[0:53] All right, folks, where do you get started on the

[0:55] agenda? As you can see, Colleen is not here. She's

[0:59] out somewhere in the cold, knocking on doors, and I'll

[1:03] be taking her place for now and perhaps into the

[1:06] next meeting. And depending on how well she does, perhaps

[1:13] for the rest of the term, I'm not. Quite sure

[1:15] about that. But anyways, first of all, what I like

[1:18] to do is welcome everybody. And to ask Chris to

[1:24] conduct the roll call. Thank you. Chair. Regional chair Redman.

[1:29] Present chair, Craig. Here. Councilor Erb. Councilor Foxton? Present. Councillor

[1:37] Harris is away. Councillor Huinink. Can you hear? Councilor

[1:44] Liggett here. Councilor McCabe. Councilor Novak, Councilor Salonen. Councilor Shantz.

[1:52] Present. Councilor Vrbanovic has regrets. Councilor Williams. Here and Councillor

[1:57] Wolf. Here. Like to start with the land acknowledgment. Like

[2:07] to acknowledge the land on which we gather today is

[2:09] their traditional territory, the Haudenosaunee. The Anishnawbe, and the

[2:15] Chonnonton peoples. We acknowledge the enduring presence of the

[2:19] indigenous people with whom we share the land today. Their

[2:24] achievements. And their contributions to our community. Any declarations of

[2:29] pecuniary interests from members of council. Okay, seeing none. Need

[2:38] a motion to go into open session. I need someone

[2:41] to move a motion. Councilor Foxton. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

[2:54] Councilor Foxton. My apologies. Yeah. Pardon me. All those in

[3:03] favour? Oh, it's escribed. My apologies. Yes, you, Escribe.

[3:20] Okay. Just. Councilor Wolf. Councilor Wolf. She's in favour.

[3:30] We'll get that case. Okay, it's passed.

[3:43] There are no presentations today. Delegations. We will now proceed

[3:47] with delegations as listed on the agenda. I'd like to

[3:50] remind all delegations of some of the guidelines of participation

[3:55] for those who are joining us in person, please proceed

[3:59] to the podium. When you are called upon to speak,

[4:03] please press the button on the base of the microphone

[4:06] to turn it on. And if the light screen, the

[4:08] microphone is on. For those who are joining us electronically,

[4:12] please leave your video camera turned on. And your microphone.

[4:16] Audio muted until you are called upon to speak. Okay.

[4:21] So we have a number of rules here. We just

[4:23] ask you to be mindful of interrupting. Counselors or staff

[4:28] or other delegations is not permitted. Derogatory statements. Turning your

[4:32] camera on off at inappropriate times and hate speech of

[4:36] any type or a deflamatory comments. Aren't appreciated or accepted.

[4:42] One last reminder for delegations. Please do not take offense

[4:45] if following your presentation. There are no questions from council.

[4:50] That happens periodically. We are interested, but we always. Don't

[4:54] always ask questions. This is Kelsey's time to really listen

[4:57] and reflect upon. The options. An idea shared with us

[5:02] from our community members. So we got Isaac Rensom of

[5:06] corporate affairs. Neuron mobility. Canada. Please welcome, sir. Have five

[5:12] minutes. Good afternoon. I think there's a presentation. Sure, if

[5:22] it's been circulated. There we go.

[5:32] Perfect. Good afternoon. My name is Isaac Ransom. I'm head

[5:35] of corporate affairs. It's great. To be back to share

[5:38] some information about. The progress of the shared mobility program

[5:44] in the region of Waterloo. And the partnering municipalities. Next

[5:50] slide, please. So today I'll just share some high level

[5:54] information around the progress of the program. There's some really

[6:00] encouraging trends. That we're seeing and so wanted to share

[6:06] that with you. And certainly if there's questions following, happy

[6:10] to answer those. So this year we've really started to

[6:13] see how the program operates, and we've seen a real

[6:16] shift in how people are using the service. On average,

[6:20] the trips just clock in under around 2 km. About

[6:23] twelve minutes to eleven minutes of riding time. Our writers

[6:28] this year traveled over 310,000 km. With over 172,000 trips.

[6:36] And most of the trips are rated just over four

[6:37] out of five stars. So at the end of the

[6:40] ride riders can provide some feedback, and that's one of

[6:42] the ways that they rate our trips, and we've continued

[6:45] to be out in the community doing safety events. This

[6:48] year distributing 500 helmets. With about, I think, 24, 25.

[6:54] Community safety activation events. Next slide, please. So we've seen

[6:59] a lot of upward trends this year. Near the tail

[7:02] end of the operating season. We go out and we

[7:05] survey our riders, and we ask a number of specific

[7:08] questions about how they're using the devices and some of

[7:10] the things that we're seeing happen. So there's some really

[7:13] interesting things that have happened this year as the program

[7:15] has matured. We've seen that rides. Replacing car journey. So,

[7:23] like, an Uber or taxi or personal vehicle has increased

[7:26] slightly. Commuting to work has jumped over 20% from last

[7:30] year, which is probably the biggest jump. So this means

[7:33] that people are using this specifically for a use case.

[7:36] So travel or study, which is very encouraging news. And

[7:40] similarly for things like running errands, we're seeing a large

[7:43] jump connecting to public transit when we surveyed, riders was

[7:48] nearly 24%, and this correlates with what we've seen in

[7:50] where trips end and start at transit stations. About 36,000

[7:55] trips started and 36,000 trips ended at transit stations, which

[7:59] is just over 20% of the rides. So this surveying

[8:03] data would be fairly accurate in about just over one

[8:06] in five rides are connecting to transit. Public transit, which

[8:10] is quite good. And certainly we're seeing people use this

[8:15] more to get around and go to appointments and that

[8:17] kind of thing. So very defined use cases are emerging

[8:21] in the region, which is what we want to see.

[8:23] And sustained ridership as well. So it's a very positive

[8:25] outcome this year when we start to see these numbers

[8:28] trend upward. The next slide, please. The last thing I

[8:32] want to share with you today, as you may have

[8:34] seen in the report, we are looking at our adaptive

[8:37] vehicle program here in the region of Waterloo. This will

[8:39] be the first of its kind that we're aware of

[8:42] in Canada. Where we'll be diversifying the fleet for vehicles

[8:47] for those with mobility impairments. Providing some other options for

[8:51] people to engage in the program. So we do have

[8:53] two vehicles that are coming to market. One is a

[8:56] hand cycle. Which you can see on the left side

[8:59] of the slide, and the other is an adult tricycle.

