News

Waterloo Region Economic Development Strategy (WREDS) Officially Endorsed!

June 3, 2026

We are excited to share a major milestone in shaping the sustainable economic future of our community!

On June 2, 2026, the Waterloo Region Economic Development Strategy (WREDS) was officially endorsed by Regional Council. This milestone follows endorsement and support across all seven area-municipal partners (Cambridge, Kitchener, North Dumfries, Waterloo, Wellesley, Wilmot, and Woolwich) and the Waterloo EDC Board of Directors.

A Unified Framework for Collaborative Growth

The WREDS serves as a collaborative framework designed to align economic development priorities across the entire region. Shaped by extensive engagement with over 1,800 local residents, business leaders, and community organizations, the strategy focuses on five strategic pillars:

  • Talent - Attracting, retaining, and developing a skilled, workforce-ready talent pool.
  • Land Readiness - Advancing shovel-ready employment lands and infrastructure to support business growth and long-term regional planning.
  • Scaling Local Innovation - Supporting local business retention and expansion while deepening collaboration across our innovation ecosystem.
  • Strategic Sector Support - Improving investment readiness and coordinating advocacy for key and emerging growth sectors.
  • Quality of Life - Enhancing wrap-around supports, transit, housing, and amenities to ensure our workforce thrives as Waterloo Region grows.

Measuring Our Impact

The strategy is built on collective action. Economic development offices across Waterloo Region and Waterloo EDC will continue to collaborate closely to drive projects forward under each of the five pillars.

To maintain transparency and demonstrate our shared momentum, partners are currently populating a publicly available project tracker. This interactive tool will highlight current projects, monitor key metrics, and show collective progress in real time.

Stay Tuned. We will post another update right here on EngageWR as soon as the brand-new WREDS webpage and live project tracker officially go live!

Thank you to everyone in our community who lent their voice, expertise, and passion to building a strategy that prepares Waterloo Region for a strong, inclusive future.