior leadership team over the past

[7:38] few years, You, regional Council, are making significant investments into

[7:42] our service. And for that we are grateful. Thank you.

[7:47] Thank you for supporting a wellness budget. As a member

[7:49] of the peer support team, I can confidently tell you

[7:52] that this initiative has been immensely positive and continues to

[7:55] improve. Thank you for the service Enhancements following the high

[7:58] growth Scenario, something we desperately needed over these past years

[8:02] to assist in managing the rapid pace in which our

[8:04] call volume and regional population grows. Thank you for increasing

[8:08] the number of FTEs to support our paramedics and logistics

[8:12] members so they're eligible for health and welfare benefits. All

[8:17] of these factors come together to strengthen support For paramedics

[8:21] and the challenges we navigate within the healthcare system. But

[8:24] from a paramedic's perspective, there is a piece of these

[8:26] enhancements that is still missing. Wage parity. councillors, you are

[8:31] challenged with incredibly complex problems every day and the impact

[8:35] of the decisions you make Have the potential to make

[8:37] real change across sectors. I fully appreciate That this ask

[8:41] has an impact, but showing paramedics that there is an

[8:43] acknowledgment of wage inequality is a commitment to recognition and

[8:47] retention. The paramedics that I am fortunate enough to work

[8:51] alongside are asking you to close this Wage gap. The

[8:54] work your emergency services do is integral to keeping our

[8:57] communities safe and supported. We deserve to be valued as

[9:01] police and fire's equals, because ultimately we have the same

[9:04] shared responsibility to respond to residents when they need us

[9:07] most. Thank you again for hearing my presentation. You all

[9:11] have incredibly challenging jobs that often go without recognition. A

[9:16] commitment to caring for the well being of this region

[9:18] and its residents is a goal that I know we

[9:21] all share. Thank you. You have 30 more seconds.

[9:29] Thank you very much. I don't see any questions from

[9:34] councillors. Thank you for being here and for your colleagues.

[9:38] Excuse me, Councillor Craig. Sorry, Mr. Chair. I'm so slow

[9:42] today on a few items, but I do appreciate your

[9:45] commentary. Just to let you know that I got my

[9:48] ears pinned back about a year ago for referring to

[9:51] paramedics as ambulance drivers, but I've corrected my ways. When

[9:55] you look at Your wage request across the province, How

[10:01] does it equate out? Like, where are you? can you

[10:04] sort of give me an off the cuff answer on

[10:06] that? I don't know Off the top of my head,

[10:09] I know that there are Services across the province that

[10:14] do have wage parity and have just achieved wage parity

[10:17] and then there are also services that are kind of

[10:20] in our area. And as I mentioned in my presentation,

[10:23] One of the things that really ignited this was when

[10:26] we saw this arbitration With the ambulance communications officers. as

[10:31] you can imagine, The 8% above a primary care paramedic

[10:36] who's actually going to these dangerous environments, unpredictable environments, Has

[10:42] certainly creates that kind of confusion amongst our paramedics as

[10:46] to why that gap exists. And then that's what ignited

[10:49] this conversation as to why aren't we looking at police

[10:52] and fire. We're all going to the same calls. If

[10:56] I may, Mr. Chair, just if I make a comment, I

[11:00] Was that a recent Remembrance Day ceremony With different members

[11:03] of police were there and paramedics, and I was really

[11:07] impressed with that The fact that, Not only do you

[11:11] serve community, but You're involved in community. And one aspect

[11:16] I never realized Was the fact that you have individuals

[11:20] that clean the ambulances each time they come in. I

[11:23] never even thought about that, In terms of the difficulty

[11:27] of the job from each perspective. So I want to

[11:30] thank you for what you do. And just to say

[11:33] that I'm sensitive to what you're saying, but we have

[11:37] to look at this, okay. Thank you. Thank you. I

[11:42] don't see any other questions, so thank you for coming

[11:44] in, and thank you to your colleagues for keeping our

[11:47] community healthy and safe. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, we

[11:54] will move on to item six point one, Creating culturally

[12:01] responsive childcare. Mr. Sweeney, do you want to introduce this?

[12:04] And then we have some Staff presentation. Yes, my pleasure

[12:09] to introduce this today. Council might remember back in April,

[12:13] we came with a report Seeking some direction. And you

[12:15] approved of that direction For staff to go away and

[12:18] work with community Partners To develop an Indigenous led, Indigenous

[12:23] focused childcare. And we are here today to present to

[12:27] you Our collective idea here, so I'm going to turn

[12:30] it over to my colleague Barb Cardow and a few

[12:33] members of our community to give a presentation on what

[12:35] we're proposing. Thank you. Great. Thank you very much. So

[12:41] I'm Barb Cardow, and I'm the director of children services,

[12:43] and I just Wanted to share with you that I've

[12:46] been in this role for seven years, and shortly After

[12:49] I came into this role, I met Donna Dubie, the

[12:52] executive director at Healing of Seven Generations. And Donna

[12:58] shared with me at that time her long standing dream

[13:01] to create an affordable childcare Program Where Indigenous children and

[13:06] families could access holistic, accessible, and culturally responsive childcare. And

[13:14] Where children and staff could once again experience a sense

[13:17] of belonging in the richness of their culture. It was

[13:21] a conversation that Donna had had for 15 years with

[13:24] my predecessors before me. When CWELLC or the Canada wide

[13:29] Early Learning and childcare program was announced And the opportunity

[13:34] to access funding to support the creation of new, affordable

[13:38] childcare, We saw an opportunity, a way to support the

[13:41] creation of Indigenous led childcare. Paulo Whitlow and Stephanie Bryenton

[13:47] from the REDI team supported us in beginning an intensive

[13:51] process to engage with Indigenous community partners and members of

[13:55] the community. I would like to introduce you to Amber

[13:58] Robertson, who is our planning associate in children's services, and

[14:02] she has led the children services division in this important

[14:07] work. And Amber is going to just provide a quick

[14:09] overview of what the process Has looked like that led

[14:13] us to where we are today. Thank you. With the

[14:21] help of Paula and Stephanie, who are here with

[14:23] us today, children's services Engaged In a multitude of consultations

[14:28] with Indigenous organizations And individuals to understand the needs of

[14:33] children who are First Nation, Inuit, and Metis in our community.

[14:38] You can move a couple of slides.

[14:40] So in April of this year,

[14:50] We received Council approval to look into our two children's

[14:53] facilities at 104 Sterling and at 30 Christopher Drive, and

[14:57] we were acutely aware of the lack of appropriate, safe

[15:00] and high quality space that's available in our community. And

[15:06] the Healing of the Seven Generations through our consultations, came

[15:09] forward and expressed interest in creating the Waterloo region's first

[15:14] Indigenous led childcare center. From there, Renata and Donna and

[15:19] their team and their board began to bring this long

[15:21] standing dream to life. And the next slide provides some

[15:26] details about the program. But in the interest of giving

[15:29] our community partners some more time We'll just flash the

[15:32] slide, and they'll tell you a little bit more about

[15:33] their program Themselves.

[15:46] Next slide, please. Thank you. So this is what brings

[15:51] us here today. So we are seeking approval to enter

[15:55] into a lease agreement for 30 Christopher Drive With the

[15:59] Healing of Seven Generations. Indigenous led childcare will bring tremendous

[16:05] benefits to our community. And demonstrate the region's commitment to

[16:10] the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action. Specifically, I

[16:15] quote, The Truth and Reconciliation Commission calls on all levels

[16:20] of government to develop culturally early childhood education programs for

[16:25] Indigenous families. Over the years since I first met Donna,

[16:30] I've thought a lot about her dream and how children's

[16:33] services could actually support it. While the Canada wide program

[16:38] has provided the opportunity with new funding and our vacant

[16:42] former children's center at Christopher on 30 Christopher Drive

[16:46] has provided the quality Of space that an Indigenous program

[16:50] deserves. And now it gives me great pleasure to invite

[16:54] Donna Dubie And Renata Richards from the Healing of Seven

[16:59] Generations to address council and acknowledge the sacredness Of this

[17:02] work and the plan to open the first Indigenous led

[17:06] childcare in Waterloo region. Sego.

[17:19] I'm honored to be here today. Excuse me for interrupting.

[17:21] I'm wondering if you, There. Thank you. Thank

[17:24] you. Some of you may know me. Some of you

[17:29] have not had the opportunity to meet me yet. But

[17:36] I'm going to kind of tweak things up a little

[17:37] bit For us in the next few moments. What I

[17:41] would like to do is have a smudge with everybody.

[17:45] And the smudge is just to bring our minds together to

[17:50] have good thoughts about This daycare center for our children

[17:54] to move forward. I'm going to gift each person with

[17:57] a tobacco tie and a tobacco tie, When you're gifted

[18:01] with a tobacco tie, It's kind of like a contract

[18:04] Between those two individuals. But what this tobacco tie is

[18:09] to say, thank you for listening to us Today. So

[18:14] what I'm going to do is I'm going to ask

[18:17] my knowledge keeper Kelly Curley to light up the smudge

[18:21] and we'll go around and smudge Everybody. And I'll be

[18:24] right behind him gifting you with the tobacco tie. And

[18:27] then I can come back and share my thoughts with

[18:30] you when we're done that. Thank You.

[18:45] I'll walk around the outside To smudge everyone. If you

[18:49] don't want to smudge, just hold your hand up. Then

[18:51] I'll walk past you. Thank you.

[25:59] So Kelly Curley is Healing of Seven Generations Knowledge keeper.

[26:09] A man with a wealth of knowledge, he could Write

[26:14] 100 different encyclopedias. He's going to do our prayer. Thank

[26:18] you. Good day, everyone. These are what they call the

[26:26] words that come before all others. So whenever we have

[26:30] a gathering we usually do a prayer. Nyawéñha for

[26:34] this day. Sgénoñ’, Sgénoñ’ we give

[26:37] thanks, we give thanks for the seven directions, the four

[26:41] elements, the four seasons, the four colors of man. Sgénoñ’

[26:45] we give thanks. we give thanks for the four legged

[26:48] creatures, the two legged creatures, the multi-legged creatures, The legless

[26:52] creatures, The winged creatures, the feathered creatures, the fish,

[26:57] and the creatures of the waters. Sgénoñ’

[27:00] we give thanks we give thanks for the insects that

[27:03] crawl, fly or swim. Sgénoñ’ so we give thanks.

[27:06] We give thanks for the many medicines, the many trees

[27:09] and grasses that provide us Food, shelter, clothing and

[27:14] Medicine. Sgénoñ’ So we give thanks. We

[27:17] give thanks For the insects that crawl, fly or swim.

[27:21] Segwun des we give thanks. We give thanks for the women,

[27:25] The carriers of water, the givers of life, the nurturers.

[27:29] Sgénoñ’ so we give thanks we give thanks

[27:31] for the children who teach us love, Patience, tolerance, understanding

[27:37] and acceptance. Sgénoñ’ so we give thanks. We give

[27:40] thanks For the men, The Horascanagata, who are the protectors and

[27:44] our providers, the warriors and the peacekeepers. For all the

[27:48] things you've given us this day, we say Nyawéñha.

[27:50] Nyawéñha. Segwun des for all the blessings you've given us.