[9:02] Each of these provides a different need. And based on

[9:06] our conversations leading up to the development of this program,

[9:10] these seem to be the two most suitable devices to

[9:12] proceed forward with based on what we're hearing. So we

[9:15] are. Excited to bring these to market this year. And

[9:19] seeing. How they integrate with the demand in the fleet.

[9:25] So without all kind of wrap up. Those are my

[9:27] brief comments on the update for the year. I'm certainly

[9:29] happy to take any questions. Any questions? Delegation? Yes. Council.

[9:37] Your next first. Oh, I see elf there. Okay, Councillor

[9:42] Huinink, thank you. Chair, Craig. And thank you, Isaac. For

[9:44] coming today, and I want to thank neuron for. Their

[9:49] openness to exploring different mobility options. In my view, this

[9:53] is a pivotal project for us because it demonstrates equality

[9:58] between spending municipal dollars. Or reasonable dollars, I should say.

[10:04] On projects for people of various abilities, and so I

[10:06] hope that this serves as an example every time. We

[10:11] spend money on municipal projects or reasonable projects, we need

[10:14] to consider people of varying abilities. And so I don't

[10:18] know how much there will be uptake when this happens.

[10:22] Initially, but I plan to promote it widely, and I

[10:24] hope that you all will as well. And I'm happy

[10:28] to be used as an example for the hand bike.

[10:31] So definitely we'll be in touch. Thanks so much. Through

[10:35] your chair. Thank you for the comments, councilor. We're certainly

[10:39] excited to bring this. To market, and we'll certainly be

[10:41] keeping you updated as we get ready to launch the

[10:44] program. This year, so very exciting, and I think it's

[10:52] a huge step forward again for Waterloo. Being first to

[10:54] market and market leader on these sorts of projects, so

[10:57] we're very excited. To launch this program, and hopefully we

[11:02] will. Have. A lot of participation. In. These additional devices

[11:08] that we're bringing to the service this year. Councilor

[11:17] McCabe. Thank you. Thank you. Chair. Thanks, Isaac, for the

[11:22] update and report. And it's encouraging numbers for sure. And

[11:26] similar to what councilor Huinink said. Really pleased that you.

[11:29] I know we had talked about adaptive bikes. And before,

[11:34] so thank you for listening. To the concerns and questions

[11:37] from the community as well as from some of us

[11:39] here. My question is around the catchment area. Do you

[11:44] have the capacity? And I guess it's partly to staff

[11:46] as well, and I know some of the conversations have

[11:49] to happen at the local municipalities, but is there a

[11:52] capacity to expand the catchment area to just. The entire,

[11:57] like, the three cities. I know there's the townships. I

[12:00] mean, if you want. To have them out in the

[12:01] townships. I'm totally fine with that, too, but I'm. Partly

[12:04] wondering about your like, how many, how many bikes and

[12:08] scooters you actually have. Like, what is your capacity to

[12:11] expand the catchment area? Through chair. Mayor, councilor. We do

[12:20] have the capacity to do that. If there's a willingness

[12:24] to expand the area, it's always a discussion that we're

[12:26] willing to entertain. I know that. You've approached us on

[12:30] expanding to some areas, and we're already working on that.

[12:32] For Waterloo for this year. And. What it'll ultimately take

[12:37] to do that. Generally. This becomes a question around the

[12:41] number of devices that will be required. Right now we

[12:44] are struggling. To have good coverage throughout the region and

[12:48] the existing service area with the existing fleet. So we

[12:52] probably would be looking at requiring additional devices to meet

[12:55] that. And it's not that you'll necessarily see. All those

[13:01] devices being utilized at the same level that they are

[13:03] now, but it's very much that we need to provide

[13:05] a complete service and have scooters available in order to

[13:09] create uptakes. So, depending on. What that expanded service area

[13:14] looks like. You could be looking at a considerable number

[13:16] of additional devices. To meet the service area expansion. I

[13:22] don't want to speculate the number that I could be

[13:25] today, but I suspect that you're looking at a number

[13:28] of additional devices just to meet that at a base.

[13:31] Level beyond the 500 e scooters that are out there

[13:34] today and the permitted cap of 500 ebikes. I think

[13:38] the bike number is probably appropriate, but the e scooter

[13:41] one would have to be a point of discussion to

[13:43] expand on. Okay, thanks. Because. Part of my thought. There

[13:49] seems to be a lot of concentration of the scooters

[13:52] and the bikes where there's also pretty good service of

[13:56] transit, which I understand makes sense, but it's like my

[13:59] thought is also like, how do we, because we're always

[14:02] thinking about how do we get. People. In more of

[14:07] our neighborhoods as they go out from the course. How

[14:09] do we get them interested? In alternative or, sorry, multimodal

[14:14] transportation options. And so that's where my mindset is. And

[14:19] I know, again, some of this is the work that

[14:22] has to be done. In consultation with the local municipalities.

[14:27] But just something I think we should keep in mind

[14:29] because part of what the goal is is to encourage

[14:33] people to find other modes. And so if you're. In

[14:35] a suburb and could take a scooter or a bike.

[14:38] From this point, your house to the bus stop and

[14:41] then take the bus or the eye and the rest

[14:43] of the way. I think that makes a lot of

[14:45] sense, too. So I'll leave that with staff and you

[14:48] to sort through. All right, chair Ridmond. Thank you. Chair.

[14:55] Craig, thank you very much for coming. And this is

[14:57] obviously a good news story. In the past when you've

[14:59] come and presented, one of the things we talked about

[15:01] was helmets. And do you have a way of tracking

[15:05] if helmets are being worn? Future. Thank you, chairperson Redman.

[15:15] We do have some ways of tracking. When the helmet

[15:18] is released from the clip, so we know. When a

[15:21] rider. Has opted to take the helmet out of the

[15:25] clip and keep it out of the clip. We can

[15:26] track that. But what we found is that it's not

[15:29] a very good metric because. Some people will just end

[15:33] up putting it on the handlebar during their trip. They

[15:36] don't. Realize that they can put it back in the

[15:38] clip. So we don't know if the helmet is actually

[15:40] being worn or if it's just being put on the

[15:43] side of the handlebar until the trip ends. Some people

[15:46] do this for various reasons, like they may put it

[15:49] on. Take the helmet selfie to get the ride credit.

[15:51] And then keep it out of the clip to ensure

[15:53] that they get that credit. So there's. A couple of

[15:57] sort of things that aren't really necessarily foolproof with that

[16:00] technology. When we do survey riders around helmet use. We

[16:05] seem to see an overcorrection of people who perceive that

[16:08] they wear helmets, but they actually don't, which has been

[16:11] a problem when we look at the helmet issue. So

[16:16] we really don't have a good grasp from that perspective.

