Waterloo Region Record
Oneway taxi trips shuffle Ontario's homeless to far away communities
When Rob Wreford glanced into his rearview mirror and locked eyes with the man sitting in the back seat of his taxi, something felt familiar. Behind the worndown clothes and sunspotted face was a glimmer of the teenage boy Wreford went to school...
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School board cut off from development fees
The Waterloo Region District School Board will no longer be eligible to collect development charges beginning next month, cutting off a key source of funding for new school land purchases. Ahead of the May 31 expiry of its current bylaw — in place...
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OHL CHAMPIONS
It was a leap of faith. By Jussi Ahokas, and the Kitchener Rangers. Three years back, the Finn left his family, homeland and career to take a chance behind the bench in the Ontario Hockey League. “My dream is to coach someday in the NHL,” said the...
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`We have a lot of eggs in the basket'
The Region of Waterloo is putting all of its chips on a 53foot shipping container packed with a water filtration system that will look to restore capacity at the Mannheim Water Treatment Plant in Kitchener. Condensing around two years' worth of work...
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Curious raises to Conestoga execs
Unjustified pay increases for Conestoga College executives — approved despite provincial compensation controls — highlight a failure of governance that auditors say was enabled by weak executive scrutiny and a board of governors overwhelmingly selected...
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Conestoga College board members didn't do their job
There's an unofficial rule that no public building should be named after someone who's still living. Because you never know whether they'll suddenly behave badly before they die and then you're stuck with a bad reputation hanging over the front...
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Tibbits once called idea of massive payout `ludicrous'
Conestoga College president John Tibbits' latest contract and exit package that included a payout of 83 times his monthly salary was negotiated by a small executive group of board members, sources within the now defunct board say. The small board...
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Belitski reliving rivalry of Rangers, Colts 30 years later
It was a playoff series that David Belitski will never forget. Thirty years ago, he was the starting goalie for the Kitchener Rangers in the club's openinground matchup against the Barrie Colts. The Rangers finished second in the Ontario Hockey...
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Outcry grows to appeal verdict in Sloka case
Prosecutors are facing calls to appeal the acquittal of former Kitchener doctor Jeffrey Sloka after he was found not guilty of sexually assaulting 48 patients. “This verdict was horrendous and survivors and everyone who cares about them deserves to...
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Rangers' O'Reilly is OHL's most outstanding player
It's the little things that make Sam O'Reilly special. Like winning faceoffs, battling for loose pucks, killing penalties, back checking and leadership. Oh, he can score too, as evidenced by his 29 goals and 42 assists in just 56 regular season...
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`It's maddening'
Dozens of tubs of ice cream and drinks were stolen from an outdoor Cambridge restaurant in the early hours of Sunday morning. Police say they were called at around 7:40 a.m. to a business near Water Street North and Park Hill Road West. L.A. Franks...
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`Everything that we were promised just vanished'
For Robert Roche, getting the keys to his own apartment saved his life. When the Kitchener Waterloo Urban Native Wigwam Project (KWUNWP) accepted Roche's application for a unit at 27 Cambridge St. in Cambridge, he felt he would be able to live a...
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POTHOLE PROBLEMS
Driving around Waterloo Region feels like navigating a minefield of large potholes as warmer weather has softened roads, making them susceptible to cracking and deteriorating. In Kitchener and Waterloo, the number of potholes has skyrocketed due to...
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It's time to throw hats in the ring
Fiftyeight council seats and 22 trustee seats are formally up for grabs in the launch of the Oct. 26 municipal election campaign. Friday is the first day clerks can accept candidate nominations for Waterloo Region councils and school boards. A...
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FEATHER WEATHER: Swans return to Kitchener
Kitchener's resident swans returned to Victoria Park from their winter retreat this week. Otis and Ophelia splashed back into the lake in downtown Kitchener on Tuesday. The pair enjoy a comfortable winter vacation in Stratford sheltered from the...
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Residents displaced after fire spreads across three homes
A fire that spread to neighbouring homes forced residents out of three townhome units in southeast Galt Monday night, causing an estimated $1million in damage. The call for the fire at 36 Aurora Common was received at 8:48 p.m., Capt. Ali Wakefield...
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Former Wilmot mayor watches history repeat itself
Thumbing through newspaper clippings from more than 50 years ago, former Wilmot mayor Ralph Shantz sees a striking similarity between yesterday's news and today's headlines. You could take any story from back then and it would mirror some of the front...
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Tech moves to the front lines
As Canada commits billions of dollars to rebuilding its military capabilities, a quiet defence boom is taking shape in the Region of Waterloo, driven not just by the traditional defence sector but by technology companies adapting civilian innovations...