[27:54] We say in Nyawéñha, Nyawéñha, Sgénoñ’, Sgénoñ’, so at

[27:58] this time we pray for knowledge of your will for

[28:00] us and the power and ability to carry That out,

[28:03] Donato. Thank you, Kelly. I'm not going to take up

[28:13] much more of your time. What I do want to

[28:15] share with you is just a little story. Like Barb

[28:20] said, I have been dreaming about this for a long

[28:24] time, and some of you May have known Mary Parker

[28:27] when she was with the region, but her and I

[28:30] traveled around and discussed opening up a childcare center way

[28:34] back then when Mary Parker was here. I think for

[28:38] me, A revelation, I'm Mohawk Turtle Clan from the territory

[28:45] of the Grand River. I'm a mother, a wife, a

[28:50] sister, a grandmother and a community member. I'm Turtle Clan.

[28:55] And I'm Mohawk. And I think in doing the job

[28:59] that I've been doing, it's not a job for me.

[29:03] This is my dream. This is a dream job that

[29:05] I have. For 25 years In this community Has allowed

[29:12] me to meet many of you in this room. I

[29:16] think this year we did our very first Youth camp

[29:23] For our children. We had 40 children, and we did

[29:26] it over a period of four weeks. The camp was

[29:30] free for the children because It was totally a cultural

[29:36] camp. All the traditions were involved. There was no reason

[29:41] for me to charge the children To have to pay

[29:44] for their own culture. But I think on the very

[29:48] first day, it was quite the eye opener. When I

[29:52] was informed by my daughter, Renata, I am currently mentoring

[29:58] her to be the next executive for Healing of Seven

[30:01] Generations. She took on the role To put together the

[30:06] culture camp. And on the very first day she called,

[30:11] she was so upset, I can't do this. And it's

[30:16] like the kids were, You think about the kids, And

[30:22] I know right now I can truly say that our

[30:25] children are really that far removed from their culture. That

[30:33] these kids came to camp, They were thinking, oh, my

[30:37] God, Camp. We're going to do canoeing, Maybe three legged

[30:41] Races, volleyball. And here they were, sitting in a circle.

[30:48] They had to learn what patience was. They smelt the

[30:52] medicine, maybe for the first time. They didn't understand what

[30:55] they were doing there and It was like, well, Little

[31:00] Bobby Joe over here was not having any of that.

[31:04] And little Tommy Joe over here, he wasn't having any

[31:07] of that. And it was a lot to try To

[31:12] recompose Just for that just short time for the next

[31:17] day. The next day, some of the elders came in.

[31:22] We had the children sit down. We talked to them

[31:26] lovingly, peacefully, Knowledgeably. And they started to listen. And they

[31:33] were drawn To the drums, they were drawn to The

[31:39] medicines. We had now smudged again a second day, They

[31:42] were drawn to that. And over the course of the

[31:47] next four weeks, We did everything. We did drum birthings.

[31:54] We did Teachings on the medicine, teachings on the circle,

[31:59] The medicine wheel. We sang some songs, did language. It

[32:04] was just specifically culture For these kids. And at the

[32:09] end, They loved it. The end was their drum birthing,

[32:15] and they were there and they were there With their

[32:16] families and they were singing songs and they were drumming

[32:20] on their drums, and it was such an amazing Thing

[32:24] to see these children, That it just warmed your heart.

[32:30] So I know right now After that camp, I believe

[32:37] that It's my responsibility and the Community's to work with

[32:42] What I think Is the next 7th generation of children.

[32:48] Hence the name Healing of the Seven Generations. Healing in

[32:51] seven generations, The dream of Healing of Seven Generations would

[32:55] be That in seven generations there would be no need

[32:59] for healing of seven generations. But at some point we

[33:03] got to start somewhere. So just the revelation of the

[33:07] camp Itself Allowed me to truly believe that we are

[33:14] working with our 7th generation of children. So much was

[33:18] taken. My father was in the residential school for nine

[33:22] years of his life. Kept my brothers and I away

[33:26] from culture. But he brought us up in that residential

[33:31] school mentality, Even though we didn't go there. So I

[33:37] know for myself that We can bring culture back, we

[33:44] can bring our language back, we can bring our ceremonies

[33:47] back. And when you think about, and Don't get me wrong,

[33:55] Truth and reconciliation is out there, but it almost seems

[33:58] like An end game, Like a bullseye. I don't want

[34:06] it to be a bullseye. Let's have conversation about how

[34:11] we can move together As community, as neighbours, as people

[34:16] within the same community who have the same goals for

[34:20] the best Things in life for our children and our

[34:23] future. That's what we have for ours to bring our

[34:26] culture back and take this time right now. It's an

[34:31] honor If we get 30 Christopher, to be able to

[34:36] start this. So I want to say thank you, To

[34:39] all of you, thank you for your time today, and

[34:43] thank you for any and all of consideration that you

[34:45] have. So I'm going to introduce my daughter, Renata. Thank

[34:49] you. Thank you. This is my first time ever in

[34:53] front of council. Surprisingly, I'm not really nervous, And I

[35:00] don't really have a script, but I am just here

[35:04] to say thank you in considering us to take Christopher

[35:08] and Do our community honor with that daycare. That building

[35:14] is beautiful. When we toured it, The outside space, I

[35:20] can just picture it being all natural, Being on the

[35:24] land, bringing all that back To what was taken from

[35:28] our children. Like Donna had said, My grandfather spent nine

[35:34] years in the residential schools, and we didn't grow up

[35:37] in culture. And when I held that camp last in

[35:40] the summer, my son went to that camp and we

[35:44] never talked about culture growing up in our household either.

[35:48] And he has taken all the stuff that he's learned

[35:52] at the camp, There's still a lot of learning to

[35:54] learn, And he reminds me now, oh, we got to

[35:57] feed our drum, It's the full moon ceremony or we

[35:59] got to do this, we got to do That. So

[36:01] if we can have that, starting from little now, we

[36:05] don't have to worry About our children losing their culture

[36:07] because it's going to start From infants coming in and

[36:10] smudging every day and having circle and to be able

[36:13] to help regulate the children by saying if they would

[36:16] like to smudge or take a time to be by

[36:18] themselves and stuff like that. And 30 Christopher is a

[36:23] beautiful building, and I think that We would really do

[36:28] it justice by opening up the region's first Indigenous childcare

[36:32] center and also it's going to be Part family center

[36:36] with F&CS. I want to have a family visitation room

[36:40] with that as well. So it's got all kinds of

[36:43] different things Involved in this whole blanket effect on our

[36:48] community, to bring them together. And to bring the culture

[36:51] back to our community and our children that deserve it,

[36:54] That was taken From the residential schools, so thank you

[36:57] very much. Thank you so. We have a number of

[37:05] questions here from Councillors, and I'm not sure if, so

[37:08] I'll Start with Councillor James, who it's directed to. Councillor

[37:11] James. thank you, Through you chair Harris, And thank you

[37:16] For coming in And speaking with us today. My questions

[37:22] may be for you or staff, But I also want

[37:25] to say thank you for explaining the culturally responsive piece

[37:29] and how important that is. I often think that For

[37:35] a lot of us, we don't recognize how important culture

[37:39] is and How the work that needs to be done

[37:42] to ensure that there is no longer erasure and that

[37:45] young generations coming up know their history, know their culture.

[37:50] So one of the questions I had was around

[37:53] that culturally responsive piece in the Indigenous care and maybe

[37:57] providing a little bit of context to the difference between

[38:02] Indigenous childcare and Our contemporary westernized childcare. Just some of

[38:07] the nuance that exists there. I guess, The childcare whole

[38:15] thing is really new to me, but the way I

[38:18] can think about Mainstream compared to Indigenous is, I find

[38:25] that Indigenity is more of a family unit, Where

[38:30] it's like, instead of it being structured, where you've got

[38:33] a teacher and you've got a director and a supervisor. Like I'm hoping, I want to have our centre

[38:39] be aunties and uncles where everybody can come in there

[38:43] and feel comfortable, and it's almost like it's a big

[38:45] family, instead of it having to be so structured where

[38:48] it's like you have Miss Jane And stuff like that.

[38:56] So it's more of, like, It's like A very family

[38:59] structure, even though we still have to follow ministry guidelines

[39:02] for certain things like that. And I think, too, we're

[39:07] going to have knowledge keepers in there. The language is

[39:11] going to be spoken. And because we live in a

[39:15] variety With various different languages. You can see by the

[39:19] languages just out in your front foyer, all the native

[39:23] languages, We're going to try and have as much diversity

[39:26] in there when it comes to language as possible. The

[39:29] medicine is going to be burning every day, so that

[39:32] becomes A familiar Scent, A familiar time with them, understanding

[39:38] when they smell the medicine. there will be drumming in

[39:41] there and then the singing of the songs in various

[39:44] different languages again. And the food. We're going to have

[39:49] somebody that's going to come in that will cook a

[39:51] balance Of, all nutritional food, But Indigenous food as well,

[39:58] so They're introduced to Indigenous food as they go along,

[40:02] so that when they come to a community feast, and

[40:05] they might see some wild salmon there, that they would

[40:08] know what it was or wild rice, Wild rice and

[40:13] blueberries. It's so awesome. So bringing all these things Culturally

[40:21] And We are also Talking to Cambridge Fire, Because what

[40:27] else is important for us is to have A fire

[40:31] pit outside. Because there's various different ceremonies throughout the year.

[40:37] We have our condolence ceremonies That would need a sacred

[40:42] fire. So all these components Would be involved With the

[40:50] childcare center. That we are calling Ga'nigqhi:yo, which means carry

[40:56] the peace. Excellent. And I just have one Other follow

[40:59] up chair. I'm very mindful of what you said about

[41:03] the truth and reconciliation and everyone gets stuck on those

[41:06] 94 calls to action, and then it becomes a checkmark

[41:08] to see when we can get them all done and

[41:10] it takes away from the actual intention that it's continuous

[41:13] And ongoing. But I do have a question just related

[41:17] to the three that Were identified. I think it's number

[41:21] three, five and twelve and What that represents In terms

[41:26] of the calls to action, just to connect it, because

[41:30] we say we're doing this work, but sometimes we do

[41:32] need to say, okay, how is this connecting to those

[41:35] actions? I think when you look at Three, five, and

[41:40] twelve, Whatever community that you're working with, It's about building

[41:46] relationships. It's about having conversation. And it's about moving forward

[41:52] together. Whatever community is going to have a different relationship

[42:00] Within that specific community. And I found that in the

[42:04] region of Waterloo, I have a good rapport With some

[42:11] of the upper echelon. And I have had no problems.

[42:17] If I have an idea or have a concern Or

[42:23] To just reach out and have a conversation. So I

[42:26] think the whole concept is about continuing The conversations, Continuing

[42:34] the ideas, And continue to move forward. I hope that

[42:39] answered your question. Yes, perfectly. Thank you. You're welcome. Paula,

[42:45] I'm not sure, Did you want to respond to that

[42:47] as well? Through the chair, since I dressed up for

[42:51] you all today, The biggest thing towards reconciliation is that

[42:58] political will, and obviously it rests here in Waterloo region,

[43:03] as well as breaking down those systemic barriers. And I've

[43:07] never felt so much happy energy as I do today,

[43:11] and it's all about cultural safety And knowing that our

[43:16] children Will be better cared for for the next generation.

[43:21] So again now I go to the region. There are

[43:26] five speakers. And so I'm wondering if we could, with

[43:29] committee, agree that The questions right now would be directed

[43:36] towards our guests, and then if there's any questions For

[43:40] staff, We can do that at the end, if that's

[43:43] okay. You're next Councillor Huinink. And this is for our guests?