[16:20] What I can say safely is that we're probably looking

[16:21] at about. A ten to 20% compliance rate with helmets.

[16:28] Somewhere in that range. It's very hard to tell, though,

[16:30] based on the fact that. We don't know. The helmet.

[16:34] Selfie verification is a good indicator, but again, We don't

[16:38] necessarily know if it's staying on for the whole ride.

[16:42] So we do have these indicators, but it's always very

[16:44] difficult for us. And then there's certainly the aspect of

[16:47] just seeing what we see when people are outriding. Not

[16:51] wearing a helmet necessarily. Or having it on the handlebars.

[16:55] So, not to make this answer very complicated, but in

[16:58] short, there's a number of metrics that give us a

[17:00] good indication, but not necessarily. A good answer. I'm sorry

[17:04] I don't have more definitive information I can share. I

[17:08] appreciate your answer. Thank you. Councilor Henick, please. Thank you,

[17:12] Chair Craig again. Isaac the report, I think, indicated that.

[17:18] You encourage writers not to park on the sidewalk. And

[17:21] while I appreciate that there have been instances where I've

[17:24] seen scooters tipped over on the sidewalk. Is there any

[17:29] incentives we can offer? Or by further ways to encourage

[17:35] people not to leave the scooters in the way of

[17:39] people on the sidewalk. Through. Chair. Councilor, thanks for the

[17:43] question. I think at the very onset, I think most

[17:50] trips end, and in a very responsible way, I think

[17:52] we need to acknowledge that most people are trying to

[17:54] do the right thing when they park. And we do

[17:57] have a lot of first time riders that are out

[18:00] there who are students coming. To the region for the

[18:02] first time and that sort of thing. So we do

[18:03] have these issues. With parking. But as the operational period

[18:09] kind of prolongs through the year, these things should become

[18:11] a little more apparent to writers. We do have incentives

[18:15] for parking properly, we do have safety campaigns to park

[18:18] properly, and we can look at those in very targeted

[18:20] areas. If we know that. They're persistent parking problems. One

[18:25] of, and I shouldn't say this is an issue, but

[18:27] the general design of the program is controlled with geofenced

[18:30] parking, so riders have to end in a very specific

[18:32] area. And the capacity of those stations is sometimes. Much

[18:37] less than what ends up at those stations, which we

[18:40] end up with. Some of those results. Where people are

[18:42] leaving a scooter where they shouldn't or they're not. Able

[18:44] to park properly or they think they're doing the right

[18:46] thing, but it's impeding pedestrian traffic, which we certainly don't

[18:51] want to happen. So I think the best way to

[18:55] do this is continue on with the education that we're

[18:57] doing great. We do have two pieces of technology that

[19:00] are continually improving that are in the app now. One

[19:03] is our ar core technology, which means that. A rider

[19:08] periodically will be asked to scan the surrounding area to

[19:12] match. The imaging background. With what's in the background. With

[19:18] what is in Google Maps to ensure the scooter is

[19:20] in the right area. The other is the parking photo

[19:23] audit, which continues to improve with new technology and AI

[19:28] to better affirm that the scooter is in the proper

[19:30] area, so those technologies are becoming better. The other thing

[19:35] that we have been doing as well has been doing

[19:37] proactive rebalancing. Which is the process of having our patrollers

[19:42] out moving scooters at peak times. To move them off

[19:44] sidewalks as quickly as possible. It's kind of a cat

[19:47] and mouse. Game because scooters, common scooters, go so. We

[19:52] do try our best to do that as well. And

[19:55] the final thing that we do is that if these

[19:56] things do persist as issues with parking, Usually kind of

[20:00] that 2nd, 3rd strike. We do look at removing people

[20:03] from the platform and so that has happened as well,

[20:06] to try and send a message that improper parking won't

[20:09] be tolerated. It's one of these things that we try

[20:13] to do on a case by case basis. But in

[20:15] instances where it's a blatant. Disregard for the rules. We're

[20:19] going to make an example of those users. And finally,

[20:23] the last piece of technology which is there to make

[20:27] the situation. Less cumbersome or burdensome for people. In the

[20:31] unlikely event that there is an escooter kind of parked

[20:33] out of place is toppled technology, so the scooters trip

[20:36] can't end if it's on its side, so at least

[20:39] it will be upright. Which is usually a little easier

[20:41] to navigate if it is on a sidewalk in an

[20:43] inappropriate area. If somebody's ended their trip somehow with it

[20:48] being upright, so. There's a couple of pieces of technology

[20:51] that try to prevent that. I'm not saying it's 100%

[20:54] pool. Thank you for extremely Folsom answer. I by no

[20:58] means meant to blame you or neuron. And I realize

[21:00] that most people are doing everything they can to do

[21:03] the right thing. I just want to make sure that

[21:05] we are doing everything we can to be on top

[21:07] of it. So thank you very much. Well, thank you,

[21:09] sir. I have no more questions for you. Just want

[21:12] to thank you for your presentation today. To members of

[21:16] council. We have to move through the agenda because we

[21:19] possibly can lose quorum. We don't want to come back

[21:22] tomorrow. Okay? So I'm going to move through. This as

[21:25] speedily as possible. And Mr. Regier, you're going to be

[21:29] next in terms of strategic. Priority. Climate align growth. Okay.

[21:34] And you'll be dealing with the next item in peril.

[21:37] Go ahead. Thank you, chair. I actually am not responsible

[21:45] for this particular line of business. I'm going to hand

[21:47] it over to Commissioner Rose, who's actually going to carry

[21:51] the day here. Well, my apologies. I thought you would

[21:53] want to. I'm just a pretty face, okay? Just. My

[21:57] apologies. Go ahead, please. Thank you. Chair, Craig. And commissioner

[22:03] Regier. This report. We're bringing forward to you today is

[22:08] in response to questions around. The request for. 18 temporary

[22:16] staff for up to a two year contract to support.

[22:21] The new waste collection contract that's rolling out in March

[22:23] 2026. So, Jon Arsenault, our director of waste is here

[22:28] to provide a short presentation to provide you some extra

[22:32] context to the report. Yes, thank you. Through the chair.

[22:37] Thanks for allowing me to present today. As Commissioner Rose

[22:40] has mentioned. Last year was a pretty busy year for

[22:42] us in waste management. Lots of different reports, lots of

[22:44] approvals, lots of the changes. So we have a new

[22:46] collection contract coming on board, as noticed. March 2026 of

[22:51] next year. It's for eight years. With two one year

[22:57] extensions possible. It maintains a lot of the service level

[23:01] issues. We see as part of the existing contract in

[23:04] terms of biweekly garbage collection organics however, there's a significant

[23:08] change in the collection methodology as we're moving to cart.

