The City of Kitchener can once again begin planning those projects and developments once again, officially approving a water allocation policy to aid in navigating the region’s ongoing water shortage.
It comes after a recent special council meeting around the Kitchener horseshoe, focused on finding a way to unpause those halted developments that were brought to a stop in the wake of the region’s water capacity issue across the Mannheim Service Area.
The region had found that, due to a list of issues including overall usage and infrastructure concerns, it would not have enough water in its supply to support the projected growth in the years ahead.
Council discussed and unanimously approved the policy that would install a new risk management framework, which would have developers fill out a form prior to construction, having them apply for the water capacity they would require.
“The city will apply a prioritization criteria which aligns with strategic priorities of council,” said Garett Stevenson, Director of Development and Housing Approvals with the City of Kitchener.
“Including supporting affordable housing as well as economic development and job growth.”
He stated that those shovel-ready projects would be considered on a priority basis, judged by city criteria each quarter, and permitted from that point forward.
“It’s a good sign that things are moving forward. It’s about time,” said Ward 7 Councillor Bill Ioannidis.
“The damage was done; we’ve got to move forward. It was by no cause from our end. I’m just happy to see this here, so let’s get building again.”
During the meeting, Ward 3 Councillor Jason Denault also reintroduced the idea of a drinking water pipeline as a future long-term solution, which would likely connect from Lake Erie to the region, which would help quell future needs from the region’s present supply.
“We can’t lose sight of the fact that we could be back in this same situation in 20 years. We need to pursue that pipeline somewhere to one of the lakes,” Denault stated.
“Yes, it’s going to be a lot of money, but we don’t want to be stuck in this situation again. We were talking about it 20 years ago; I don’t want to be talking about it 20 years from now.”
Regional council is expected to be presented with and discuss a long-term water strategy late next year or in early 2028.
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