[43:48] Through the Chair, Yes, I'm wholeheartedly prepared to move the motion. I'm

[43:52] really excited About that. Thank you, Donna and Renata and

[43:54] Kelly, for coming today. I've never received tobacco before, so

[43:58] I'm pretty excited about that. When I think of

[44:02] this center, I'm imagining an Indigenous hub for little people, which

[44:08] is such a beautiful thing, and I'm really excited For

[44:13] the next generation to know that they have a valued

[44:16] place in our community and not just one place, but

[44:18] all places. There has been kind of An ask since

[44:23] we came into office for multigenerational Indigenous hub as well.

[44:29] And I'm not suggesting that this would be instead of

[44:32] that or I'm talking additionally, but I'm wondering,

[44:37] Renata, if you can speak More to, it sounds like

[44:41] Your vision is wider than a hub for little people, like

[44:44] you talked about having a family services room as well,

[44:47] which I think is great. I don't know if you

[44:50] have other multi generational initiatives in mind. It would be

[44:55] good to know that and to share that with the

[44:56] wider community as well. We're going to start small first

[45:01] and try to see how that goes because right now,

[45:07] With being partners with, community partners with FNCS, healing, there's

[45:13] no room. So it just gives families a better place

[45:18] to come and visit with their children more than the

[45:21] 2 hours or however many hours they get a day.

[45:24] So I would love to see a bigger broader Hub

[45:30] Of everything. eventually Once The age out of the daycare,

[45:36] they have to turn around and go into mainstream school,

[45:38] so Then They're losing all of everything that, well Hopefully

[45:41] not losing, but they can't carry On the culture and

[45:45] stuff that they've learned, because right now we don't have

[45:47] an Indigenous school, so that's another thing She's trying to

[45:51] work on, too. It's full circle because she started the

[45:56] seed. It didn't get planted at the beginning, and I'm

[45:59] starting to plant the seed now and have great deep

[46:02] roots. once a wise, beautiful elder told me when I

[46:06] was telling her about all the beautiful hard work, but

[46:09] the heart and the dedication with my team and All

[46:14] that with this daycare thing. She said, Renata, you got

[46:16] to look at it as You're planting deep roots because

[46:19] you want this to be successful, because this is our

[46:21] children Of the future, and I'm like, oh, my God,

[46:24] Yeah, that makes total sense. So I am planting the

[46:27] next seed for my mom in honor of healing and

[46:31] then for our children to move forward in the Future,

[46:34] and hopefully we can expand And build. I appreciate your

[46:40] wisdom To start small, literally and figuratively, I think that

[46:43] I should follow that As well, but I look at

[46:47] your wider vision, and I really love that. So again, Chair,

[46:52] I'm willing to move the motion. I'll second it Chair. Next

[47:01] is Councillor Wolf. Why are people waving hands at me?

[47:10] Or you're seconding Chantal. Okay. Sorry. Thank you. Okay. Councillor

[47:14] Wolf. Okay. Through you chair, As the Councillor representing Cambridge,

[47:19] I'm very proud and happy that you're Coming To Cambridge.

[47:25] And glad to see that 30 Christopher Avenue will be

[47:28] once again used for childcare. It's wonderful that you're going

[47:33] to be providing The cultural responsive childcare. Very much

[47:39] needed. And my question Is simply, how many children do

[47:43] you hope to serve at this location? 65 is what

[47:47] we're going to be licensed, We're asking for licensing for.

[47:52] Okay. Thank you. Chair Redman. Thank you Chair Erb. Donna I

[47:58] totally remember Mary Parker, and what I remember about Mary

[48:01] was that she always smelled like vanilla. Every time I

[48:04] was with her, I thought, why do I want cookies?

[48:07] But I also can't Let this opportunity pass without commending

[48:11] a previous council. And I know I have some colleagues

[48:14] That are still on this current Council who made The

[48:18] really tough decision to stop delivering directly delivering childcare, and

[48:22] we closed down five direct centers. And that was done

[48:26] with the understanding that we would reinvest that money into

[48:30] a variety Of supports for the broader community. And this

[48:36] is evidence of one of those investments, so I'm so

[48:39] thrilled to see you Here. My question Is, Have you

[48:44] thought about and Renata It must be really hard trying

[48:47] to follow your mum, Because she's a hard act to

[48:49] follow. Have you thought about liaising with other childcare centers?

[48:53] And I think of Councillor Shantz And I that were

[48:56] at an Elmira opening of a childcare center About six

[49:00] weeks or a few months ago. A while ago anyway,

[49:05] and they had the best Thanksgiving and what they were

[49:08] talking about Was learning some of the things that Councillor

[49:14] James was talking about. These kids may be settlers or

[49:18] Children of settlers, but they need to understand the Indigenous

[49:21] way forward. And I know Barb Cardow Has her Finger

[49:26] on the pulse of all things childcare, certainly provincially as

[49:30] well as nationally. And I know there are other Indigenous

[49:33] childcare centers, but I would really encourage you as you

[49:36] start small And grow, Think about how you can bring

[49:39] along other childcare centers that may not be focused specifically

[49:42] on Indigenous children because There is A great variety of

[49:48] people that are willing and happy to take your lead

[49:52] and continue this education In other child care centers. So

[49:57] congratulations, and this is a day to celebrate. Thank you.

[50:02] Councillor Shantz. Thank you. Thank you for being here. You

[50:11] introduced yourself, and I want to introduce myself. I am

[50:16] 7th generation of the settlers, the Mennonite settlers who first

[50:21] came to Kitchener Of the Eby family. So We've traveled

[50:29] a long road In those seven generations. And here we are.

[50:35] And neither you nor I will be here seven generations

[50:39] from now, but I share your dream.

[50:50] And I hope that in seven generations, we no longer

[50:54] have to have these discussions at this or any other

[50:58] table. Thank you. Councillor

[51:08] Salonen. Thanks, Councillor Shantz, for making me have to follow

[51:12] up from that. I had a technical question. But thank

[51:17] you very much for being here today and for all

[51:20] of your efforts behind the scenes With our staff to

[51:22] making this a reality. I was just wondering, as I

[51:25] represent the township of Wilmot, I know that we have

[51:28] many residents who are of Indigenous heritage and would probably

[51:32] be very interested in the potential to have their kids

[51:35] enrolled in one of Your spots. How would they go

[51:38] about doing that? Or am I jumping the gun here?

[51:41] So we're pairing with the One List with the regional

[51:46] One List. So we're asking anybody who is interested,

[51:49] Once we get everything up and running, we're hoping to

[51:51] have A separate, Can we talk about that? Okay. Sorry.

[51:57] We're hoping to have a separate Indigenous tab on the

[51:59] One List where you Can click. And because we will

[52:01] be The first region official Indigenous daycare We will be

[52:05] the only one there, so if you click on the

[52:08] Indigenous led childcare, It'll drop down, and hopefully, if they

[52:11] can get it, It'll be us apply. And then We

[52:16] will go from there. Yeah So the One List is

[52:17] how we're accepting. Fantastic. Thank you very much. I don't

[52:22] see any other questions. Thank you for your presentation. For

[52:30] committee, We have a motion here, and it was moved

[52:33] by Councillor Huinink and seconded By Councillor McCabe. Is there

[52:39] any other discussion or comments? Chair Redman. Excuse me. I

[52:46] don't know if this is, I thought this was the

[52:48] staff questions, so I was Just going to ask staff,

[52:51] but what will the catchment area be? Will this be

[52:54] just Indigenous children In Cambridge or will this be region

[52:57] wide? And I don't know if you've Landed on that

[52:59] Or if that's something that Barb can answer. Okay,

[53:03] it's Going to be region wide. Perfect. Thank you. No

[53:07] problem. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have no questions. I

[53:15] didn't speak up earlier, but as the mayor of Cambridge,

[53:18] I've got to say that I am absolutely thrilled that

[53:21] this is coming Into my community and that it's going

[53:25] to provide for 65 spaces For the Indigenous children and

[53:32] It's been, I can't even say it's been a long

[53:34] time coming Because it was never thought of before. So

[53:38] I'm thrilled that our community is going to be the

[53:40] host city for this, and I hope that there's more

[53:42] coming in the future. Us too. So we have a

[53:50] motion on the floor. I would ask you to use

[53:52] your eScribe Buttons to indicate to your support.

[54:08] And that is carried unanimously. Thank you. Thank you.

[54:18] And all Travel safe and enjoy the sunshine today. I

[54:23] think a history lesson from today, maybe particularly for you,

[54:26] Donna, is that dreams do come true. Maybe takes a

[54:30] little bit longer than you'd like it to be. And

[54:35] you've been thanking us, I think we need to thank

[54:38] you. This feels like it's just a significant part of

[54:43] the journey towards reconciliation that we're all on it

[54:46] together. So thank you for being part of it. Thanks

[54:50] to staff, to Barb, to Paula, for everybody That's made this happen.

[54:56] And good luck. And keep dreaming. Yeah. Thank you. Thank

[54:59] you. And I do want to thank all of our

[55:01] staff who help pitch in in one way or another.

[55:06] And Paula and Stephanie And Amber and Barb. Oh yeah, Barb.

[55:19] They've been so awesome. I just want to thank everybody.

[55:23] So thank you so much. Welcome. Thank you. Thank

[55:28] you. So we are going to take a recess for

[55:32] lunch. What, 30 minutes? 25. Don't argue with Julie.

[1:30:09] We do have quorum, so we're going, in the

[1:30:12] interest of time, we're Going to reconvene this meeting and

[1:30:14] begin with item 6.1.2, A Canada wide early learning and

[1:30:20] childcare Update and call on Mr. Sweeney to introduce this

[1:30:29] report. Thank you Chair Erb. I'm actually going to quickly

[1:30:33] pass it over to my colleague, Tyla, Who will walk

[1:30:36] you through a quick presentation And share Some great things

[1:30:41] that the team has been doing to do our best

[1:30:43] to meet the needs of families and children across this

[1:30:46] community. Tyla, it's all yours. Can you hear me now?

[1:30:51] There we go. Okay, so Good afternoon. My name is

[1:30:54] Tyler Fullerton. I am a manager in children services, and

[1:30:57] I'm here today to provide an update on the new

[1:31:00] licensed childcare spaces as part of the Canada wide Early

[1:31:03] Learning and childcare plan, Which we call CWELCC and is

[1:31:06] otherwise known as $10 a day childcare. Next slide, please.