[23:11] Collection. Which will impact. All eligible residents and obviously the

[23:17] downtown cores as well. That we're dealing with. I'd also

[23:22] like to note that a reminder that as the transition

[23:25] to the blue box occurred last year. We're no longer

[23:27] responsible for that. For the residential side, so it's not

[23:31] part of this contract. However, with the exception of downtown

[23:36] core collection, which has already been directed by council to

[23:38] look at. Next slide, please. So, as you can imagine,

[23:43] the magnitude of the work involved with this undertaking. Is

[23:49] significant. With this rollout, the new contract. We impact over

[23:54] 165,000 residential properties and growing, as well as approximately 1500

[24:00] designated downtown business improvement properties that will get service some

[24:04] of the key tasks. Just to keep in mind. We

[24:08] need to support the delivery of over 330,000 garbage and

[24:11] organics carts to all the eligible properties. Over a four

[24:15] month span that will occur later this year and into

[24:17] early next year ahead of the contract. We are embarking

[24:21] an engagement with the downtown business improvement areas and area

[24:25] municipal colleagues through working groups to determine cart sizes, number

[24:30] of carts, set out locations. And specific collection days. As

[24:35] well as introducing a brand new organics collection program to

[24:38] the downtowns so that all has to be finalized through

[24:42] these working groups. And in order to support. That obviously

[24:47] our existing staff are working on existing contracts. It's a

[24:51] lot of extra work, so we're looking to hire a

[24:53] number of temporary staff, most of which are proposed, are

[24:56] students and what we call community connector positions that would

[25:01] be out physically. In the community to connect with residents

[25:05] where they are, to help spread the understanding of what's.

[25:09] Coming and how this car program. Is going to impact

[25:12] folks as well as a lot of new community engagement

[25:17] outreach resources will be required. Next slide, please. So the

[25:23] implementation plan, as we've shown previously, is over four phases.

[25:28] Intended to start immediately. And. It's consistent with successful rollout

[25:34] programs that we've had here. In our own backyard that

[25:38] we've done through our own learnings, but we've also used

[25:41] jurisdictional scan. Understand what others have done specific to cart

[25:44] rollout programs that some good learnings to understand. How we

[25:49] best roll this out and communicate to the public. So,

[25:53] to summarize, we need to do a lot of awareness

[25:56] up front. Build the awareness, prepare the community, and how.

[26:01] It will affect them. Implement the change and then monitor

[26:04] the program moving forward. Next slide, please. I've got a

[26:08] couple of slides here of some of the key components.

[26:12] Just to provide a little bit of the scope. So

[26:14] initially we were going to start with some information in

[26:16] the community about the upcoming change. Again, why is it

[26:19] happening? Who's affected what's? Changing. As this will just not

[26:24] just be the resonance in the community, but again, the

[26:26] downtown areas and the bias that we're having to have

[26:30] discussions with. A lot of communications will occur throughout these

[26:33] phases and throughout the whole program. In terms of news

[26:35] releases and newsletters articles online. Wraps on trucks, advertisements. Lots

[26:42] of different things will be going up, as well as

[26:45] the intention to do pop up events and stationary displays

[26:50] again out in the community where people are. Trying to

[26:54] target local community centers. And libraries as examples and special

[26:59] events just to get the messaging out. There will also

[27:03] continue to be messaging about some of the exemptions and

[27:07] supporting services such as medical exemptions extra. There's still garbage

[27:11] bag tag program and assisted collection services. These will be

[27:16] promoted to assist residents who may require some additional help

[27:20] throughout the program with waste collection and. We've already initiated

[27:25] some contact with groups like the Grand river accessibility advisory

[27:29] committee and the Cambridge Accessibility advisory committees, amongst others, and

[27:33] we'll continue the dialogue with them to. Help assist with

[27:36] the program. As we get into phase two and prepare

[27:40] the community for the carts. As I mentioned. There will

[27:44] be the delivery between. October of this year and February

[27:48] of next year. Of over 330,000 carts to the community.

[27:52] So garbage cart and an organics cart to every eligible

[27:55] household, and then those that will be. Going to the

[27:58] downtown cores as well. And of course, we're going to

[28:01] be sharing information. So don't start early. Wait till the

[28:03] new contract because that becomes problematic. Again additional education. With

[28:09] cart set out. Where do you put them? How does

[28:15] it work when you're also putting out bulky items? Or

[28:18] yard waste. One of the other significant changes that we

[28:22] need to communicate, and communicate well, is we're switching from

[28:25] a five day collection week of Monday to Friday to

[28:27] a four day collection week from Tuesday to Friday. So

[28:31] some residents will see a change in their collection day,

[28:34] and we have to make them aware. And understand this.

[28:39] And again for the businesses during that phase. Later this

[28:42] year, we'll have a plan in place with the working

[28:44] groups of how many? Days. Or what days are collection

[28:49] and what number of carts and how that program will

[28:52] work and specifically try and address issues of new organics

[28:56] program and how that will be rolled out. Next slide,

[28:59] please. So once the program starts March 2, staff will

[29:05] again, a big focus will be at the curb to

[29:07] help folks and see how things are going and monitor

[29:11] things so we have, like, what we call a curb

[29:12] team to goat and education tools that we typically use

[29:16] and have been successful with stickers and just. Having conversations

[29:23] with residents will also be required to finalize a new

[29:26] waste bylaw that will come into play at that time.

[29:30] Customer support services through things like the service first Contact

[29:33] center will continue. And contract management with a new contractor

[29:38] coming on board. One of the unique things about this

[29:42] program is after six months, residents do have an option

[29:46] to exchange out their garbage cart if they find the

[29:49] ones too big and they want something smaller, so. There's

[29:51] a process there through website. And through the service first

[29:55] contact center to look at that, and we'll support that.

[29:59] Initiative. As it goes. And again continue to monitor. Across

[30:05] the board, the downtowns and throughout the cities. And in

[30:08] the final phase, it gets more to day to day

[30:12] operations. And what we'll see. And as you can appreciate

[30:16] right now, we'll get into our full first winter season

[30:19] next year. And if it's anything like this year, you

[30:22] can anticipate. There could be some challenges, and we want

[30:25] to be there to support the residents and understand how

[30:28] we operate a program like this? When we have the

[30:31] snow events and what have you. Next slide, please. So,

[30:36] again, it's an extensive program, a lot of work. To

[30:42] do all this, and we require a dedicated staff team

[30:46] to plan, implement, monitor the program throughout. So what you

[30:51] have before you in the report and the positions. There.

