Back to SearchKey decisions of Council is a summary of major discussion items presented at Kitchener City Council meetings. It is circulated immediately following each meeting. Please refer to the minutes for an official record of the meeting.
Council commemorates Black History Month
On Monday evening, Council marked the last day of Black History Month with a special presentation from Rufus John, one of the organizers behind the Freedom Marching Project. One of the videos created by the initiative was played to honour and celebrate the community leaders and activists who are fighting for equity, access, diversity, participation and racial justice for Black, Indigenous and racialized communities. Opening remarks were also provided by Mayor Vrbanovic, who reaffirmed the City’s commitment to ensuring Black and other racialized citizens in Kitchener have equitable access to the systems, supports and opportunities they need to grow, succeed, and thrive in our community. As part of this commitment and in collaboration with the Kitchener community, the City launched the Racialized and Indigenous Supports for Equity (RISE) Fund this month, a new community grant program for Black, Indigenous and racialized groups in Kitchener.
Council shows solidarity and support for Ukraine
Council began their Monday meeting with a statement of solidarity and support for Ukraine and Ukrainian-Canadians in our community and across Canada. They condemned the unprovoked war launched by the Russian Federation against Ukraine on Ukrainian territory and calling for an immediate ceasefire and a diplomatic resolution to the crisis. The City has raised the Ukrainian flag on its community flagpole in support of Ukrainian people worldwide.
Development project at 660 Belmont Avenue West to move ahead
Council approved a revised Zoning By-law Amendment application to allow for a mixed-use development in Belmont Village. The 10-storey condo building, which includes residential units and ground floor commercial space, will be located at 660 Belmont Avenue West where Dettmer Tirecraft AutoCentre was previously located. As part of the approval for this development, Council also permitted the purchase of a portion of Belmont Lane East between Belmont Avenue West and Claremont Avenue which will be incorporated into the development as a publicly accessible private laneway. The development, which evolved over the past 17 months based on input from the community and staff, will offer a different housing type and provide more residential housing opportunities in Belmont Village.
Council approves incubation space for social, equity and environmental start-ups
A first-of-its-kind social entrepreneurship hub in Waterloo Region was approved by Kitchener City Council. 2 King St. W. will be transformed into an interim incubation space for entrepreneurs and start-ups focused on social and environmental innovation and solving local and global issues. The new space will welcome a variety of social and environmental entrepreneurs including underrepresented groups and equity-deserving entrepreneurs. The Waterloo Region Small Business Centre will be the first partner, overseeing the space on behalf of the City. Additional entrepreneurial program partners will be brought on in the coming months. Through the vision of the strategic plan and the guidance of the Make It Kitchener 2.0 strategy, this bold new social entrepreneurship hub is yet another strategic investment to support economic recovery and job growth in Kitchener.
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