The Region of Waterloo is getting a closer look at how it’s progressing in its push to handle a population of 1 million people in the coming decades, but according to some recently released data, livability may be among some of the key issues in its way.
The details are coming from the Business and Economic Support Team of Waterloo Region (BestWR) and, namely, its Vision 1 Million Scorecard.
“Just over a year ago, we launched the Vision 1 Million Scorecard with a straightforward premise: if Waterloo Region is going to grow to one million residents, we need to be honest about whether we are ready,” said Ian McLean, President & CEO with the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce.
“Six months later, our first update refined the methodology, tested our assumptions, and established a baseline. This second update moves into different territory, one where the data is
telling us something we need to hear.”
The scorecard goes into detail on five key areas that it said need to be addressed and progressed in order for the region to be 1 million ready by the year 2051.
Those areas include Transportation, Housing, Healthcare, Employment, and Livability.
“The Ready 1 Million Scorecard is a scenario-based assessment. It asks the question: if Waterloo Region were to experience sustained population growth over the coming decades, how prepared
are our systems today?” said Leia Minaker, Director of Future Cities Institute founded by Caivan.
“Right now, our Region’s growth seems more up for debate than it was even six months ago.”
Of those areas, the report stated that there are many positive moves that the Region of Waterloo has been taking in order to push towards that goal. Notably, many of the physical changes that are required, such as transportation, housing, and more, are showing some positive movement.
“These are not small achievements, and they reflect years of planning, cross- jurisdictional coordination, and persistent advocacy,” McLean stated.
“The systems that move people, shelter them, and connect them to opportunity are being built. But sustaining that progress will require urgent action on a number of fronts.”
While there are many positives seen in the report, it also goes into detail on the main areas that still require improvement or have even backtracked since previous updates.
“All of these issues could have a real impact on our Region’s growth and prosperity; all of them are complex, and all of them are incredibly contentious,” said Minaker, pointing to key topics that have been seen over the last 6 months in the region, including the water capacity constraints, local immigration, and more.
Those areas that remain in a poor light are mainly the people-focused areas, with McLean saying, “When we turn to the metrics that measure how people are actually faring, the Scorecard delivers a less comfortable message.”
Of those areas, homelessness, healthcare access, and mental health support remain low points across Waterloo Region, particularly in the wake of the legal disputes around the Victoria Street encampment in Kitchener and the recent management restructuring at A Better Tent City.
“These are not abstract data points. They describe the lived reality of people in our community today,” said McLean.
“People who are unhoused, who cannot access a doctor, who are waiting months for mental health support, or who are struggling to find stable employment in a region that is otherwise building for the future.”
Other notably low points in the scorecard include post-secondary investments, childcare access, and greenhouse gas emissions.
The scorecard stated that, while it doesn’t encompass every aspect of growth management, it does concentrate on key initiatives that community members and business leaders have identified as areas requiring immediate action, currently in the way of the expected 300,000 people expected to arrive in the region over the next 25 years.
“The gap between our physical readiness and our people-centred readiness is the defining challenge this Scorecard is now surfacing,” McLean stated.
“We can build the homes, roads, transit lines, and electrical infrastructure a region of one million will need. But if we cannot ensure that residents – current and future – have access to a family doctor, mental health support, affordable housing, and a pathway into stable employment, we will end up with a region that is structurally sound and socially fragile.”
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