[30:56] Would be starting spring of this year and I broke

[30:58] it into three. We'd be looking at four temporary waste

[31:02] coordinators, up to two year contracts. These positions. Will review

[31:07] unique collection areas like laneways and one way streets, coordinate

[31:10] exemption programs, update policies, procedures gis software. And the waste

[31:17] bylaw and administer the cart processes the supporting of getting

[31:21] them out. And exchanges, as well as be integral in

[31:26] the working groups with the downtown BIA groups to make

[31:29] sure everything is understood. Where we're looking at out on

[31:34] the street. The support is utilizing up to ten students.

[31:38] At any given time. These would be post secondary co

[31:40] op students. We've had great success. In the past with

[31:42] them, and they would be kind of like the street

[31:44] team, and they would be complemented by up to what

[31:47] we call four community connectors that are part time positions.

[31:50] So if there's a certain event that we want to

[31:52] target, that. Needs a bit more people, we'd have more

[31:55] people go to it. But the intent there is to

[31:58] kind of measure out how much support and when we

[32:01] need it. But have folks go in groups of two

[32:03] or three and go out in the community and support.

[32:06] Our communication and outreach. Next slide, please. So as identified

[32:13] in the report. The estimated operating costs are approximately 1.25

[32:21] million in 2025, 1.49 million in 2026 and 452,027, we

[32:28] have an opportunity to offset those costs. Certainly in 2025

[32:32] by one time revenue associated with an agreement. We have

[32:37] to support the blue box. Transition with a contractor or

[32:40] with the producers. We are still receiving and managing the

[32:44] materials on their behalf and getting paid to do so,

[32:47] and that will occur up until the end of this

[32:49] year. At which time a private facility that's being built

[32:52] in north Dumpries will come online. And that will then

[32:55] take over. Costs associated with 2026 and 2027. We're looking

[33:02] to fund them from the waste management reserve. So at

[33:05] the end of the day. We're not looking for any

[33:08] additional tax levy impacts to be incurred. And included in

[33:12] these costs are various components of education and outreach. So

[33:15] again, The brochures, calendars. Truck wraps. And the resources, such

[33:22] as we need some vehicle rentals and equipment and temporary

[33:26] staff to support. The. Implementation. And I would suggest that

[33:30] when I look at the cost breakdown, It's about a

[33:33] third of it is for the non physical or the

[33:36] physical. Sorry, resources. And about two thirds is for human

[33:39] resources. Next slide. And with that, I think that's the

[33:43] end of my presentation. Any questions. Happy to answer. All

[33:48] right. Questions. Councilor Huinink, please. Thank you, Chair Craig. And

[33:54] thank you, Director Arsenault for the report. I'm interested to

[33:57] know what is a medical exemption? Who would need one

[34:01] and how. They qualify or how they get designated as

[34:04] having one. So through the chair. That would be. A

[34:10] seamless continuation of an existing program where anyone who. Has

[34:15] a requirement for. They have more like inconvenience paths, things

[34:18] like that need to come out to the waste and

[34:21] have in excess of the typical limits they can apply

[34:25] to get an exemption, and we provide bag tags at

[34:28] no charge to allow that to happen and keep it.

[34:31] Discreet and they would get collected alongside. With the card

[34:35] at any given time, so it's intended to be a

[34:38] seamless transition. Of what we're doing today. But adjusting to

[34:42] recognize it has to go with the cart. But beside

[34:44] the carts, it's bags. Of thank you. That's the first

[34:49] that I'm hearing of this program. So if we could

[34:51] be careful. To publicize that as we roll out the

[34:55] cards, that would be really important. All right. Councilor Salonen,

[34:59] please. Thank you. Through you chair. Thank you very much,

[35:02] John, for bringing this information forward. I'm going to be

[35:05] really honest when I read through the agendas I was

[35:08] pretty confused of this coming forward because I thought we

[35:11] had dealt with this budget. In particular, I'm talking about

[35:16] part C of the motion of adding the 18 temporary

[35:19] ftes. I thought that that was debated and discussed. If

[35:23] memory serves, I think we gave, like half of that,

[35:26] I think. Eight or nine ftes to execute this, so

[35:30] I'm a little confused how this is. Coming forward without

[35:32] a reconsideration. Also a bit confused why the business plan

[35:37] that's a little more hashed out in here wasn't included

[35:39] initially in budget or for that matter, All of this

[35:43] information included when we did our contract renewal. Because I'm

[35:49] not really loving. The new spends, even though they aren't

[35:53] levy impacting, they're coming from our reserves which do still

[35:56] impact. Our budget overall and how much money we. 've

[36:01] been asked. Commissioner Rose, please. We can answer that. Or

[36:04] respond to that. Thank you, Chair Craig to the counselor.

[36:08] So at budget time, we did discuss this 18 contract.

[36:14] Staff and it was asked at budget time for us

[36:17] to come back with a more fulsome. Description of what

[36:21] these 18 contract staff would be doing. And that's why

[36:24] we're bringing this report. Forward to you today. There was

[36:28] no discussion at that time for cutting the numbers. I

[36:30] believe that was for a different program. You had a

[36:34] question about why this work wasn't included in the report

[36:40] when we brought it forward. For the waste contract. Because

[36:47] at that time we had intended to bring it forward

[36:50] later in the fall of last year. However. Since. We

[36:56] received all this information and done her analysis. It coincided

[37:00] at the same time as budget, so. We decided that

[37:03] instead of doing a separate presentation that we would included

[37:06] in the budget and provide that information. Through the budget

[37:11] documents that council received. All right. Councilor Harris, please.

[37:21] Well, yeah, I think that there's maybe some still unanswered

[37:24] questions from councilor. Selman's question. But I had two questions.

[37:28] Thank you for the presentation. Maybe for. Those that haven't

[37:31] read in depth in the report. I know you said

[37:34] we've gone from five down to four days of collection.

[37:41] One of the major factors of that will people see

[37:44] their saying pick up dates is what they've experienced now

[37:47] over that change. Through the chart. That's certainly. One of

[37:54] the points of this communication plan. There will be changes

[37:57] at the curb for some resident. Some residents may have

[37:59] the same collection day, but they certainly will have a

[38:02] change. And that was part of the approval of the

[38:05] overall contract previously to go from the five to four

[38:09] in terms of it is a trend in the industry

[38:11] and the level of service. Okay, now, you did mention

[38:15] the transition of the blue box program. Going from a

[38:20] producer. Pay now from the municipal end of things. I'm

[38:25] just wondering what. Would have been the staff complement at

[38:28] the region to manage the recycling. Program, the legacy recycling

[38:34] program. How many staff, roughly, in your estimation, would we

[38:37] have? To oversee that program. So.

