Waterloo Region's climate action strategy

Thank you to everyone who participated in the survey and shared their feedback on the TransformWR draft strategy. Revisions in response to the community's feedback are complete, and the final TransformWR climate action strategy is now available.

The TransformWR strategy has been 2.5 years in the making. As the next step in helping our community tackle climate change, the strategy will be considered by all eight municipal councils for their endorsement on the following dates:

Council	Date	Meeting Time	Information Link	Live Stream Link
City of Waterloo	May 31, 2021	12:00 PM	council info	live stream
Township of Woolwich	June 1, 2021	7:00 PM	council info	live stream
City of Cambridge	June 8, 2021	5:00 PM	council info	live stream
Township of Wellesley	June 8, 2021	6:45 PM	council info	live stream
City of Kitchener	June 14, 2021	12:00 PM	council info	live stream
Township of North Dumfries	June 14, 2021	6:00 PM	council info	live stream
Township of Wilmot	June 14, 2021	7:00 PM	council info	live stream
Region of Waterloo	June 22, 2021	9:00 AM	council info	live stream

You can watch the live streams of these meetings to hear the presentations and discussion. For more information, visit each municipality’s website, linked above.

Revisions in response to feedback are complete, and the final TransformWR climate action strategy is now available.

Our community can help solve climate change. But we can’t do it without you.

We need your feedback on the draft TransformWR climate action strategy. The strategy sets out a path to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by the year 2050, while building a community that is equitable, prosperous, and resilient. The document is intended to guide decisions made over the next 30 years by everyone in the community, including municipalities, businesses, households, and individuals.

All municipal governments in Waterloo Region have worked with non-profits through the ClimateActionWR collaborative to develop this strategy, in a process that included extensive public and technical consultation. It proposes significant changes to transportation, buildings, waste, agriculture, and energy in Waterloo Region.

Before we finalize the strategy, tell us whether it includes what you need to take action on climate change. Please fill out the survey by April 12^th. This will be the last round of community consultation before the strategy is considered for adoption by the councils of the three cities, four townships, and the Region.

TransformWR is our community plan to reduce Waterloo Region’s greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by the year 2050. The creation of this draft strategy was facilitated by the ClimateActionWR collaborative of municipalities and non-profit groups led by Reep Green Solutions and Sustainable Waterloo Region, with financial support from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

The draft strategy has been built on extensive community and stakeholder consultation and a technical model of emissions and the energy changes needed to reduce them. It outlines a path to transition Waterloo Region into an equitable, prosperous, resilient low-carbon community by 2050. This strategy outlines the transformative changes that must be made to the ways we move, the ways we build and operate spaces, the ways we produce, consume, and waste, and the ways we relate.

Before we finalize our pathway to 2050, we need your help to do a final review.

Tell us what you think. Please complete the survey to give us your feedback on the plan. It is expected that the eight municipal councils in Waterloo Region will consider the revised plan in late spring. You can also review the report outlining the community consultation results, and the technical report about the pathway.

Here’s an update on our community’s progress developing Waterloo Region’s long-term Climate Action Strategy, to achieve an 80 per cent greenhouse gas reduction by 2050! As a result of COVID-19, we have adapted many elements of our work to digital means and postponed a number of events, however, many aspects of our work have continued to move forward.

Thank you so much to everyone who has provided input, through workshops, interviews, postcards, or EngageWR. After months of gathering ideas, thoughts and feedback from community members, technical experts and municipal stakeholders, thousands of data points have been summarized to share with you. What we heard will help to form the 80 by 50 Climate Action Strategy. The following videos provide an overview of the common themes that came through from the data.

Community Engagement Results: In this presentation, Glen Lombard and Patrick Boot from Unless Design Partners share the findings from the extensive community engagement initiatives.

Technical Engagement Results: In this presentation, Patrick Darby from WalterFedy shares the findings from the extensive technical engagement initiatives.

Check back here for more information on the upcoming call for community feedback on the draft community climate action plan, anticipated for later this year. And sign up for ClimateActionWR's newsletter to stay up to date on community progress towards our goals.

Update: Deadline extended to December 31, 2019

Have a great idea to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation or buildings? As part of this project, ClimateActionWR is committed to delivering two pilot projects in 2020: one on sustainable buildings, and one on transportation. Your idea could be the one they pick! Follow the link below to share your idea.

NOTICE: Any information submitted on the form linked below is being provided directly to the ClimateActionWR program run by Reep Green Solutions and Sustainable Waterloo Region, and not to the Region of Waterloo or any other municipality. The information you submit will therefore not be subject to the laws governing the collection of personal information by municipalities.

Share your idea for a pilot project by December 31, 2019.