[1:31:12] Okay, so as part of CWELCC, the region was allocated

[1:31:15] 3,725 new licensed childcare Spaces to be created by 2026,

[1:31:20] and we are happy to report that we are on

[1:31:23] track To meet that target. To date, over 2,200 new

[1:31:28] spaces have been created in Waterloo Region for children ages

[1:31:31] zero to five and another 1,400 spaces will be created

[1:31:35] before the end of 2026. New CWELCC spaces are located

[1:31:40] in one of the 13 priority areas for childcare growth

[1:31:44] That were selected because They have low access to licensed

[1:31:47] childcare and a high proportion of families living with low

[1:31:51] income. The spaces also prioritize access for families who need

[1:31:55] affordable childcare the most and who are underserved in the

[1:31:58] licensed childcare system. Next slide. So we wanted to take

[1:32:03] the opportunity today to highlight some of the new childcare

[1:32:06] programs in spaces that have opened in our community and

[1:32:09] acknowledge the hard work and commitment of our local childcare

[1:32:12] Operators to growing our childcare system. And so the first

[1:32:16] program we wanted to highlight was or is Creative Beginnings

[1:32:19] Early Learning and Childcare who opened their newest location

[1:32:23] in Elmira in October 2024 with chair Redman and mayor

[1:32:26] Shantz in attendance. This is a new 72 space nonprofit

[1:32:30] center serving infants, toddlers and preschoolers, and it is their

[1:32:34] first standalone site. It's located on land owned by the

[1:32:39] township of Woolwich in a building that was going to

[1:32:41] be torn down, but was repurposed for childcare with support

[1:32:46] of the township. This project was supported with CWELCC startup

[1:32:49] funding and other provincial and federal funding to support the

[1:32:53] cost of renovation, First time equipping and supplies and building

[1:32:57] An expansive, natural playground. Next slide, please. The next project

[1:33:03] is Brason Montessori Academy, which is a new 63 space

[1:33:06] center, a for profit center located in Waterloo at Park

[1:33:09] Minister United Church. It's serving toddlers and preschoolers and is

[1:33:13] the second child care location for a female entrepreneur from

[1:33:16] Waterloo Region. The new location is close to a

[1:33:21] Priority area. It's accessible by public transit and other arterial

[1:33:25] roads, which make it an ideal location for families. This

[1:33:28] project was also supported with CWELCC startup funding and like

[1:33:32] all CWELCC expansions, The location is participating in the childcare

[1:33:35] subsidy access pilot, which holds at least 30% of spaces

[1:33:39] for children living with low income. Next slide, please. Licensed

[1:33:45] home childcare has also experienced significant growth since the start

[1:33:48] of CWELCC. 576 new licensed home childcare spaces have been

[1:33:52] created, mostly serving children ages zero to four years, and

[1:33:56] growth of these spaces is important because home childcare serves

[1:33:59] families that need nontraditional hours, including overnight care. also

[1:34:06] includes the language and mentorship program, or LAMP, which allows

[1:34:09] caregivers who have lower levels of English to provide quality

[1:34:13] care in their home to children from their language community

[1:34:17] and LAMP is also partially funded by the region's equity

[1:34:20] investment fund. Next slide, please. CWELCC growth has also included

[1:34:27] just over 1,000 before and after school spaces, which are

[1:34:29] operated by our local school boards and third party childcare

[1:34:32] operators, and these spaces are co-located in schools that children

[1:34:36] attend, which allows for a seamless day for children and

[1:34:39] families with one drop off and one pickup at the

[1:34:42] school that children are already familiar And comfortable with. Next

[1:34:47] slide, please. So while the spaces that have been added

[1:34:51] through CWELCC help address demand for childcare, additional spaces are

[1:34:54] needed to fully meet Waterloo region's childcare needs, especially as

[1:34:58] the region continues to grow. demand for licensed childcare Continues

[1:35:04] to far exceed available spaces in Waterloo Region. Before CWELCC,

[1:35:08] the waitlist for licensed childcare was Around 5,500 children. It's

[1:35:14] now well over 10,000 children, with about 6,000 looking for

[1:35:17] spaces immediately. even with the new CWELCC spaces, we have

[1:35:21] been allocated only 32% of children ages zero To four

[1:35:25] years have access to an affordable childcare space. And so

[1:35:28] children's services has requested an additional 500 spaces from the

[1:35:32] Ministry of Education to continue To grow and create affordable

[1:35:36] infant, toddler and preschool spaces for families who need them

[1:35:39] the most. Next slide, please. In alignment with the provincial

[1:35:44] auspice requirements, which requires that the region maintain a ratio

[1:35:48] of 85% not for profit spaces to 15% for profit

[1:35:51] spaces. The majority of new CWELCC spaces created in waterloo

[1:35:54] region are not for profit spaces and locally there

[1:35:58] is strong interest And organizational capacity from not for Profit

[1:36:03] operators to support the creation of new CWELCC spaces. but

[1:36:07] not for profit operators have identified barriers to increasing childcare

[1:36:11] in priority areas, particularly the lack of affordable land and

[1:36:15] or space that is suitable for high quality childcare. Next

[1:36:19] slide, please. To help address some of these barriers, Children's

[1:36:22] services is continuing to work with internal and external partners

[1:36:25] to identify land and space that can be used for

[1:36:27] community based, not for profit care. So this has included

[1:36:31] working with housing services, with economic development and facilities to

[1:36:35] identify regionally owned lands and buildings and priority neighborhoods that

[1:36:38] can be used for community Based, not for profit childcare.

[1:36:42] And this has resulted in some really innovative and exciting

[1:36:45] projects that we want to highlight today. The first is

[1:36:50] the inclusion. Next slide, please. So one of the projects

[1:36:54] we wanted to highlight is the inclusion of a childcare

[1:36:56] center in the mixed housing project at 1388 Highland Road

[1:37:00] west in Kitchener on regionally owned lands and so this

[1:37:03] development is part of the Building Better Futures project. Savic

[1:37:07] Homes is currently working with a local nonprofit childcare operator

[1:37:11] to plan for the space. And when it opens, it

[1:37:14] will serve 88 children in a priority neighborhood. This development

[1:37:19] provides a purpose built, affordable rental space for an operator

[1:37:22] who was looking to expand and create new spaces in

[1:37:25] our community, and it also represents a new way of

[1:37:28] working together for us With three partner organizations working to

[1:37:31] create affordable housing and childcare together at the same location

[1:37:35] and as a model we hoped to replicate again in

[1:37:37] the future. Next slide, please. Another project that I will

[1:37:42] only say just very quickly is located on regionally owned

[1:37:46] lands Is what we heard about today, that Ga'nigqhi:yo Child

[1:37:50] Family center, which will be the first Indigenous led childcare

[1:37:53] center in Waterloo region. Next slide, please. Children services is

[1:37:59] also working with other community partners, including the Waterloo Region

[1:38:02] District school board and the Waterloo Catholic District School board

[1:38:05] to identify potential school sites that would accommodate prefabricated modular

[1:38:09] buildings, Which may accommodate not for profit operators. And so

[1:38:14] this would allow childcare to be created efficiently And cost

[1:38:18] effectively in the neighborhoods where children live. Schools are an

[1:38:22] ideal location for a number of reasons parents prefer to

[1:38:25] have childcare that's located close to their home and many

[1:38:28] schools Are located in residential areas with green space for

[1:38:32] Playgrounds. When childcare is located, is co-located with schools,

[1:38:37] the schools functions as a community hub from the neighborhood

[1:38:40] and children can attend a childcare location that they are

[1:38:43] already familiar and comfortable with. Next slide, please. So currently,

[1:38:49] the CWELCC plan is fully funded by the province and

[1:38:52] has no impact to the regional property levy. The operating

[1:38:55] budget for CWELCC for 2024 with 99 million and of

[1:38:58] this 8 million Was foreseeable startup funding to support childcare

[1:39:03] growth. However, this amount of funding available does not fully

[1:39:08] cover the renovation and startup expenses, and childcare operators must

[1:39:12] also contribute towards the cost Of expansion. Next slide, please.

[1:39:19] Access to quality and affordable early layering childcare is necessary

[1:39:22] for the well being of all children, women's workforce participation,

[1:39:26] addressing the impacts of poverty, and supporting a robust economy.

[1:39:29] Children's services remains committed to expanding the local licensed childcare

[1:39:33] system in an intentional manner that balances the needs of

[1:39:36] children and families with supporting childcare Operators. Further growth of

[1:39:40] the childcare sector will ensure that Waterloo region has childcare

[1:39:43] spaces for families who need affordable, high quality childcare the

[1:39:47] most. Thank you. Thank you. Councillor

[1:39:56] Huinink. Thank you Chair. Thank you for your presentation. Very

[1:39:59] good. The Indigenous Childcare center that you referred to toward

[1:40:05] the end of your presentation is not the same one

[1:40:07] that we just. Yes, That is the same one, yes. Okay.

[1:40:09] Thank you. Just making sure I'm Appropriately informed. Thanks. Are

[1:40:14] there any other questions? Thank you. It's good to see.

[1:40:22] No, this is for information only. We don't need

[1:40:26] a motion. It's good to see The numbers that are

[1:40:31] increasing. So thank you all for the work that you're

[1:40:33] doing. Such an important file. Thank you. Thank you so

[1:40:37] for your time. All right. On to 6.2 homes for

[1:40:47] all, the point in time count preliminary information. Mr.

[1:40:52] Sweeney, you're going to introduce this. And this is for

[1:40:56] information only Again, and recognizing that there's going to be

[1:40:59] a lot of interest in this, Just to remind committee

[1:41:02] that Before we get into too much detail today, There's

[1:41:07] going to be some more details coming back to us

[1:41:09] in January with what brought us to these numbers. So

[1:41:12] just keep that in the back of your mind. Mr.

[1:41:14] Sweeney. Yes. Thank you, Chair Erb, Again, this is just for

[1:41:19] information. Both Ryan and I are here to answer any

[1:41:22] questions that you might have. I guess my opening comments

[1:41:25] is just to clarify Again that This is the preliminary

[1:41:30] number that we are releasing publicly. This is the aggregate

[1:41:34] number, and in the new year We will be bringing

[1:41:37] back further analysis. I've had a number of questions from

[1:41:41] councillors And from the general public around, Will we See

[1:41:47] data around How folks have fallen into homelessness, will we

[1:41:52] see data on Sort of disaggregated on identity and questions

[1:41:57] like that, and the answer is yes. And so we

[1:42:00] will be working on that. I guess the other thing

[1:42:02] to say is that this number Is alarming and not

[1:42:07] surprising Based on The experience that we've had As staff,

[1:42:14] as partners, and around this Council, the conversation we've been

[1:42:17] having around the exponential Growth of homelessness across this community.

[1:42:22] So as it relates to the work and the approved

[1:42:25] plan to end chronic homelessness, It's a timely data set and

[1:42:28] it is just that. It is one data set. It's

[1:42:30] a very important one, but there are a number of

[1:42:35] Initiatives that we continue to carry out to ensure that

[1:42:37] we're providing data informed decisions and solutions for the community.

[1:42:41] So we'll just open it up for questions for whoever

[1:42:43] wants to. And again, both Ryan and I are here

[1:42:45] to answer any questions. Thank you. Councillor James. Thank you.

[1:42:48] Through you chair Erb, I was shocked but not surprised

[1:42:55] at the number seeing that come out. What I do

[1:42:59] want to comment on is the actual survey. So as

[1:43:03] someone who looks through a lot of data and creation

[1:43:06] of surveys and all of that, I think This is

[1:43:10] set up in a way for when you do provide

[1:43:11] the results, the desegregated data, There will be something to

[1:43:15] tell from this just based on the question And The

[1:43:21] information, but I also want to confirm if there was

[1:43:23] a qualitative piece to this Survey. Was there any opportunities

[1:43:28] for short answer? With the whys, maybe. Mr. Pettipierre.

[1:43:37] Thanks for the question, Councillor. And through you chair, no,

[1:43:39] that the survey that you see is what was presented

[1:43:42] to the individuals that we worked with. There was no

[1:43:44] additional component That was recorded or that will be reported

[1:43:48] back on it, we'll be pulling the information From the

[1:43:50] survey And the responses provided to those specific questions. Okay,

[1:43:55] perfect. But overall I do want to say that I

[1:43:59] like the way this survey was able to ask a

[1:44:01] variety of questions to help with the desegregated info When

[1:44:04] you do present that. Thank you. Chair Redman. Sorry, Mr.