[38:48] I'm trying to understand. Your question a little more in

[38:50] terms of, I think because it hasn't fully transitioned till

[38:54] next year and. We haven't seen the full implications of

[38:58] the transition. We haven't seen or we don't have a

[39:02] different staff complement at this point. In time. If the

[39:06] question is. If that was included as part of this,

[39:12] we would probably have to look at additional staff on

[39:14] top of what's being here. To kind of. A couple

[39:18] more, possibly to help with that discussion about what's the

[39:21] recycling angle? Well, yeah, I guess once we've fully transitioned.

[39:26] Just to clarify, once we fully transition. To extended producer

[39:31] responsibility where they're responsible for the collection processing of the

[39:37] blue box contents. We would have managed that program. Up

[39:43] until transition. I'm just curious on. What the current regional

[39:47] staff complement would be within waste management to manage just

[39:52] the recycling aspect of things. So through the chair. We

[39:58] don't have specific staff that are specifically recycling. They might

[40:02] be working on garbage, recycling, all the different things. Within.

[40:07] That customer service unit. So I would say, since the

[40:11] transition has occurred, Are we receiving less phone calls? Because

[40:16] they should be going to the producers for blue box,

[40:19] yes. To some degree, but we are still getting a

[40:21] lot that we're having to action or push forward, and

[40:25] there's still a lot of. Legacy things, as you said,

[40:29] that we're still dealing with and we don't have. A

[40:32] full. Appreciation of what the overall outcome is until next

[40:35] year when we get to full transition. They're just a

[40:39] file. There may be additional staff resources that were spending

[40:44] a good amount of time on blue box. Collection, not

[40:49] just managing calls, but managing the overall. Collection of materials

[40:54] and processing of materials for the blue box that we'd

[40:58] have additional staff. Resources freed up to support. Other waste

[41:03] management programs, correct? Yeah, through the chair. That's correct. And

[41:07] certainly it is our intention as we go through. This

[41:10] coming year's process for budget and even our work area,

[41:13] we're looking at these things to see how is it

[41:16] changing and how are we going to make refinements? Going

[41:18] forward. It's still a little too early to understand the

[41:22] full implications. I would caution that because an element of

[41:27] that comes out, it's not always a one. For one,

[41:29] there's still a lot of. Other activities that we may

[41:33] not have gotten to. Even our staff haven't gotten to

[41:36] that. Working on some policy issues. For instance. So. We

[41:41] are cognizant of that and looking at those staff complement.

[41:45] All right. Good interview. Maybe follow up on as we

[41:48] discuss further transition. And thank you, John. Thank you very

[41:52] much. Councilor McCabe, please. Thank you very much. Through you

[41:55] chair. Thanks, John, for the presentation and just a quick

[41:59] note, I think. We're having a really different winter, sort

[42:03] of a traditional canadian winter, but as far as I

[42:07] see on my street, the waste management pickup has been

[42:10] still really good. So thanks to the people still monitoring

[42:14] running that contract. Just. A couple of things. I certainly

[42:20] support where councilor Harris was going with his question there

[42:23] and hope that in the fullness of time, there's some

[42:25] ability to maybe redeploy staff. Or in the fullness of

[42:31] time. I know that it's going to take a little

[42:33] bit for this to move through, because this is a

[42:35] big change. I think. With 18 part time staff or

[42:43] temporary staff may sound like a lot, but my perspective

[42:47] is that this is going to need some really heavy

[42:49] lifting on the communications and the outreach side because the

[42:54] more we do up front. The better I would expect.

[42:58] The uptake and understanding of residence is going to be

[43:01] on the back end. And so one of my questions

[43:04] is just on the advertising piece. Have you been connecting

[43:09] with or. Are you considering working with local municipalities? Because

[43:14] in our rec centers and places like that, and I

[43:17] know community events was on the list. But even, like,

[43:21] our neighborhood associations and that to just push out this

[43:25] information, because I think. This is a really broad, broad

[43:29] communications effort. So have you reached out to local municipalities

[43:34] to just check in on. Communications avenues we have that

[43:38] can be utilized for this. So through the chair. The

[43:42] simple answer is yes. And we continue. So I mentioned

[43:46] about the BIA in downtown working groups, and that's sort

[43:48] of specific. To those areas in a sense, but it's

[43:51] more of an operational issue to figure out. How that

[43:53] goes and working with economic development partners and what have

[43:56] you. But the broader sense, our communications folks, too, have

[43:59] reached out to all the area municipal communications folks because

[44:02] right now, We do continue to leverage, and it's a

[44:05] big part of our. So the bag tags. And things

[44:08] like that. For instance, we rely on our community partners,

[44:11] being area municipalities and others, to sell and provide those

[44:15] on our behalf as part of our program. So we

[44:17] try and work and lock step in those areas. So

[44:20] we see the benefits to continuing to do that to

[44:23] the point. Of getting outreach out there. Our focus is

[44:28] probably more so, not the big events that bring in

[44:32] tourists from the outside, but the smaller community events. And

[44:34] that's why community centered library things. That it's the local

[44:38] population that we want to target. So working hand in

[44:42] hand with area municipalities is very important on that. And

[44:45] I would add that we're in the throws. We've just

[44:48] started. The long term strategic planning under the waste management

[44:51] plan. And we will be going for community engagement as

[44:55] part of this, so. One of the, I think, great

[45:00] options for us here is to leverage the staff that

[45:02] are out. Doing these things. And combine that work and

[45:06] do some of the messaging there where possible. Great. Looking

[45:09] at different. Waste activities. Good. Thank you. I'm glad. It's

[45:13] really fulsome. My other question. Is with the containers themselves.

[45:18] Have you considered making the default container the first one

[45:22] that you distribute? The smaller of the options because there's

[45:26] a big in a small mid size whatever. With the

[45:31] idea that. If you give someone. Like a bigger container,

[45:35] they may just fill it up. And if you start

[45:37] them with a smaller one. And then, as you said,

[45:40] there's an option. Six months later, let them try the

[45:43] smaller. One first because. I say small, but they're not

[45:47] really that small. They're bigger than the green. BIN Container

[45:51] quite a bit bigger than that. Because we've been making

[45:55] such an effort over the past number of years to

[45:57] have people reduce. Is it two bags that you can

[46:01] set out right now? I'm not even sure, because. We

[46:03] never hit that limit. But to start. The point being,

[46:07] can we start with the smaller of the two options?

[46:11] To continue with that mindset of. Like less is more.

[46:17] Through the chair. Contractually, and I guess the way we

[46:20] had a level of service approved by this council before.

[46:23] We went out that had the larger ones and the

[46:26] smaller ones. As to potentially interchange. And that's how we

[46:30] went out for the contract. So that's. How. By default,

[46:33] that's how we start. I totally understand where you're coming.

