Welcome to the Corporation of the City of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
 
Awards and Recognition
 

The City of Waterloo is known as a leader in local government and has been recognized by its peers for innovative and creative methods.  We are the only local government in Canada to have won the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators Award for Program Innovation and Excellence four times!

In 2007, while the City celebrated its 150th anniversary, Waterloo was named the Top Intelligent Community of the Year by the Intelligent Communities Forum (ICF), an international think tank based out of New York.


 
2009 Achievements
 
  • Mayor Brenda Halloran and Waterloo City Council met with the community at the 2009 New Year's Levee at RIM Park on Sunday, January 11th. Thousands of local citizens and their families came out for entertainment, food, skating and fun demonstrations.
  • The City of Waterloo and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 1542  ratified a new three-year contract that provides for an average cost of living increase of 2.17 per cent per year.
  • In February,The City of Waterloo learned that it would receive joint funding from the federal and provincial governments as part of the Building Canada Fund – Communities Component, a fund created to invest in infrastructure across Canada. The governments of Canada and Ontario each will invest up to $966,413 in a project that will allow upgrading on Davenport Road that would see the road reconfigured into a multi-use corridor that would reduce travel speeds, provide on-road bicycle lanes, and improve the pedestrian and trail network.
  • On Friday, February 27, Mayor Brenda Halloran delivered her annual State of the City address.
  • Waterloo North Hydro confirmed with the City of Waterloo that our community's energy reduction during Earth Hour on March 28 at 8:30 p.m. was 10.3%.
  • In April, Waterloo celebrated Earth day with a 20-minute makeover and the annual Tim Hortons Clean Up. These annual environmental initiatives encourage communities to participate in a variety of activities that protect and respect the environment. 
  • Conestoga Mall announces that it will donate space in its newly renovated Waterloo Mall to the City of Waterloo for a heritage museum.
  • On May 2 and 3, the community was invited to take to the streets for Jane’s Walk, a series of free and interactive neighbourhood walking tours held across Waterloo Region exploring our collective history, architecture, planning and personalities.  Celebrating the legacy of Jane Jacobs, the foremost urban thinker of our times, Jane’s Walk aimed to inspire citizens to see how people live, work and play in their built environment to help shape their communities.
  • The Waterloo Public Square officially opened on May 30th.
  • The City hosted an information session in June for landlords in Waterloo so they could brush up on government legislation and other important information that impacts their business and tenants.
  • Waterloo city council  voted, in June,  in favour of an Official Plan amendment allowing for increased density on the land at the corner of Park and Allen streets, paving the way for the construction of an upscale condominium complex.
  • On June 6, from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., a group of community-minded volunteers pulled together to build a new playground structure at University Downs Park.
  • The doors to the City of Waterloo’s Service Centre – at 265 Lexington Ct. – were opened to the public on June 13 during its annual open house.
  • The residents of Waterloo learn they will benefit from a new outdoor sports facility and repairs to three major roads thanks to more than $6 million in funding from the governments of Canada and Ontario, which was announced in June by Peter Braid, MP for Kitchener-Waterloo, and John Milloy, MPP for Kitchener Centre. With additional contributions from municipal and private partners, spending in the City of Waterloo will total more than $9 million.
  • Waterloo city council approves an official plan amendment and zone change that paves the way for a large mixed-use commercial development to be constructed at the intersection of Ira Needles Boulevard and University Avenue.
  • The City of Waterloo’s Heritage Resources department receives much needed funding in June from the federal government to help with the move to its new location at Conestoga Mall.
  • In July, Waterloo City Council voted in favour of an anti-idling bylaw that will result in parking tickets being issued to violators.
  • Homeowners who were interested in learning more about how to make their homes more energy efficient were invited to attend an eco-energy information seminar on Sept. 8, hosted by the City of Waterloo.
  • Campaign, themed, “It’s your Waterloo” is launched with students coming to the community this September. 
  • On Saturday, September 12, beginning at 2:00 p.m., Waterloo Mayor Brenda Halloran welcomed over 100 members of the 31 Combat Engineer Regiment (the Elgins) to Waterloo and granted them the Freedom of the City.  
  • September 29 marked the official ground breaking on the site of what will be the City of Waterloo's newest fire station (#4) on the City's east side.
  • Waterloo city council voted on new urban design guidelines in September that will have a significant long-term impact on how this community looks and feels in the future.
  • The City of Waterloo officially broke ground on October 2 on the new premier outdoor sports facility at RIM Park.
  • The City celebrated Community Parks Week at the annual Fall Fun Fest in the Park this coming Sunday, October 4th.
  • Waterloo City Council, in October, approved the final steps that will see the west side joint Family YMCA and district branch library facility move from concept to construction.
  • The City's Recreatin and Leisure Services department hosts the Active Living Fair. With a long list of exhibitors, demonstrations and a special guest speaker, the Active Living Fair was the place to be in October if you want to take charge of your personal health.
  • On Saturday, October 24th, from 8:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m., a group of community minded volunteers along with City of Waterloo staff upgraded landscaping at the Waterloo Public Library.
  • On October 23,  at 9:30 a.m., the City of Waterloo officially opened the new City of Waterloo Museum at Conestoga Mall.
  • On Sunday, November 22, The City of Waterloo's Municipal Heritage Committee held a special plaque unveiling ceremony at the David B. Eby House located at 78 Erb Street East, Waterloo.
  • On Saturday November 21, dignitaries gathered at the site of what will be the Stork Family YMCA and John M. Harper District Library on Waterloo’s west side for a ceremonial groundbreaking.
  • The Waterloo Award – the city’s highest civic honour – was presented to three worthy individuals at the November 23 city council meeting. This year Waterloo’s Don Cowan, David Graham and Tim Jackson will receive the award, which goes to people who have contributed significantly to the quality of life in this community.
  • Waterloo Fire Rescue’s Dwayne Drover, 34, claimed the title of World's Strongest Firefighter after winning the World’s Firefighter Combat Challenge in Las Vegas in the Fall. The challenge is a tough obstacle course, which Drover conquered in record time, beating out the previous world champion.
  • On the eve of the International Day of People with Disabilities in December, Kitchener and Waterloo announce policies that position them to provide even better access to goods and services for residents with disabilities.
  • On Sunday, Dec. 27, 2009, the Olympic Torch was relayed through this city en route to Kitchener City Hall. Festivities were held in the Waterloo Public Square from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. that evening to mark the occasion.