[1:44:10] Sweeney wants to add something to that. sorry chair Redman,

[1:44:13] before that Councillor James, Just want to also add, in

[1:44:16] addition to Ryan's comment about this specific survey, is to

[1:44:18] go back to my earlier comment around this is just

[1:44:21] one, albeit again, a very important data set, For some

[1:44:25] of the Richest qualitative data, I would point council back

[1:44:30] to the key findings report and the lived expertise report

[1:44:33] around the plan to end chronic homelessness that includes a deep, deep

[1:44:36] dive that we haven't seen in some time, Just as

[1:44:40] a further data set as well. Thank you. Chair Redman. Thank

[1:44:45] you, chair. I was surprised when I was at a

[1:44:50] recent AMO board meeting that we actually have our numbers

[1:44:53] out before Other communities. And my understanding is that a

[1:44:57] PIT count is actually something that's directed by the federal

[1:44:59] government every couple of years. Yes, this is a federally

[1:45:04] required piece of work. And I don't know for the

[1:45:07] first but we're certainly one of the first. Ryan, I

[1:45:09] would think, I don't know If you know that for

[1:45:11] a fact, but we are certainly earlier than most. And

[1:45:14] I guess the only other thing that I would like

[1:45:16] to underscore and it maybe touches on a little bit

[1:45:19] what Councillor James was talking about, and my recollection is

[1:45:22] there Were 40 individuals that went out with these surveys,

[1:45:25] and I think that that creates a much richer relationship

[1:45:28] and in better data. Again Really alarming, but not surprising

[1:45:34] given the projections that had already been part of the

[1:45:38] data point In the data set for the plan to end

[1:45:40] chronic homelessness. I don't know if you want to comment

[1:45:43] on that, but I've always felt that last time and

[1:45:45] this time gave us a much more accurate and richer

[1:45:49] experience than maybe just trying to find out who would

[1:45:52] handle these surveys. Mr. Pettiepierre. Yes thanks for the question,

[1:45:57] chair Redman, we learn every time we've done one of

[1:46:00] these and we get better at doing the work and

[1:46:04] counting. A big part of that effort this year was

[1:46:07] working with 40 different organizations across this community to really

[1:46:12] put a push on what we refer to as hidden

[1:46:14] homeless folks that we may have missed In our regular

[1:46:18] counting or in previous point in time counts, and we've

[1:46:21] specifically targeted those groups in various ways through our agency

[1:46:25] partners this year. So I think what you're seeing

[1:46:27] is not only is it an alarming number, but it's

[1:46:31] more robust in how we've gone about doing it and

[1:46:33] I think as a result of that work, more accurate

[1:46:35] than maybe it has been in the past. And If I

[1:46:38] may, I asked that question that the AMO board meeting,

[1:46:41] because they're looking at how we approach pending elections, which

[1:46:46] we all know are coming, We may not know when,

[1:46:48] and had they looked at their point in time data

[1:46:51] to sort of inform that initiative, and I got a

[1:46:54] bunch of blank stares, which surprised me and let me

[1:46:57] know That we were probably the first out of the

[1:46:59] blocks in sharing this with our community. Councillor Huinink. thank

[1:47:04] you Chair. Mr. Sweeney, Mr. Pettipierre, thank you so much

[1:47:07] for the work that you and your team do

[1:47:09] for us. We know it's very difficult. I'm not surprised

[1:47:18] by the point in time count, but I am saddened

[1:47:21] and I was wondering if you could speak to Where

[1:47:24] does Waterloo Region sit in terms of, like, Is there

[1:47:27] any per capita data? Are we doing better than other

[1:47:30] municipalities in terms of Supporting the homeless. Mr. Pettipierre.

[1:47:41] Thanks for the question, Councillor Huinink. And through you, chair,

[1:47:45] That's part of what we'll come back with in the

[1:47:47] new year. As chair Redman referenced, we're one of the

[1:47:50] first to have our number out there publicly. Several other

[1:47:53] municipalities conducted at point in time count around the same

[1:47:56] time. Some have gone after and some are still to

[1:47:59] come. Once everybody has completed their data, we'll have a

[1:48:02] better look at how we stack up Comparatively across the

[1:48:06] province and nationally when it comes to this work. Okay,

[1:48:10] great. I do want to underscore that I think our

[1:48:12] valuing lived expertise in this area is unique, and so

[1:48:16] I'm all for that. I just want us to be

[1:48:18] the best region in the country. And that Includes supporting

[1:48:21] the homeless population the best we possibly can. Thanks. Mr.

[1:48:27] Sweeney. Yes, Through you chair, Thank you. I just want

[1:48:30] to add to that as well. Chair Redman referenced AMO,

[1:48:33] so we also know that amo will be coming out

[1:48:36] in the new year With a provincially focused Research project

[1:48:41] that will, based on a number of data sets, including

[1:48:47] Ours, attempt to enumerate The challenge of homelessness across the

[1:48:52] province, and they are also telling us they will be

[1:48:55] able to quantify The investment required To both reduce and

[1:49:01] then finally eliminate homelessness across Ontario. We're told they won't

[1:49:05] Disaggregate it by community. There will be a rural urban

[1:49:09] split and potentially an Indigenous split, but it, again, it

[1:49:11] will go to some other data sets that we will

[1:49:14] be able to continue to tell this story, to reinforce

[1:49:18] The importance of the plan And the ongoing commitment to

[1:49:22] that work. Councillor Shantz. Thank you. My question's partially been

[1:49:30] answered. And I guess. What I was contemplating Is, Our

[1:49:37] last PIT count was done in 2021, and we've talked

[1:49:40] about how much more robust this count has been. So Can

[1:49:45] you speak any more to the difference In the quantum

[1:49:53] and in the counts. Can we rely on a comparison

[1:49:57] or should we just sort of forget about comparing to

[1:50:00] the past and say, this is where we're at, and

[1:50:03] this is what we have. And I also look forward

[1:50:06] to some of the disaggregated information. I think it'll be

[1:50:09] really helpful. Mr. Pettipierre. Yes. Thanks for the question, Councillor

[1:50:15] Shantz. And there's a lot to unpack In that question.

[1:50:20] 2021 was a very different time In the world coming

[1:50:24] out of post Covid, we alluded to some of that

[1:50:27] in the report and our ability to get a really

[1:50:29] accurate count during that time. I think what we've also

[1:50:33] seen coming out of Covid is Increased inflation, stagnant job

[1:50:39] wages, soaring rents. There's a lot of systemic factors that

[1:50:43] have simply not gotten better since the last count that

[1:50:47] we did. So I believe, without doing further analysis, I

[1:50:50] put forward that The count is both more accurate And

[1:50:57] we continue to see an increase in the inflow into

[1:51:00] homelessness in this community and across the country based on

[1:51:02] some of those larger systemic factors that contribute to it.

[1:51:06] Councillor McCabe. Thank you, through you chair, This may be

[1:51:13] something you can answer when we get the disaggregated data,

[1:51:16] but. I'm thinking back to when Jennifer Gordon and a

[1:51:19] couple of others were here talking about The issue of

[1:51:24] undercounting or hidden homelessness, particularly for women And for people

[1:51:29] who are gender diverse and just wondering If there's, hoping

[1:51:33] there's a commitment to really pull at that thread and

[1:51:36] really so that we get a better picture, particularly about

[1:51:40] women who Are couch surfing, That hidden homelessness that was

[1:51:45] brought to our attention a few months ago. Thank you.

[1:51:48] And through you, Mr. Chair, Yes, absolutely. And speaking of

[1:51:53] the commitment to, Jennifer Gordon led a whole lot of

[1:51:55] that work from the community side with this, particularly when

[1:51:57] it comes to women In the issue of hidden homelessness,

[1:52:00] and I can say that we're so committed that we

[1:52:03] actually hired her To now lead our plan to end

[1:52:10] chronic homelessness. So through the count this year I mentioned before,

[1:52:13] that we did put a dedicated effort into counting those

[1:52:16] hidden homeless populations That included Newcomers, Indigenous, veterans, women and

[1:52:23] gender diverse individuals. And what I can say explicitly is

[1:52:27] the counting of those populations was way more robust than

[1:52:30] it has been in the past. Maybe not completely accurate,

[1:52:33] but we put a concerted effort into making sure that

[1:52:36] we're able to find them, enumerate them, and hear their

[1:52:39] stories so that we can tailor programming In the future

[1:52:41] to address their needs as well. I don't see any

[1:52:46] other questions. And this report is for information purposes only,

[1:52:53] with more detailed information coming back in January. Thanks To

[1:52:58] Mr. Pettipierre and staff. This is no small undertaking. To

[1:53:04] use a word that's maybe overused sometimes, I think the

[1:53:07] initial number was A bit of A shock. But If

[1:53:15] we reflect back on a report that we got with

[1:53:17] a plan to end chronic homelessness, I think it was in

[1:53:19] April, This was the number they were forecasting. And the

[1:53:24] numbers going forward equally were forecasted. And so we do

[1:53:28] have a plan in front of us to address some

[1:53:30] of this, and I'm so hopefully we'll be able to

[1:53:34] address some of these issues going forward. Thanks to everyone,

[1:53:37] particularly the 40 from the community who participated. 6.2.2 the

[1:53:43] waterloo region housing revitalization plan. Mr. Sweeney is up

[1:53:47] again. Yeah Just briefly, though, I guess I will just

[1:53:52] state what is probably pretty obvious. We just spent a

[1:53:54] few minutes talking about a very significant challenge we have

[1:53:57] in this community that we are facing as a community,

[1:54:00] and now we're going to turn your attention To some

[1:54:02] work we are doing to address it and help solve

[1:54:04] that problem. So I'm going to turn it over to

[1:54:06] Ryan to walk us through a quick presentation and then

[1:54:09] answer any questions. Thanks, Peter. And good afternoon again, chair

[1:54:14] Erb and regional council. We're in front of you next

[1:54:22] to provide some context, Some updates, And some consideration for

[1:54:27] future opportunity with regards to our Waterloo regional housing revitalization

[1:54:32] plan. And you'll likely recall us referring to this plan

[1:54:35] as the WRH master plan in the past. And, however,

[1:54:40] being increasingly aware of the power of language through our

[1:54:43] work and equity work specifically, we're now calling this plan

[1:54:47] the revitalization plan. Same plan, but new name. This was

[1:54:52] the plan originally approved in 2019, and we've been back

[1:54:56] in front of you With various updates and amendments approved

[1:54:59] over the intervening years. And today marks another one of

[1:55:03] those milestones as we look forward to not only updating

[1:55:06] you on the significant work made to date, but to

[1:55:09] also get your input on how we move Forward. With

[1:55:12] our final two revitalization projects. To start, I wanted to

[1:55:16] give you a bit of context. And on this slide

[1:55:22] And the next one I'll endeavor to do so. We

[1:55:26] have plans. We have lots of plans. We certainly do

[1:55:29] not lack for plans in housing services. And so much

[1:55:32] so that at times it can be confusing for which

[1:55:35] plan we're referencing At which time. I thought it might

[1:55:38] be a benefit to speak to three of our larger

[1:55:41] plans And explain exactly what they are and how they

[1:55:45] are related. So I'll start With the plan to end

[1:55:47] chronic homelessness, and I think this is probably most familiar

[1:55:50] to all Of you, given its recency and attention that

[1:55:53] it's garnered over the last year or so. at its

[1:55:57] core, This is our plan to address homelessness issues in

[1:56:00] our community, To prevent experience of homelessness wherever possible, And

[1:56:06] to ensure that when homelessness does occur, it is rare,

[1:56:09] it is brief, and it doesn't happen again. So that's

[1:56:11] our plan for addressing homelessness in this community. When it

[1:56:16] comes to affordable housing, we have a plan that you

[1:56:19] may have heard referred to as building better futures. At

[1:56:24] its core, this is our plan to create 2,500 new

[1:56:28] affordable homes inside of five years. You may have also

[1:56:32] heard an announcement just over a week ago from chair

[1:56:35] Redman after national housing day that we have not only

[1:56:39] achieved that goal, but we have surpassed it inside of

[1:56:42] four years. That is our plan for creating affordable housing

[1:56:46] that works alongside our plan to address chronic homelessness. Underneath