[46:35] From, and I think that's where we may want to

[46:37] go. There is an initial process. As part of the

[46:40] contract where someone could get a hold of us and

[46:43] say, I want the smaller one. I don't want the

[46:46] big one right from the get go. But I think

[46:50] this is probably going to have to be a more

[46:52] fulsome conversation. About. A service level discussion because. What we're

[46:59] referring to is the bigger one. The 240 liter card

[47:01] is equivalent to roughly three bags. Three bags. And it's

[47:03] a three bag limit right now, every other week, so.

[47:06] It would be equivalent to the level of service in

[47:08] a sense of what a resident is getting. Today. But

[47:12] to your point, I think the intention is as we

[47:14] move forward, Can we go to lower smaller carts and

[47:17] drive that on the diversion side? Because we all know

[47:20] there's still a lot of stuff in that black bag.

[47:24] That's divertible. Either organics or something else. Okay, I'd like

[47:28] to move. On. If I may. Please, Councilor sean. Thank

[47:32] you. Just a quick question about. The sort of fte

[47:38] and co op piece. Do we anticipate these positions filled

[47:43] for the whole two years, or how does that play?

[47:46] Out, so through the chair. What's presented is kind of

[47:51] that high end scenario. There is a potential where and

[47:56] this is where there's some flexibility involved, where we can't

[47:59] get that full compliment at certain terms because of where

[48:03] the universities are in their cycles with their co op

[48:05] students, and that but the intention here and the way

[48:07] it's costed over this assumption that there's, Ten co op

[48:10] students the entire two years, but that we anticipate that

[48:14] will change. Especially as we get further into it, we

[48:17] might see. Okay, there's not a need. This term for

[48:22] ten students. We can get away with six or what

[48:24] have you, and that might be all that's available to

[48:27] us. So. That's how we approached it. Okay. Going to

[48:31] move on. And, folks, I'm going to ask you make

[48:33] the questions concise. Where we have a time issue here.

[48:37] We have a special council meeting we got to do.

[48:40] And Councilor Foxton, I'm watching you go. Ahead. I saw

[48:43] you watching. Chair Craig just a quick comment about what

[48:49] Ms. McCabe said. Councilor McCabe, in regards to the size

[48:52] of the bins. I would like you to know that

[48:54] on a daily basis. My staff are going out and

[48:57] picking up garbage that is dumped in the countryside, not

[49:00] just the countrysides. Believe it or not, we get a

[49:02] lot of calls from rare of people dumping. On their

[49:05] borders that we have to pick up as well. So

[49:08] let's do this. Right. I think a lot of people

[49:12] are quite good about it, but there are those that

[49:15] if they've got extra garbage. They're going to dump it

[49:18] and we've seen them. Dump them in blue bins at

[49:20] schoolyards and everything else. I'm sorry, chair Redman. You're the

[49:25] last speaker. Chair Craig, I will try. To be really

[49:28] quick and say, I do appreciate the fact that this

[49:31] proposal has no impact on the levy and that we

[49:34] are going to have some remuneration. It says in part

[49:37] a it's a one time. Revenue. I'm wondering if we

[49:43] have. Our arms around what that actually looks like. If

[49:48] there's any leftover from the 1.25 million. And then what

[49:52] happens with B and C, because. I'm assuming there will

[49:55] be no more revenue coming in. So if the 1.25

[49:59] million isn't used up, that's going to be. What we

[50:02] fund BNc out of. Through the chair. That's correct. I

[50:06] think the 1.25. I have to do. Mine is pretty

[50:10] close to what we anticipate we'll get. In terms of

[50:12] that one time revenue, that will be the end of

[50:14] this year. What's available to us. But on this premise

[50:18] of once the hiring is done and all that understanding,

[50:20] whatever is left over. Would go back into the pot

[50:24] for, say, to be moved forward. So right now, though,

[50:28] we anticipate utilizing, or would be expected, that we'd utilize.

[50:31] Pretty much the entire revenue, one time revenue from this

[50:34] year. Thank you. All right, ladies and gentlemen, I'm going

[50:38] to move on. In terms of the recommendation, need a

[50:43] mover and seconder, there's three parts to this. You have

[50:46] it in front of you. Moved by Councillor Foxton, seconded

[50:51] by Councillor McCabe, go to escribe now, folks.

[51:01] Thank you very much. Councilor Wolf.

[51:13] Yeah, paver. That carries. Okay. It's Kerrie, folks.

[51:27] Moving on, folks. Regular business. Call on Doug Spooner, acting

[51:33] commissioner, transportation services, to introduce the report on the GRT

[51:38] 2025 fair change proposal. Yeah. Thank you, chair, council. So

[51:45] this report proposes changes to the fees and charges bylaw

[51:48] to amend affordable transit program fares. And there's an emotion.

[51:52] There's an emotion included. So we identified a gap that

[51:57] we here in chambers had created inadvertently when we froze

[52:00] the monthly affordable transit pass program. During the plan and

[52:04] budget process. So I think good decision. We all knew

[52:06] why we did that. What had happened when we did

[52:09] that was that the monthly affordable transit product is now

[52:12] at a 54% discount and the other affordable transit program

[52:16] discounts are at 50%. So somebody only able to buy

[52:18] a daily ticket is getting less of a discount than

[52:21] somebody able to buy a monthly. So. What is proposed

[52:25] in the report would correct it. It also deepens the

[52:27] discount for those who need it most, which is all

[52:30] of our ATP customers. It would apply a consistent 55%

[52:34] discount. On all fair products for customers who. Qualify for

[52:38] ATP. We're here today because we've got a lot of

[52:42] back end work to get. That ready for the July

[52:44] 1 fair changes. No impact on the tax levy here

[52:48] will absorb the changes. Into GRT. We'll do it in

[52:52] the following way. 10,000 of the 30,000. Gap created. We'll

[52:58] use increased ridership because we've got this product drop. So

[53:00] we anticipate some increased ridership through the program. And the

[53:03] second spot is to pull 20,000 from our customer acquisition

[53:06] budget. This is what we use to run programs like

[53:09] seniors training when we support the UPAss vote that just

[53:12] happened. So we do have a bit of flexibility in

[53:14] year to how we apply that, and we think this

[53:15] is the right place to put it. This is only

[53:18] a 2025 challenge, as you know. All of the GRT

[53:21] fair products are being evaluated as part of our new

[53:23] business plan. So when we're back in April, we've actually

[53:25] got a proposal on this program. That would address this.

[53:29] So again, the proposal today is that we flatten that

[53:31] ATP discount. We make it the same across all products

[53:34] at 55%. And I'm welcoming if any questions. Or comments.