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The Kitchener Colt factory scales up to rearm Canada
First of two features on the effect of rearmament on the region. On Monday: How the tech industry is shifting to the front lines Behind a quiet stretch of red brick in the southeast end of Kitchener sits one of the most consequential manufacturing...
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Waterloo council considers plan to protect private trees
Waterloo city council is considering a $5million plan to keep urban trees from withering as taller buildings, harder surfaces and intensified housing take a toll. Proposals include a new bylaw to compel owners to protect mature private trees, more...
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Windsor hopes to kick Kitchener curse
Windsor Spitfires goalie Joey Costanzo doesn't believe his team is cursed. But, of late, there has been one constant for his club in the Ontario Hockey League playoffs. That'd be an earlier than anticipated exit at the hands of the Kitchener...
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Mayor fails to limit pay raise
Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic's attempt to limit a mayoral pay increase was ultimately voted down by fellow councillors late Monday night. Council adopted a recommendation from a consultant and city staff to increase base pay for the mayor and...
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West Montrose covered bridge foundation repairs continuing
Work continues on preserving the historic West Montrose covered bridge. The Region of Waterloo, which is overseeing the $12million rehabilitation project, posted an update on Friday sharing the extensive repairs being done on the bridge...
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Going to the dogs (and cats)
Conestoga College's new pet grooming program is offering lowcost grooming services for dogs and cats as students practise their skills at bathing, brushing and trimming. Grooming is also offered for free to pets from local shelters, rescue...
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GO train service extended to Stratford
Stratford is getting permanent GO train service starting July 6, with one return trip planned daily between Stratford and Toronto. Weekday trains are meant to serve commuters and take Stratford passengers to Toronto's Union Station. Weekend trains...
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From castoffs to contenders
It's a league of castoffs, late bloomers and the forgotten. But it's those qualities that bring players together on the Under18 loop in Ontario. “There are definitely a lot of guys with a chip on their shoulder,” said Waterloo Wolves U18 coach Kyle...
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Court dismisses appeal by convicted fraudster
Ontario's highest court has dismissed an appeal by convicted Waterloo Region fraudster Daniel P. Reeve. Reeve, a former financial adviser in Waterloo and Cambridge, was found guilty in 2017 of fraud over $5,000 and theft over $5,000. The latter charge...
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BUILT FOR THE SLIDE LIFE
Corey Smith sits in a 34inch plastic tube as he and his colleagues assemble a new waterslide at Bingemans on Tuesday. The slide, called a flying saucer, will be one of four new slides at the water park. Smith is a veteran waterslide worker. He...
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Proposed 40storey highrise would be tallest in Cambridge
A developer wants to bring a 40storey tower to the Preston area of Cambridge. The proposal would add hundreds of new homes to a stretch of King Street East that is currently made up of smaller buildings and open lots. The proposed plan, filed by ABS...
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Wilmot farmers and residents raise the alarm
Every morning, Alan Drost walks into his barn where 50,000 chickens are laying eggs that will go on to be sold in stores all over Ontario. Three years ago, his well went completely dry putting the lives of his chickens and the family's livelihood at...
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They went for Botox to look better. They ended up in the ICU struggling to breathe
When Magdalena Chytros woke up with droopy eyelids, she didn't get too worried, thinking it was just a fleeting sideeffect of the Botox. But over the next few days she started struggling to swallow, and her breaths drew shorter. She slurred her...
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Wilmot water pact down the drain
A 1980 Region of Waterloo policy that restricts the amount of groundwater that can be pumped out of the aquifers beneath Wilmot Township has been rescinded. Against the objections of Wilmot Mayor Natasha Salonen, Waterloo regional councillors decided...
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`Waddleloo' map offers students safe passage from nesting geese
Waterloo university students keen to avoid a runin with cranky Canada geese can find safe travel routes on a new interactive map called Waddleloo. Firstyear University of Waterloo computer science student Anirudh Dabas created the tool to help...
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From cold nights to viral bites
When winter arrived, sales at an outdoor pizza vending machine on the University of Guelph campus tanked. The weather was likely to blame, with threeminute wait times in below freezing temperatures proving a deterrent for even the most pizzaenthused...
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BEYOND THE MONEY Financial fraud allegations leave some investors fighting for hope
Each day, Andrew Long spends hours combing through documents tied to an alleged Ponzi scheme involving a prominent Guelphbased real estate developer, Scott Reid. Long, a Guelph real estate agent and investor with Reid, knows it will likely take years...
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`He walked alongside people in a very real way'
Rev. Toby Collins is preparing for the next step on his spiritual journey. This summer, he will move on from his post as the pastor of St. Mary Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows Roman Catholic Church in downtown Kitchener. He will also pass the torch of...
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Can the Ion system move faster?
