a little bit of background before delving in
RE: 100 Victoria proposed Bylaw
As published on April 21, 2025
Nickels & Dimes: Seeking Change (and trying to make cents of it all !?!?!)
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Before I get into too many specific aspects and sharing more of my thoughts on the proposed bylaw, I’d like to offer some background to help provide context for a few of the points I’ll be raising within these.
In 2021, the Region passed a policy outlining its approach to encampments. This policy came in response to the removal of a site at Charles and Stirling in Kitchener, which triggered significant community pushback, most visibly through a rally that followed. In response, Council opened up discussions and requested that staff return with a formal policy to guide such situations. |
That policy was indeed brought forward—but here’s also where a major flaw occurred early on: when it came back to Council for approval is was at the end of an extremely long stretch of budget meetings. It included minimal, if any, community consultation and largely slipped under the public radar, passing quickly and with far less discussion than it deserved.
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While I believe the policy needs significant revision—or full replacement—to better reflect both a human rights-based approach and the values of our community, it remains the only policy currently in place to guide how encampments and the rights of their residents are addressed by the Region of Waterloo.
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In early 2022, following the eviction and subsequent events—and having delegated to Council on this topic just prior to them—I was invited to take part in the Region’s conversations around this issue, and I began attending some of those discussions.
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