City of Kitchener launches new strategic plan at State of the City event

The City of Kitchener officially launched its 2023 – 2026 Strategic Plan this afternoon at the annual State of the City event, where Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic highlighted the City’s new 20-year vision and the goals of the current 4-year plan.

This evening, Mayor Vrbanovic introduced the City’s new 20-year vision: Building a city for everyone where, together, we take care of the world around us – and each other. This coincided with the launch of the 2023 – 2026 Strategic Plan which will guide Council and city staff for the next few years.

“This new vision articulates that Kitchener is a community built on a foundation of caring and connection,” said Mayor Berry Vrbanovic. “The lessons of our past – and the promise of tomorrow – remind us that people who love their city can always change it, and our world, for the better.”

This year’s State of the City, held at the Kitchener Market, outlined the extensive public consultation process that led to the development of a shared vision for the community and some key priorities outlined in the plan. Telephone surveys with more than a thousand residents, one-on-one interviews, online engagement and a 36-member resident panel all contributed to a consultation process that ultimately solidified the public’s feedback into five goal areas:

• Building a Connected City;
• Cultivating a Green City;
• Creating an Economically Thriving City;
• Fostering a Caring City; and
• Stewarding a Better City.

The Mayor also used today’s speech to launch the first of several initiatives that will be part of next steps in the City of Kitchener’s Housing for All Strategy, thanks to last Friday’s announcement by Minister Sean Fraser of $42.4 million of funding from the Government of Canada’s Housing Accelerator fund.

“The decisions we make today and the initiatives we launch are the building blocks of our city's future. We're in this together—with you, our citizens, inter-governmental and other partners, community builders, and change-makers,” said Mayor Vrbanovic. “Together, we’re building a Kitchener for today and the next generation...and our vision and strategic plan will guide us along the way.”

Alongside the full strategic plan, the City of Kitchener released a short video explaining the plan in the words of the community members who brought it to life. It can be viewed on the City’s YouTube channel.

A complete recording of the State of the City event can be found here. To learn more about the City of Kitchener’s 2023 – 2026 Strategic Plan and its vision for 2043, visit kitchener.ca/ourplan.

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For more information, contact:

Shawn Falcao
Manager, Corporate Communications
shawn.falcao@kitchener.ca