[1:56:50] that plan, building better futures, and connected to it and

[1:56:54] supporting it as the plan I'll be talking to you

[1:56:56] about in more detail through the next few slides. This

[1:56:59] is our Revitalization Plan for Waterloo Regional housing. At the

[1:57:04] heart of this plan Is the goal of redeveloping six

[1:57:08] of our existing WRH sites to create at least 600

[1:57:14] Net new homes overall, and I'll spend a little bit

[1:57:17] more time on the at least part of that and

[1:57:19] then net new in the coming slides. Those are the

[1:57:23] three large plans that guide a lot of our work

[1:57:26] in housing services, one specific to homelessness, one specific overall

[1:57:30] to affordable housing, And as part of that affordable housing

[1:57:33] plan, The revitalization plan that's contributing units to that 2,500

[1:57:39] new affordable units in five years, to the tune of

[1:57:42] at least 600 of them overall. This is a slide

[1:57:48] you've definitely seen before. We've added a few more details

[1:57:52] To it that I'll unpack with you. The top part

[1:57:55] of the graphic is the housing continuum, which I think

[1:57:58] you're quite familiar with Now, it's a very simplistic layout of

[1:58:03] the various stops of housing across the continuum. A Simplistic way

[1:58:09] of demonstrating A pretty complex Concepts and movement overall. Underneath

[1:58:16] that, though, we've added a couple of bars that show

[1:58:18] you where the plans that I just went over sit

[1:58:22] in the areas of the housing continuum that they are

[1:58:24] meant to target. So on the left hand side, you'll

[1:58:26] see our plan to end chronic homelessness in the black bar.

[1:58:29] That's a plan that attempts to address issues of homelessness

[1:58:34] from the far left of the continuum in terms of

[1:58:36] unsheltered homelessness all the way up through and including supportive

[1:58:40] housing. Below that, you'll see a dark blue bar that

[1:58:43] says building better Futures. Again That's our larger affordable housing

[1:58:48] plan. Creating 2,500 new units. Those units span a type

[1:58:54] that constitutes supportive housing all the way through to affordable

[1:58:59] home ownership. Those are the types of units that we

[1:59:01] are creating under that plan. and then again nested within

[1:59:05] that plan in the lime green bar is our revitalization

[1:59:08] plan for Waterloo Regional housing. It is specific to community

[1:59:12] and affordable rental housing. And again, those units are contributing

[1:59:16] to the overall count of the 2,500 incorporated into building

[1:59:20] better futures. Below those bars are ones that you would

[1:59:24] have seen previously. The light blue bar representing the places

[1:59:29] and spaces that we have available As service levels at

[1:59:34] each of the stops along the continuum, and below that,

[1:59:37] the dark green bar That lays out the percentage of

[1:59:41] the housing and homelessness budget that is dedicated to each

[1:59:45] one Of those stops. So I thought this might be

[1:59:47] helpful in understanding the plans that we have, How they

[1:59:50] interrelate and How they support not only our service levels,

[1:59:54] but Actually direct the budget that supports each of them

[2:00:00] along the continuum For the broad scope of responsibility that

[2:00:04] we have As service system manager for housing and homelessness

[2:00:08] in the Region of Waterloo. All right, a bit of

[2:00:14] context. I want to quickly give you some updates on

[2:00:18] various projects that we have underway, through our revitalization plan.

[2:00:24] First one overall, Kingscourt Drive in the city of Waterloo,

[2:00:29] currently under construction. We've got an estimated occupancy of 2025.

[2:00:35] This will have 73 units. All net new units. The

[2:00:41] slide actually says new new units.

[2:00:43] So, yes They will be

[2:00:45] very new units, but they are also net new. And

[2:00:49] we say net new. What we mean by that is,

[2:00:52] we did not have to remove or demolish an existing

[2:00:54] building or units in order to build these. These are

[2:00:57] built on a piece of excess property on an existing

[2:00:59] site. So all the units created Here are net new

[2:01:03] units. Our plan is also approved by the previous Council

[2:01:08] under a priority of community benefit. So as we're working

[2:01:11] with our existing tenants, neighbourhoods, agencies and communities. We're designing

[2:01:16] these buildings to have the greatest impact for community benefit

[2:01:20] overall. So at Kingscourt, that looks like Partnering with

[2:01:26] the Region of Waterloo Senior services to provide programming space

[2:01:29] for older adults that are experiencing dementia. There will also

[2:01:33] be other amenity spaces at this building, including indoor gathering

[2:01:37] space, Outdoor community gardens and a playground. Next up, we

[2:01:42] have 82 Wilson. It's being constructed on a similar timeline

[2:01:47] to Kingscourt with an expected occupancy again in 2025.

[2:01:52] Here's where the net new math comes in, it'll be

[2:01:55] 48 units in total, 32 of which will be net

[2:01:58] new for those of you that are Quick on the

[2:02:02] math, you'll realize that this building is taking the place

[2:02:05] of what was A 16 unit building in Waterloo Regional

[2:02:09] housing. Tenants in that building were relocated, the building was

[2:02:14] taken down, and we'll be building 48 Units total, 16

[2:02:18] of which will be replaced back into this building. This

[2:02:22] is another building intended for older adults. It's going to

[2:02:26] look, as you see on the rendering, as a six

[2:02:29] story apartment. community Benefit. Amenities here include an outdoor courtyard,

[2:02:34] indoor gathering spaces, programming space for a dedicated community partner

[2:02:38] to provide services in this building and the other building

[2:02:44] That is on site, and it's also going to include

[2:02:46] a commercial kitchen for use in the neighborhood. Next up

[2:02:51] in our development timeline, we have Langs in the city

[2:02:54] of Cambridge, also currently under construction, but with an estimated

[2:02:58] occupancy of 2027. Again, you'll see the net new math

[2:03:03] here. In total, we'll have 136 units on the site

[2:03:06] when all is said and done, 98 of those being

[2:03:12] net new. We've got some interesting community benefit amenities happening

[2:03:18] here in terms of a playground, play areas, barbecue pits,

[2:03:22] picnic benches. Inside, we'll have multipurpose rooms, meeting rooms, community

[2:03:27] gathering space. There also will be a contribution of public

[2:03:31] art that will be featured at this site. Fourth site

[2:03:36] and biggest sites at Mooregate in the city of Kitchener.

[2:03:41] This one is in the design phase of the work,

[2:03:47] with an expected occupancy of 2029. 378 units projected At

[2:03:55] this site into apartment style towers of nine and eight

[2:03:59] storeys. Our plans at this point for community amenities include

[2:04:05] having space for a retail tenant, a community agency partner,

[2:04:10] and a childcare center. Next In the development list, We

[2:04:17] have Shelley drive, again in the city of Kitchener. This

[2:04:21] one is in the early design stages. So early that

[2:04:24] I don't even have an artist rendering to share With

[2:04:26] you on this slide, but it does have an estimated

[2:04:29] occupancy, again, of 2029. Another larger redevelopment with 192 total

[2:04:36] units. It'll be a mix of apartments and townhouse style

[2:04:39] there. And we're Right in the mix of our tenant

[2:04:44] Liaison committee and youth engagement committees as well, and I'll

[2:04:48] speak a little bit more about those in a coming

[2:04:51] slide. The 6th and final revitalization plan Property will be

[2:04:57] at 140 Weber. And I'll talk a little bit more

[2:05:00] about that site Specifically when we get to an opportunity

[2:05:03] for your consideration In a couple of slides. Before I

[2:05:08] do that, though, I wanted to talk a bit about

[2:05:11] two aspects of all of this Work that you may

[2:05:14] not Necessarily hear a lot about, and I think that's

[2:05:18] a positive sign, actually. The first is tenant relocation. And

[2:05:23] as you would have seen from the previous slide, this

[2:05:25] has had to happen at all but our Kingscourt

[2:05:28] site in order to facilitate the new construction and this

[2:05:31] is work that, as you can imagine, needs to be

[2:05:34] done with sensitivity and compassion. we're Asking people to

[2:05:38] leave their homes so that we can create These new

[2:05:41] homes. And you can imagine if this work was not

[2:05:44] done well, what that would look And what that would

[2:05:47] feel like across the region. We have a specific staff

[2:05:52] That does this tenant relocation. As a coordinator Val is

[2:05:59] not here today, but she does this work with these

[2:06:03] tenants, and she does it very. Well. We've learned through

[2:06:07] this process, and we continue to learn through this process,

[2:06:10] but this work is led with compassion, flexibility, and communication

[2:06:15] that Val applies to do this work so that we

[2:06:17] can create these new homes. Also wanted to mention tenant

[2:06:23] engagement as a key part of the work. That may

[2:06:25] also be something that you don't get to hear a

[2:06:27] lot about. Tenant engagement in the design process for redevelopment

[2:06:34] is central for creating the final designs that we end

[2:06:37] up with to add all of these properties. The design

[2:06:41] choices that are made, We know that they can impact

[2:06:44] community wellness in that a well designed building or public

[2:06:48] space can and should foster a sense of belonging by

[2:06:52] creating those spaces that are between work and home, that

[2:06:56] invite social connection and interaction and by engaging the tenants

[2:07:00] in the design process and early in the design Process,

[2:07:04] We aim to create a sense of community and responsibility

[2:07:07] with our tenants that will ultimately live in these buildings.

[2:07:12] Centering the community within that process fosters community ownership, Sense

[2:07:17] of pride. And that gets done through the tenant liaison

[2:07:20] committees and youth committees that work directly With the architects

[2:07:24] on these projects to create the design principles for the

[2:07:27] new buildings. This is overall, to this point, facilitated designs

[2:07:32] that have a strong relationship with our neighborhoods that are

[2:07:36] located that they are located within. Also being mindful about

[2:07:40] those that use the buildings, their specific needs, and allowed

[2:07:44] for creation of knowledge transfer between our tenants and the

[2:07:48] professionals that are designing the buildings. All right. Last

[2:07:56] slide. And this one relates to the future directions for

[2:08:00] our revitalization plan, Pertains to the last two properties In

[2:08:07] our redevelopment list. And as I mentioned before, We brought

[2:08:12] updates, amendments and opportunities To you as committee and Council

[2:08:16] for your consideration along the way of this plan. It

[2:08:20] has not been a rigid or fixed plan, and we'll

[2:08:22] continue to look and identify opportunities that we can adjust.

[2:08:27] And hopefully be creating better end products for this community

[2:08:30] as we go along. The first opportunity that we're looking

[2:08:34] for Your feedback and input on relates to The property

[2:08:40] At Shelley have that I mentioned earlier. This property is

[2:08:42] bordered between Courtland Ave On the one side and Shelley

[2:08:46] on the other in the city of Kitchener. And it's

[2:08:49] the portion of the parcel along Shelley drive that's set

[2:08:52] for redevelopment. While there's another significant portion of the parcel

[2:08:57] that fronts onto Courtland Avenue, Well, that presents with a

[2:09:01] few opportunities For your consideration. It'll be about a four

[2:09:06] acre parcel along Courtland avenue That we have opportunity

[2:09:15] to look at, That was not contemplated through the original

[2:09:18] approval of the revitalization plan. Those opportunities can look like

[2:09:23] selling the land And using the proceeds to finance the

[2:09:28] overall revitalization plan or new affordable housing, it could look

[2:09:33] like selling or leasing that land through a request for

[2:09:36] proposal process to generate more affordable housing Owned by a

[2:09:40] third party. Or it could look like us retaining ownership

[2:09:43] of that land and considering it For further development of

[2:09:48] a future iteration of a revitalization plan Overall. The other

[2:09:53] opportunity that I briefly touched on pertains to 140 Weber

[2:09:56] street. This is our 6th and final redevelopment sites Under

[2:10:02] the plan. And This particular property Is home right now

[2:10:10] To supportive housing tenants. As Waterloo Regional Housing We are

[2:10:14] the owners of the property, the landlords of the property,

[2:10:18] but We partner With Indwell to provide The supports on

[2:10:25] site to our residents And ultimately operate That particular building.

