Ontario Construction News staff writer
The Region of Waterloo’s 2022 budget is billed as a plan for a more equitable future for residents.
That plan, approved Dec. 15, includes:
- Over $150 million in affordable housing initiatives to support residents facing the greatest barriers. This will help build 2,500 affordable homes in five years while improving shelter capacity.
- $191 million in investment in sustainable transportation. This will expand public transit and allow operations at the Northfield Drive GRT facility to begin.
- Completion of a $40 million airport terminal expansion and over $14 million to meet growing demand at the Region of Waterloo International Airport (YKF).
- A $2.5 million investment in climate action. This will help create a corporate climate transformation strategy, enable climate action work in the community, renew facilities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and track fleet emissions.
- Increasing paramedic services by adding two fully staffed ambulances while expanding community paramedicine.
- $2 million to modernize public services and enhance the resident experience.
- $10 million that builds on a $5 million investment in 2021 to deliver initiatives that improve the social and economic health and wellbeing of Indigenous, Black, African, Caribbean, racialized and other marginalized communities.
- $2.1 million in upstream initiatives to research and develop alternative service delivery models that improve the mental health, safety and social determinants of health for residents.
- Implementing the recommendations of the Anti-Racism Advisory Working Group. This includes consulting with Indigenous communities on the need for a community hub and working with partners to design and launch an alternative crisis support service for mental health.
“The 2022 plan and budget addresses what matters,” said Helen Jowett, budget committee chair. “This includes equity, affordable housing, homelessness and climate change while continuing to prioritize the delivery of important services.”
For more information about the 2022 Plan and Budget, visit www.regionofwaterloo.ca/PlanandBudget