February 2025 marked the opening of the Ga'nigǫhi:yo Indigenous Child Care and Family Centre in Cambridge, licensed for 70 child care spaces prioritized for First Nations, Inuit, and Metis children aged 0-4. This initiative supports Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action by providing culturally responsive child care. In January 2025, Six Nations Polytechnic began offering a two-year Indigenous-led Early Childhood Education Diploma in collaboration with Healing of the Seven Generations. Graduates can pursue Registered Early Childhood Education roles in Waterloo Region's new Indigenous-led child care programs.

In 2025,79 new Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) spaces were opened. A further 591 CWELCC spaces are in development and are expected to be open by the end of the year. Feasibility assessments have been completed to determine viability and suitability for two school board owned properties to create modular child care. Expanding child care in priority neighbourhoods increases the number of spaces available for families who face the greatest barriers to accessing child care. Children’s Services has also partnered with Building Blocks for Child Care, a not-for-profit organization, who has now provided 15 hours of orientation to ethno-cultural non-profit organizations with an interest in creating new culturally responsive child care programs.

In May 2025, the Ministry of Education allocated 411 new child care spaces under the Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) agreement funded by the Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada. These spaces are in addition to the previous 3,725 new spaces already allocated to the Region, bringing the total of new spaces to 4,136. In addition to the new spaces, Children’s Services at the Region of Waterloo has received $7,902,660 in infrastructure and start-up funding to create these new spaces.

Public Health implemented a proactive, collaborative response to contain measles transmission, particularly among unvaccinated young children, pregnant women and immunocompromised persons who are highest risk of severe complications of measles. Key actions included enhanced case and contact management, expanded vaccine access including expanded eligibility for infants and young children, close coordination with schools and health system partners, and the launch of a Measles Information Line that handled over 1,100 inquiries. Digital tools were developed to support reporting and public guidance, and efforts were aligned with local and provincial public health partners. Although local measles activity has slowed since June 2025, Public Health remains vigilant as cases continue to emerge elsewhere in the province.

Building Safer Communities supports community partners to improve the safety and wellbeing of Indigenous and Black youth through culturally appropriate mental health and addiction programs.

For the second year in a row, a group of 13 Indigenous and Black youth worked together as a Youth Decision Making Team to select programs and allocate funding to Indigenous and Black-led organizations. Led by a community facilitator, the Youth Decision Making team met weekly to discuss applications to decide on which programs to fund. Collectively, the youth reviewed over 30 applications and distributed almost $700K in funding to 11 organizations across Waterloo Region. Click here to learn more about the grant recipients.

The Region of Waterloo Library worked with residents to create our 2026-2029 Service Plan. This plan outlines what services RWL delivers, and how we plan to provide them to the community. It will help ensure our libraries continue to be a space for growth, learning and connection for all residents. Community input was key, especially from within the four townships where the 11 library branches are located. Almost 1,000 community members engaged with us, including youth, library patrons and the community-at-large. Overall, 89% of survey respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they are satisfied with the Library’s services.

Our new Museum Bike has been bringing smiles throughout the summer after launching in May 2025. The museum bike is a mobile exhibit, aimed to bring Waterloo Region’s history and culture out into the community! The bike features stunning artwork by local artist Stephanie Scott that incorporates key elements from each Region of Waterloo Museum, while honouring the traditional lands that we share. It was funded by the FRIENDS of the Region of Waterloo Museums

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This spring, we were thrilled to welcome students back to Doon Heritage Village for educational school visits, as we get closer to a full public re-opening. The village temporarily closed in 2023 for renovations to improve accessibility and modernize utilities, while we also updated programming and expanded the stories we tell at this historic site. Re-opening will continue to phase-in during fall 2025, with a planned grand reopening in summer 2026.

A strong, stable arts scene has positive impacts across our community. That’s why we support local organizations who are adding to Waterloo Region’s artistic, social and economic vitality. This summer, we awarded a total of $306,000 to 10 organizations to help them create and share artistic works and programs in public facilities. The Region’s Major Arts and Culture Organizations grant program helps create stable funding for local arts, so that everyone can benefit. Learn more.

The Region is taking action to protect our most vulnerable road users by expanding School Zones, lowering speed limits and introducing 15 new Community Safety Zones across Kitchener, Cambridge, Waterloo, Wellesley, Wilmot and Woolwich. Drivers will see new zones near schools, and extended safety zone boundaries in key areas all supporting the launch of Municipal Speed Camera enforcement to keep our streets safer. Additional speed cameras are set to roll out in school zones and community safety zones in the fall of 2025, creating calmer, safer roads for everyone in our community.

The Region is focused on making our transportation network safer for everyone. We've been listening to input from the public and local municipalities to improve road safety effectively.

As part of this commitment, we've thoroughly reviewed several high-traffic areas and have identified opportunities for safety improvements. On King Street in St. Jacobs, within the Township of Woolwich, two new pedestrian crossings with stop signs, road markings, and flashing lights are being planned. These changes are designed to ensure drivers stop for pedestrians. Additionally, we plan to introduce an all-way stop at the intersection of Nafziger Road and Gerber Road to increase safety and reduce collision risk.

All improvements will be funded by the approved 2025 capital budget, meaning no extra funding is required. These actions demonstrate our ongoing dedication to creating a safer transportation environment in Waterloo Region.

Regional staff work hard year-round to keep Waterloo Region beautiful and prevent wear and tear on our infrastructure. Throughout the Region, we maintain over 84,000 square meters of hardscaped islands, spanning from roundabouts, landscaped and turf maintenance areas, garden beds and Spur Line and Farmer’s Market Trails.

Work ramps up in March by cleaning up from fall, picking up debris and ensuring our vehicles are in good working order. Starting in May through to October, grass is maintained with by-weekly cuts. Roundabouts and garden bed will have weeding, mulching, edging, pruning, cutbacks and line trimming throughout the summer months.