[2:10:31] and so being sensitive to the needs of this particular

[2:10:34] population, We're looking at some opportunities related to the future

[2:10:38] ownership model of this site. And we're doing so With

[2:10:44] trying to find benefit for the existing tenants, And rather

[2:10:48] than doing a one by one, individual relocation for

[2:10:52] those tenants looking for an opportunity where we could consider

[2:10:56] a mass rehousing of Those tenants In a new supportive

[2:10:59] housing building As one of the opportunities that we could

[2:11:04] see. We could also see, through partnering with a different

[2:11:08] ownership model, an ability to reduce the projected capital Costs

[2:11:12] or creating net new affordable units at this particular site.

[2:11:17] Or finally, Again, having the potential to sell or lease

[2:11:21] the land Through an RFP Process overall. So I'll leave

[2:11:29] you with Those opportunities to consider would be happy to

[2:11:35] hear your feedback and input as we go away and

[2:11:38] do some work And bring further thought out plans for

[2:11:42] those two sites back for your consideration. And I think

[2:11:47] in closing, I'll leave you with it, I think you

[2:11:50] can see that the work related to our revitalization plan

[2:11:53] is it's complex, and it's also grand in its scope.

[2:11:57] And it couldn't happen Without a whole lot of divisions

[2:12:01] at the region, working very closely, and they're very aligned.

[2:12:03] Together, along with our colleagues at the area municipalities, So,

[2:12:08] a special thanks to our friends and facilities in

[2:12:12] finance, in legal, in planning and economic development, Our tenants and

[2:12:17] our neighborhoods overall to make all of this work happen.

[2:12:20] To date, the role of permanent and deeply affordable housing

[2:12:25] across the region, It can't be overstated. Without it, it

[2:12:29] creates challenges that ripple through an entire community, Creating obstacles

[2:12:35] to financial financial security, good health, educational success and employment.

[2:12:39] Knowing this and the alignment of this work with our

[2:12:42] strategic plan, growing with care, The work being done through

[2:12:47] this revitalization plan is vital not only today to meet

[2:12:51] the growing demand for affordability, but for the success of

[2:12:54] future generations in this region. The two opportunities presented to

[2:12:58] you today with regards to Courtland Ave And 140 Weber,

[2:13:03] They've been done, Recognizing the importance Of that, but also

[2:13:07] bringing forward opportunities to address the escalating municipal costs of

[2:13:11] delivering on This ambitious plan. Happy to take your feedback

[2:13:17] on what you've heard today, As well as address any

[2:13:20] questions that you may have. Thanks very much for the

[2:13:24] presentation. Councillor Shantz. Thank you, And thank you for the

[2:13:31] presentation and To Peter and Ryan and your team. You

[2:13:36] have a very complex and challenging problem to work with.

[2:13:41] So we appreciate all the work that you do. My

[2:13:44] question, if you can Put up slide five, My question

[2:13:50] is, This is really our picture here. Is there a

[2:13:57] way that We can add in the community piece. And

[2:14:05] I'm not even sure exactly what it would look like,

[2:14:07] but you've got the spaces, Region of Waterloo, Those are

[2:14:11] region of Waterloo spaces. For example, I was talking to

[2:14:15] a developer This week Who's interested In providing spaces and

[2:14:21] looking for a way to do that. I know there

[2:14:24] are other developers that also Are trying to be part

[2:14:28] of the solution. How do we mesh that all together?

[2:14:33] Because the PIT count Is community wide. Mr. Pettipierre.

[2:14:44] Thank you, Councillor Shantz. And excellent question, and one that

[2:14:50] I hope this slide helps Us to address. So the

[2:14:54] plan that we went over today, again, is specific to

[2:14:57] that green bar. Very specific to community housing And to

[2:15:02] affordable rental housing. That's our part of the equation and

[2:15:06] contributing overall to building better futures. The plan as it's

[2:15:11] projected right now, for WRH is going to contribute 669

[2:15:15] Units. that may change a little bit as The design

[2:15:19] process for our Final few redevelopments closes in, but that

[2:15:25] is part of the overall Work of building better futures.

[2:15:30] We continue to engage in partnerships with the private and

[2:15:34] not for profit sector. And those are where we're seeing

[2:15:37] additional contributions that have gotten us to that 2,500 to

[2:15:41] unit count to date, Where we have significant plans to

[2:15:44] do even more. And so while the WRH plan is

[2:15:48] a significant contribution, rough math, about 25% of the overall

[2:15:53] 2,500 units, The rest are being done in partnership with

[2:15:59] the private and not for profit sectors. And as we

[2:16:02] look to future iterations of these plans, the next version

[2:16:06] of Building better futures, they'll continue to play a very

[2:16:10] significant part. And we're always looking for new opportunities to

[2:16:13] partner. As I mentioned, even in some of these opportunities

[2:16:17] with our revitalization plan, but more broadl. Overall. There are

[2:16:23] significant parts, and we'll need to continue to play an

[2:16:25] even more significant part, If we're going to be successful

[2:16:28] in addressing chronic homelessness. you'll see that there is an

[2:16:31] overlap between the plan to end chronic homelessness and building better

[2:16:35] futures. We cannot prevent or end homelessness without more work

[2:16:41] on the affordable housing side of the equation. And more

[2:16:45] partners are necessary to do that beyond just what we

[2:16:47] can do through Waterloo regional housing. Bit of a long

[2:16:50] answer. I hope it helps. Just to follow up, This

[2:16:57] may come, We need to desegregate the PIT count, but

[2:17:01] do we know how many People, and I've said this

[2:17:05] before, we've got people in emergency shelters that are ready

[2:17:08] to move. Do we have those Quantums That we can

[2:17:14] see where the bottleneck is, I guess. Part of that

[2:17:19] will become more clear through the analysis in the point

[2:17:21] in time count. Peter alluded to this earlier, One of

[2:17:29] the biggest ways that we can address programming is understanding

[2:17:33] the reasons how people became homeless homeless in the first

[2:17:36] place To provide a bit more of an upstream approach

[2:17:39] in terms of prevention, but also through the survey, understanding

[2:17:42] what would be most helpful for people to exit The

[2:17:47] state of homelessness. I mentioned through the Waterloo Regional Housing

[2:17:51] Revitalization plan Where we'll be starting occupancy in a lot

[2:17:55] of those units beginning next Year, that's going to contribute

[2:17:59] a whole lot to Solving many people's states of homelessness

[2:18:04] currently. Overall, when we look at the total number of

[2:18:09] shelter spaces and the total number of units that we'll

[2:18:11] be bringing online There's more new units coming online Even

[2:18:15] than we have emergency shelter spaces right now, so The

[2:18:19] answer ultimately to homelessness is more housing, more deeply affordable

[2:18:25] housing, and specifically more supportive or housing with supports that

[2:18:29] we're able to offer this population. We need to continue

[2:18:32] to focus Efforts on That end of the equation, do

[2:18:36] our planning and our budgeting accordingly so that we can

[2:18:40] both prevent and end homelessness. Councillor Huinink. Thank you, chair.

[2:18:44] I have a comment and then a couple of questions

[2:18:46] That I'm going to try to roll into one. Thank

[2:18:48] you, First of all, team for your sensitivity to language

[2:18:52] and the way that it helps us or hinders our

[2:18:55] thinking, I'm so glad to know what net new housing

[2:18:59] means, and also the Thinking behind The name change for

[2:19:05] the plan. I think that's fantastic. In the report, or

[2:19:10] the presentation, I should say, You reference Community partner space.

[2:19:15] Have those partners been designated already? And if not, how

[2:19:20] would they apply? And then just if I could briefly,

[2:19:25] I know of an initiative undertaken by Toronto

[2:19:29] City Council and the Indigenous community There, I think the

[2:19:34] initials are ICEC. I can't remember the long form of

[2:19:40] that right now, but it involves Two floors of Indigenous

[2:19:44] housing within an apartment apartment building, which also includes Indigenous

[2:19:50] health center and community hub And marketplace. I was wondering

[2:19:56] if and how and whether that would be a good

[2:19:59] idea For our revitalization plan. Thank You

[2:20:09] for your questions, Councillor Huinink. So for our first three

[2:20:17] redevelopments, Kingcourt, Wilson, and Langs Drive, we do have partners

[2:20:22] planning to provide service in the space. At Kingscourt,

[2:20:26] it will be senior services providing older adults services to

[2:20:31] that population And that community in the building. We'll also

[2:20:36] have seniors' partners at Wilson. We don't have an agreement

[2:20:40] in place With them just yet So I'll refrain from

[2:20:43] naming them. And we also do have partners lined up

[2:20:48] At Langs. Langs Is a particular hub that Had service

[2:20:55] agencies providing support in the past. They will be invited

[2:20:58] back, and we'll also be looking for new partners beyond

[2:21:03] that, In terms of Mooregate, Shelley, And 140 Weber, Nothing

[2:21:10] sets for those particular redevelopments yet. We'll work with our

[2:21:14] engagement and liaison committees as well as the neighbourhoods to

[2:21:17] try to find the partners that we think will support

[2:21:20] those populations Overall the best. Your comment on potential Indigenous

[2:21:27] partnership in any or all of these buildings I think

[2:21:31] is excellent And one that we can look at specifically,

[2:21:35] Both in terms of the services or even the units

[2:21:38] provided. To go back to a previous question, from Councillor

[2:21:42] Shantz, we were happy to support KW Urban Native Wigwam project

[2:21:47] to open up Their housing project in the city of

[2:21:50] Kitchener earlier, or in the city of Cambridge earlier this year

[2:21:54] through our building better Futures initiative. So part of that

[2:21:57] bigger plan as well and have started some great partnerships

[2:22:01] there and I could see That could be something that

[2:22:04] continues through these new redevelopments. Great. Thanks for your consideration.

[2:22:09] Councillor McCabe. Thank you. And as the others said, thanks very

[2:22:14] much for this information And the work on this. Just

[2:22:18] a couple of questions, one of which is, I was

[2:22:22] a bit Surprised, And maybe it doesn't fit in here,

[2:22:25] but where was 555 Beechwood Drive on this?

[2:22:29] because That's a plan, That's a project that was, It's

[2:22:36] been in the work for a while. Let's just say

[2:22:40] that. Through you chair, so the projects that I reviewed

[2:22:44] today are again specific to the Waterloo housing revitalization Plan,

[2:22:49] so sites that we own or operate as Waterloo Regional

[2:22:53] housing, as a landlord entity and so Those are the

[2:23:00] six redevelopments that I spoke to specifically. Outside of that

[2:23:06] work, We've been finding other ways to partner with the

[2:23:10] community that contribute to that broader building Better futures initiatives.

