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The five community-identified goals of the City of Kitchener’s 2019-2022 Strategic Plan guided Kitchener’s 2020 pandemic response. The City organized support calls for seniors to prevent isolation as a Caring Community. Dozens of City services were transferred online to safely deliver Great Customer Service. Ontario and Gaukel Streets were converted to provide People-Friendly Transportation options.  Continued investment in energy-efficiency retrofits for buildings and vehicles show Environmental Leadership. City waived fees enabled patio expansions and deferred property taxes contributed to supporting a Vibrant Economy.

“2020 has been a year unlike any other,” said Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic. “While continuing to serve our community amidst the Covid-19 global pandemic, we also made significant progress on the City's strategic priorities.”

Council approval of Make it Kitchener 2.0 Economic Development strategy, the Cycling and Trails Master Plan and Housing for All strategy, represent completion of three major strategic objectives for the year.

  • The Cycling and Trails Master plan lays out a ten-year plan for connecting Kitchener’s bikeways and trails
  • With a diverse advisory committee, we created “Housing for All”, a human rights- based Housing Strategy, to help end homelessness and facilitate housing that people can afford across the housing continuum.
  • Our new Make It Kitchener 2.0 economic development strategy, a 10-year vision to guide economic development and community initiatives presents an innovative funding model through a new Economic Development Investment Fund (EDIF) that enables council to invest up to an additional $110 million over 10 years, without relying on a tax rate increase.

Every strategic project is the product of collaboration with local community groups. This partnership and focus on resident priorities will continue in 2021, as the City of Kitchener works towards its vision of building an innovative, caring, and vibrant community.

Find out more at kitchener.ca/ourplan.

 

For more information:

Bethany Rowland
Director, Corporate Communications and Marketing
bethany.rowland@kitchener.ca