What if rapid transit in Waterloo Region was actually, well, rapid? There are safe, practical ways to shave five minutes off the 44minutes Ion trains take between Fairview Park mall in Kitchener and Conestoga mall in Waterloo, transit advocates...
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Duane Sauder inspires lifelong curiosity in new documentary
Inquisitive, creative, sociable and charismatic. Those are just some of the words people use to describe Duane Sauder, an 88yearold Cambridge resident whose outlook on life has inspired the documentary “Don't Let The Old Man In.” Sauder, however,...
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Complainants endure fouryear wait for verdict in Sloka sex assault trial
A complainant in the Jeffrey Sloka sexual assault trial says she did not expect a verdict after a few weeks, but never thought it would take more than four years. “I thought I would testify and a little while later we'd have a verdict, but since then...
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Waterloo council told to reimagine uptown as a green showcase
Advocates are pressing Waterloo city hall to remake the uptown into a showcase of urban sustainability, and they have offered advice on how to do it. Turn Willis Way into a pedestrianonly street between Caroline and Regina streets. Consider a bigger...
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The boy, the radio and the Blue Jays
When summer weekends arrived, Chris Riccomini would catch the Greyhound bus from Kitchener to Toronto, his route to the Rogers Centre mapped out down to each step. His guide dog led him through Gate 3 and up to his seat near centre field, where he'd...
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CLEAN SLATE FOR PLAYOFFS
Chris Lazary understands the challenge ahead. “We are the underdog, that's no secret,” said the Saginaw Spirit head coach, whose club takes on the Kitchener Rangers Friday at the Aud in one of four Ontario Hockey League Western Conference bestofseven...
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Cricket and tennis clubs butt heads
A movement to get the cricket pitch out of west Galt's Victoria Park has the city's cricket club crying foul. The Victoria Park Tennis Club said in a statement to The Record that it has started a petition and is taking action with the City of...
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Conestoga College eyes more layoffs
A union leader expects Conestoga College to lay off more staff as it slashes payroll, closes campuses and narrows programs amid plunging foreign enrolment. “The goal and focus at the college right now is purely financial, racing to the bottom of the...
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The O'Reilly factor
It was the doldrums of the Ontario Hockey League season. A midweek game in early March between two teams going in opposite directions. On one side, you had the Kitchener Rangers, one of the hottest teams in the league since the calendar flipped and...
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Stress over not knowing Ford's plan for school boards
Bruce Whitaker came to Stratford in search of a simpler life for his family. His work had taken him to major cities around the world, shaped by a wideranging career in international finance and high tech. After decades of big cities and high stress,...
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`A moment of gratitude, compassion and unity'
Hundreds of members of the local Muslim community gathered in Kitchener on Friday morning for a grand EidulFitr celebration. Organized by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at, the event marked the end of the holy month of Ramadan, characterized by a daily...
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Spring is on the way
Spring is on the way! That's the bold declaration from the Grand River Conservation Authority after its latest snow survey earlier this week revealing the snowpack is less than usual for this time of year. A watershedwide snow survey was completed...
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Home invaders `need to be shot'
Doug Ford let it rip on crime and punishment while in Wellington County Wednesday. “Congratulations. I'm glad you shot the guy. It teaches the rest of these robbers,” the Ontario premier said about a homeowner in Vaughan who shot and injured an...
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Stage set for new trial in buggy crash
A young man charged in a Waterloo Region car crash that killed two people riding in a horsedrawn buggy faces a new trial after the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed his application to appeal. Dayton Kelly was found not guilty in 2023 of causing death...
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Police sniper at St. Paddy's party
Police defended the use of a sniper during the unsanctioned St. Patrick's Day party on Waterloo streets Saturday, saying it is part of operational deployments involving large gatherings “with mass casualty considerations.” The video of a Waterloo...
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`They were just so ambitious'
The beginnings, in a bicycle shed, were humble. But the vision was grand for the founders of the KitchenerWaterloo Art Gallery (KWAG) — starting with a blockbuster opening exhibit 70 years ago featuring art borrowed from major institutions. “This...
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New UW president `ready to be bold'
At the University of Waterloo, even the presidency starts with an application. “Yes, a literal resumé,” said Bill Rosehart, who was on campus this week for a whirlwind oneday introduction after being named the university's soontobe eighth...
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Conestoga grad shares immigration nightmare
A former international student is still grappling with anxiety and uncertainty after hiring a Kitchener man now sought by police in an immigration fraud investigation. Janvi, who only identifies by her first name, said she hired Harsharan Ahluwalia to...
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Council orders water capacity review
Shortterm infrastructure solutions are expected to provide additional water capacity for development in Waterloo Region over the next few years, though it seems there still won't be enough to meet projected demand. “We're still not going to have...