[2:23:15] So 555 Beechwood was one of the very

[2:23:18] first surplus land sites that we engaged through The kickoff

[2:23:22] of building better futures. So it's a partnership with a

[2:23:27] private sector developer and the region where we put that

[2:23:32] property out through a request for proposal process. Developers bid

[2:23:36] on it and ultimately One proponent Was selected. It has

[2:23:43] been a long time in coming And moving forward to development.

[2:23:51] So it is part of the larger building Better Futures

[2:23:54] initiative, it is not under the WRH revitalization plan. My understanding

[2:24:00] and the latest update from my team And Georrza at

[2:24:04] the city is that we are sneaking up on a

[2:24:06] building permit on that Site. And hopefully we'll see some

[2:24:10] shovels in the ground, If not shortly, Then by the

[2:24:14] spring is the latest that I have on that particular

[2:24:17] site. Okay. Thank you for that. Specifically for Waterloo region

[2:24:22] housing, Because I've heard that there's some municipalitie,s I'm wondering

[2:24:28] about the housing accelerator fund, because my understanding is the

[2:24:31] region Didn't have the option of applying for that. But

[2:24:34] since I've also understood that some municipalities have returned money

[2:24:38] in some cases, like, is it worth a conversation again

[2:24:42] with like, is there federal dollars through that program because

[2:24:46] we have some land that maybe We could, Is it

[2:24:52] possible to talk to them to see if they may

[2:24:55] change some of that Criteria and say, look, we've got

[2:24:57] some land ready to go, We could use some of

[2:24:59] the housing accelerator funds, perhaps to get another project moving.

[2:25:05] Mr. Sweeney. Yeah. So through You Chair, Councillor McCabe, I'd

[2:25:12] say, My standard answer to that is we are keeping

[2:25:14] our ears close to the ground on every opportunity We

[2:25:18] can find to bring additional resources to this community. I'm

[2:25:23] aware of the original limitations to the housing accelerator fund.

[2:25:27] In terms of eligibility, I don't have any new information

[2:25:29] for you, but we'll certainly take that back under Advisement,

[2:25:32] but I don't have anything I can comment here on

[2:25:33] today. Okay. And then My last question Is just about

[2:25:38] the two properties that you were asking about, like, potential

[2:25:41] opportunities. I mean we'll have To get more information, but my sort

[2:25:45] of initial reaction is that It would be better to

[2:25:50] keep the public land in our public hands, because then

[2:25:53] we actually can Control for a much longer period with

[2:25:56] the actual affordability Of the housing units that are eventually

[2:26:01] built there. But in the shorter time frame, because we

[2:26:06] also have a need for an emergency shelter space, Is

[2:26:10] that something that we would contemplate on either of those

[2:26:13] sites? I don't know, Just the address well Enough

[2:26:17] to know what else is around that Area. I don't

[2:26:20] know what kind of neighbourhood it's near or anything like

[2:26:22] that. But I do know we're looking for space, so

[2:26:25] just wondered if that's a Possibility. Certainly. I'll take that

[2:26:29] one. So, currently, it would not be in our plans

[2:26:32] to consider Flipping one of these sites into emergency shelter.

[2:26:37] That's not that we couldn't have That conversation. But that's

[2:26:40] certainly not what we're contemplating. I do want to bring

[2:26:43] back To council That at one of our previous budget

[2:26:48] plan and budget meetings, we showed you a slide. Sorry.

[2:26:53] We showed you a slide to outline The upcoming debt

[2:26:57] load and debt servicing costs related, that is, related specifically

[2:27:03] to these projects. So just to make sure that we're

[2:27:05] connecting both of those. And so the recommendation that comes

[2:27:08] forward before you today, and I want to thank Ryan

[2:27:10] and team for being really specific and getting ahead Of

[2:27:12] the question of, well, what might that look like? And

[2:27:14] that was the examples. But you'll See The recommendation is

[2:27:17] really giving us the direction to go and explore some

[2:27:19] of those and One of the elements that we would

[2:27:22] look at is, are there opportunities to reconsider or reprofile

[2:27:28] While ensuring affordability, ensuring that we're meeting the targets and

[2:27:32] the needs of the community. But they might also have

[2:27:34] some positive financial benefit for the region in light of

[2:27:38] the information that we shared with you today. So just

[2:27:40] want to make sure that we're really clear what we're

[2:27:42] asking and why. But to your specific point, we would

[2:27:47] continue, Our first cut at this would be to continue

[2:27:51] to look at this through the lens of adding affordable

[2:27:55] Housing units As a sort of modality that we would

[2:27:58] be delivering. Did you say you're going to move it

[2:28:01] Councillor McCabe? Okay. Thank you. Chair Redman. Thank

[2:28:10] you Chair Erb, I don't want to horn in on

[2:28:12] seconding it but I'd be happy to. I think we all

[2:28:14] would. I really appreciate The slide about the continuum housing.

[2:28:20] I'm a visual learner, and that's really helpful to me.

[2:28:24] I never hear any update from this whole department and

[2:28:27] all the people in it that I'm not impressed. Councillor

[2:28:30] McCabe I continue to lobby as a chair of this

[2:28:34] region to access some of that funding that we were

[2:28:37] not eligible for. I'm going to try to ask Councillor

[2:28:40] Shantz's question in a different way, Just because she and

[2:28:43] I have had many side conversations about this, and I'm

[2:28:46] going to premise this By saying, when I look at

[2:28:48] this continuum, To provide affordable housing, I know the answer

[2:28:54] to all of this is we just need more. We

[2:28:56] need more of everything on this continuum, and I get

[2:28:58] that. I also get that we've been in budget deliberations,

[2:29:01] and this is a really tough year, but if you

[2:29:04] were able to look at people who find themselves unsheltered

[2:29:08] for economic reasons alone, So people That don't have mental

[2:29:12] health, people that don't have addictions issues, but people who

[2:29:15] simply have fallen off the radar because they cannot afford.

[2:29:20] To put a roof over their head, I don't know

[2:29:22] if we have our arms around That number. I'm assuming

[2:29:26] there is a gap because we don't have enough of

[2:29:28] anything. But I'm wondering, what are the pinch points? Is

[2:29:32] it money? Is it landlords That we can partner with?

[2:29:36] What are the things that limit our ability to Identify

[2:29:41] people who are unsheltered for reasons other than some of

[2:29:44] the classic ones we talk about and how we would

[2:29:47] move to filling that gap. It's a bit hypothetical, and

[2:29:51] if you don't want to answer Ryan, you need To

[2:29:53] know how happy Peter is every time he goes, over

[2:29:55] to you, Ryan. Thanks for the question, chair. It's a

[2:30:04] complex question. And it's a complex answer. Not to defer

[2:30:08] too much of it, but it's what we're hoping to

[2:30:10] Get at through the disaggregation and further analysis of the

[2:30:12] point in time count Data. It's going to tell us

[2:30:16] individual stories for those that completed this survey. And will

[2:30:21] provide us Numbers program and policy solutions That will help

[2:30:27] along the way. At this point in time, I don't

[2:30:29] have a good sense of how many people or what

[2:30:32] percentage of the homeless population, The economics situation alone, Would

[2:30:38] pertain to, other than saying anybody that's in receipt of

[2:30:42] social assistance currently right Now, it's completely inadequate in our

[2:30:47] existing rental market. And if that's the majority income source

[2:30:52] for the majority of people that are homeless, They're in

[2:30:56] difficult economic circumstances. That's why the importance of affordable housing,

[2:31:01] community housing, Rent supplements and supportive housing Are critical

[2:31:06] all around. And yes, part of the trite Answer is

[2:31:09] we need more Of all of those, the demand For

[2:31:15] all of those types of housing in our community continues

[2:31:17] to grow Exponentially and The cost of meeting all of

[2:31:22] that, of course, are incredibly expensive as well. The costs

[2:31:25] of not meeting all of those demands, We're also paying

[2:31:29] an exorbitant price on as well. And if I could

[2:31:33] just an observation, It's one of the reasons why it's

[2:31:35] Very important In any milieu that we find ourselves as

[2:31:38] public elected politicians to also advocate for raising ODSP and

[2:31:44] OW. Because it's definitely a contributing factor to people living

[2:31:47] precariously. Councillor Deutschmann, And then I want to remind committee,

[2:31:53] it looks like we're starting on a second round of

[2:31:55] questions. We still have some more work on this committee,

[2:32:01] we still have SID, and then we have a hard

[2:32:04] stop at 05:00. Councillor Deutschmann. Yeah. Thank you. Chair Erb. Just quickly, I just wanted to,

[2:32:11] First of all, I wanted to congratulate Waterloo on

[2:32:13] the great announcement with the Build Now and the work

[2:32:15] you're doing up by RIM park there, and I'm just

[2:32:18] Wondering It got me thinking. Are we working with build

[2:32:21] now? Are they part of This in terms of what

[2:32:24] we're looking at in terms of partnerships. And habitat for

[2:32:27] humanity. Thanks. Mr. Pettipiere. Thanks for the question.

[2:32:39] I know that some meetings have happened With the build

[2:32:43] now group. I'm not aware of any specific project that

[2:32:47] we have on The go. I'd say from our perspective,

[2:32:51] With regards to our surplus lands, We'd be interested in

[2:32:54] any partnership opportunity that presents itself, As well as potential

[2:32:59] for the last two opportunities With our revitalization plan that

[2:33:04] I mentioned earlier. And just a quick follow up, how

[2:33:07] large is the land at Shelley and Courtland. Through You chair

[2:33:11] the property that was discussing on the Courtland side, That's

[2:33:16] not needed For our redevelopment Is 4.33 acres. Ok Thank you.

[2:33:25] Councillor James.

[2:33:36] Okay. Thank you. Through you chair I would like to

[2:33:38] move a motion to call the question right now. Procedurally,

[2:33:43] there's no debate on that, right? Just vote, okay. So

[2:33:51] can we use your eScribe buttons to indicate your support

[2:33:54] for this. So it was Moved by Councillor McCabe, seconded

[2:33:57] by Chair Redman. No, that was part of your motion.

[2:34:01] Sorry. I apologize. Okay. If you use the eScribe to

[2:34:07] vote.

[2:34:25] Okay, so this is to

[2:34:30] call the question, correct?

[2:34:41] Councillor Liggett, are you in favour of calling the

[2:34:44] question? Thank you. Okay. Carried. Now we're back to the

[2:34:50] original motion, moved by Councillor McCabe, seconded By chair

[2:34:54] Redman.

[2:35:19] Your showing as absent Councillor Wolf. Okay. And that's Carried.

[2:35:30] And if I may, as chair, without being overruled, I

[2:35:32] want to, thanks Ryan and team For all the work

[2:35:35] on this, and particularly Amy and kristen. Around the slides

[2:35:42] of tenant relocation engagement, I attended most of those meetings

[2:35:46] that you had with these Various sites. The relocation of

[2:35:52] these tenants is a massive, massive job other than just

[2:35:55] building these buildings, and so thank you for the work

[2:35:58] you did on that and the sensitivity which you

[2:36:00] treated the people because We're basically uprooting where they're

[2:36:03] living and moving them to other places. So thanks very

[2:36:05] much for the work that you done on that part

[2:36:07] of the file. We are on to item 7.1, Council

[2:36:17] tracking list. There is nothing. Is there any other business?

[2:36:27] The next meeting will be next year. January the 14th,

[2:36:33] 2025. Could I have a motion to adjourn? Moved by

[2:36:36] Councillor McCabe. Seconded by Councillor Shantz. All those in favour?

[2:36:42] Thumbs up from Councillor Liggett. Thank you.

Community and Health Services

Agenda

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