[53:38] Thank you, chair. Let's start councilor Foxton again, please. I

[53:43] was going to move it, but I'm. Going to ask

[53:44] that the church used somebody to move it, because I

[53:47] think it's. A no brainer. Let's just move on. Sorry.

[53:51] While calling you the second with councilor hunch, please. Yeah.

[53:56] Thank you. Sorry. I was confused, everyone. Thank you. Doug.

[54:01] You're awesome. Well, I forgot your name initially, too. Mr.

[54:08] Speaker, I want to get away from the idea that

[54:11] special customers. Get special deals on special services all the

[54:16] time. Can you speak to. Fare parody around the price

[54:21] of MP tickets. It was a little bit difficult to

[54:25] understand because they're going down. And. That doesn't typically happen.

[54:31] Yeah, through your chair, Councilor Huinink. Thank you for the

[54:33] question. So, confirming that we have fair parity across our

[54:36] conventional services and our mobility, plus service. So in this

[54:39] proposal, An electronic fare would be $3, a ticket for

[54:44] mobility plus, and a ticket book would be $3 those

[54:47] enjoying the affordable transit program discount, and both of those

[54:50] cases would pay a dollar. 35. So we're consistent across

[54:53] the business lines, buses, trains, ion, all of it. Everything

[54:57] is the same in terms of what people pay. Thank

[54:59] you very much. I love equity. And consistency. All right.

[55:02] Thank you, Councilor Foxton. Are you going to move a

[55:04] motion I believe chair Redman had a hand up, and

[55:07] I've moved enough for this afternoon, so. Chair Redman. Moved

[55:11] by chair Edmund, seconded by councilor Huinink. Okay, we'll call

[55:15] the question on escribe, folks. Are we just moving on?

[55:41] That's carried, folks. Okay, we're going to move on to

[55:48] the next item for the regular business. Again. I'll call

[55:52] on Doug Spooner, acting commissioner. Introduce the report. Shared Micro

[55:58] mobility program. Through your chair. Thank you again, counsel. I

[56:02] hope you're feeling the partnership in the room. Today through

[56:04] Isaac's presentation and a thank you to Isaac and his

[56:07] team and our city. Partners for continuing to deliver this

[56:09] program with us based on Councilor Huinink's earlier encouragement, we

[56:12] may need to plan another council ride along like we

[56:15] had at Kitchener City hall. Last year. Council today, the

[56:19] region and our city partners are looking to align with

[56:21] the MTO's. Extension of the provincial escooter program that's extended

[56:25] five years to 2029. So, to be clear, the ask

[56:28] in front of you today, with motion included, Neuron, will

[56:31] be operating again in 2025 starting in April. The ask

[56:34] today is you grant me the commissioner of transportation, the

[56:36] ability to issue plus. One contractual years 2627-2829 provided region

[56:43] and city staff deemed the performance satisfactory as they have

[56:46] done for the last two riding seasons. This doesn't mean

[56:49] I won't. Return with an annual report. We'll absolutely do

[56:52] that. This is more to ensure we hit the timelines

[56:55] to give neuron enough time to prep for the following

[56:57] riding season. As you heard this morning. Neurons going to

[57:02] introduce an accessible fleet option for us. Another area of

[57:06] innovation in micromobility. And this was identified for the project

[57:09] team, so we're very excited. To kind of work on

[57:12] the community feedback and push in this direction. Council, in

[57:15] closing this one's pretty straightforward. The program has no levy

[57:18] impact. We receive a $60,000 licensing fee that we reinvest

[57:22] in the program. The ebike and escooter. Network is growing

[57:26] again. Thank you to our city partners. We move from

[57:28] 40 in the past year. We're seeing our safety record

[57:33] increase, which remains a focus for ourselves and the neuron.

[57:36] Team, and we've got an established user base with over

[57:39] 170,000 rides in 2024. And a lot of those. Converting

[57:44] to daily commuters. So I'll recommend that we continue our

[57:47] partnership with Neuron. And welcome any questions or comments. Thank

[57:49] you, chair. All right. Councilor Huinink, please. I'm happy to

[57:53] move this chair, Craig. You know, movement. Yeah. Okay. Do

[57:57] you have a seconder, please? Councillor McCabe. Okay, turn to

[58:02] your escribe, folks. Let's go.

[58:22] All right. That passes, folks. Okay? The next item is

[58:28] a moving on to the item. It's Rod Regier would like

[58:32] to. Commissioner. Planning, development and legislative services. Going to introduce

[58:37] the report. He said he only needed 30 seconds. Thank

[58:41] you very much. Apologies to Ryan and Danielle, who. Have

[58:47] been sitting here for the presentation. Just a very brief

[58:50] summary. We did a really great survey of businesses and

[58:55] workplaces in the Waterloo region last in 2024. We surveyed

[59:00] about 11,000 establishments. Of which 8300 successfully completed the survey,

[59:08] and the report simply outlines the findings of this survey.

[59:12] One of the very interesting things about the project was

[59:14] that we did extensive work amongst our rural. Workplaces and

[59:21] got some very interesting results that are helping to inform

[59:24] our economic development strategy that the townships are working with.

[59:29] Waterloo economic development on so this is a great piece

[59:33] of work. It illustrates some excellent collaboration between our area

[59:36] municipalities, our business community and the region. So thank you

[59:40] very much to staff for facilitating this work. If there's

[59:46] any questions. Chair Redman chair Craig just a comment to

[59:49] say that I think this data. Is just a goldmine

[59:55] of information, and we often have conversations about how we

[59:59] go to other levels of government, and this gives. Us

[1:00:03] the data and the illustration in the profile of our

[1:00:05] entire region when we go forward. So whether it's at

[1:00:08] Roma or Amo or FCM, it arms us as politicians

[1:00:13] and advocates for the things. And the focus that we

[1:00:16] have in our community. With the actual information, so thank

[1:00:19] you. Great job. And such a rich. Resource. Thank you,

[1:00:25] chair Redman. Okay, we're just going to move on, folks.

[1:00:29] You have the information correspondence, the council committee tracking list.

[1:00:36] Letter of support for neuron mobility. Any other business members

[1:00:40] of council? You're being very good today. Good? Okay. Next

[1:00:46] meeting is March 4, and I need a motion to

[1:00:51] adjourn, please. Councilor Foxton, councilor Huinink. Go to Escribe,

[1:00:57] folks. That passes. And just a reminder,

[1:01:07] folks, we have a quick special council meeting.

PDL-GDS-25-002, Region of Waterloo Workplace Count 2024 - Sustainability, Infrastructure, and Development

Agenda

Transcript