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Flood warning updated ahead of heavy rainfall
Cambridge has been added to a flood warning from the Grand River Conservation Authority Tuesday as recent warm weather and rain rapidly melt the snowpack. Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for all of southern Ontario, including the...
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Bill Thomson's big idea
Bill Thomson had a big idea in 1962, not long after he was hired as a Kitchener planner. He proposed the expressway that's so central to life in Kitchener and Waterloo. “I said to myself, if we build another road with stoplights all over the place,...
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Waterloo Region's pipeline possibility
On the shore of Lake Erie, about 80 kilometres as the crow flies from the heart of Waterloo Region, sits a concrete bunker with a massive water valve. A long pipe extends more than 600 metres from the Lake Erie shoreline waiting to pump water to...
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Dry February puts freeze on snowiest winter record in Waterloo Region
This winter has been the coldest for Waterloo Region in more than a decade, but relatively light snowfall in February means the region will likely miss out on setting an alltime record for the snowiest winter. After months of very high snowfall...
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Sikh university students condemn Carney's India visit
Student Sikh associations at McMaster University and the University of Waterloo are condemning Prime Minister Mark Carney's recent visit to India, saying the trip has left the Sikh community feeling worried and unheard. The tensions date to 2023, when...
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Residents frustrated by garbage collection changes
New waste carts are rolling out across Waterloo Region this week and many residents are struggling with the changes to curbside collection. The large size and placement requirements of the new garbage and organics carts pose challenges for residents...
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Not so sweet; popular Cambridge candy store closes due to rising costs
It's a bittersweet moment for the owners of a Cambridge candy store as they say goodbye to customers in their Hespeler Road location. As customers search through bins of freeze dried candy, lollipops and other treats you would never find at a grocery...
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Boy, 15, pleads guilty to armed robbery and $2million heist
An armed robbery in Mississauga lasted just two minutes, but netted more than $2 million in jewelry. One of the robbers was a 15yearold boy from the Toronto area. Two weeks later, he joined two other youths in robbing a Rogers store in Kitchener,...
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Defence companies discuss generational opportunity
Stephen Fuhr has a lot of money to spend. Canada's secretary of state for defence procurement has been tasked with driving the country's defence spending to five per cent of its GDP by 2035, or about $150 billion per year. It's a generational...
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For some of us, the water crisis has already arrived
It may be difficult to believe there's really a water crisis when you can still take a shower any time you like. But there is. And Martha Bricker is already in the middle of it. Bricker and her husband live near Petersburg in Wilmot Township....
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Kitchener Rangers take aim at OHL record $100K jackpot in 50/50 draw
Go to a Kitchener Rangers game and leave with $100,000. If Craig Campbell has his way, that will happen for one lucky fan. The executive director of Rangers Reach — the charity arm of the Ontario Hockey League team — believes the community can get...
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Thirdgeneration Wilmot resident has witnessed the water table drop
For three generations, Linda Kress’ family has lived on a farm at 2394 Bleams Rd. where they witnessed, first-hand, the dropping water levels below ground that once filled their private wells and watered their crops. Kress is the latest resident of...
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Housing developments give churches new life
Housing advocates have found more than 967 acres where more than 55,000 people could find homes in this region. The land belongs to 313 churches or other faith groups. Almost half of these groups are under financial strain. Their expenses exceed their...
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Sport system under strain showed in Milan Cortina
Canada losing ground to other countries in the 2026 Olympic Games is a symptom of a sport system under strain, said a Canadian Olympic Committee leader Sunday. Canada finished outside the top five countries in the medal table at the Milan Cortina...
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THE ICY WEEK THAT WAS
A winter storm brought freezing rain to Waterloo Region this week, encasing trees in ice along Moser Young Road in Wellesley. The forecast is calling for several centimetres of snow over the weekend.
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HOCKEY HEARTBREAK
Canada's women's hockey team was denied a repeat gold medal after a crushing 21 overtime defeat to the United States on Day 13 of the Milan Cortina Games. The deciding goal came about four minutes into overtime after American forward Megan Keller...
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Conestoga seeks help with Kitchener building project
Conestoga College is hunting for a business partner to complete the stalled renovation of its 12storey building in downtown Kitchener. The community college acquired the former office tower at 22 Frederick St. in 2023 and planned to convert it to...
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Sleeping GIANT
The rolling hills, woodlots and meadows off Trussler Road in Kitchener and the Wilmot Line in Waterloo cover the most important natural feature in the region that provides water for Kitchener, Waterloo, parts of Cambridge, St. Agatha, St. Jacobs,...
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Water crisis sparks fears of privatization
The watersupply crisis that sparked a development freeze in Waterloo Region has allowed legislation opening the door to the privatization of water services to fly “under the radar,” a local environmentalist says. As Regional Chair Karen Redman called...
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