Waterloo council OKs free space pilot for community groups

Waterloo city council approved a pilot policy on Nov. 2 that will give eligible community organizations free use of city rooms in return for free or low-cost programs and activities.

The City of Waterloo said in its council summary that staff identified rooms that are booked for less than 15 per cent of available hours. Offering those spaces free would not significantly cut rental revenue or displace paid bookings, the city said. The pilot is meant to let the city measure community benefit and usage before it adjusts the program.

Council also received the city’s 2026 sustainability and climate change update. The city’s corporate greenhouse gas emissions were an estimated 5,613 tonnes in 2025, which is 34 per cent below 2010 levels and a further four per cent below 2023. The city’s target is a 50 per cent cut by 2030.

Staff said about 90 per cent of actions in the corporate climate action plan, more than 85 per cent of the community climate adaptation plan and 88 per cent of the city’s TransformWR actions are underway or complete. The city said cuts have been tempered by the Ontario electricity grid’s changing emissions intensity, as the province leans more on natural gas generation while it refurbishes nuclear stations.

Representatives of the Share the Road Cycling Coalition also presented council with Platinum Bicycle Friendly Community status, the program’s highest designation. Waterloo and Ottawa both received it at the 2026 Ontario Bike Summit, the first time any Ontario municipality has reached platinum since the program began in 2010, according to the city.

Mayor Dorothy McCabe also presented staff with two Canada’s Clean50 awards, for net-zero action and community resilience, that the city received at the Clean50 Summit on Oct. 15.

The meeting was the first for Waterloo’s council since the Oct. 26 municipal election, which we covered in Waterloo Region elects six new mayors. Our Kitchener-Waterloo voting guide has more on the region’s vote.

The full summary is on the City of Waterloo website, and the council meeting webcast is on the city’s YouTube page.

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