Big ideas and strategic vision will get Waterloo Region where we want to go
Being “1 Million Ready” means building a community where everyone can thrive. Where everyone feels welcome. To get there, we need big ideas and strategic vision. The decisions we make now give us a runway to be the community we want to be.
That was the message Regional Chair Karen Redman delivered at this year’s State of the Region on September 23, 2025. Community leaders gathered for this special event at the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum, where the Chair updated the community on the Region’s progress in areas like child care, transit, health care, and airport services.
She also looked ahead at plans for the future and how the Region is working on transformational projects that will help achieve sustainable growth for generations to come. These transformational projects include the Kitchener Central Transit Hub, a mega-site for good paying jobs, a rural transit strategy, Breslau GO surrounded by land for affordable housing, the Plan to End Chronic Homelessness, expanded child care access, Ion Phase II, and a new hospital.
This year’s State of the Region included a panel discussion with special guests Kim Decker, CEO of YWCA Cambridge, Jeff MacIntyre, President of Grand Valley Construction Association, and Erin Appleby, VP, Operational Excellence, Quality & Safety of NAVBLUE. They shared success stories and discussed what Waterloo Region needs to continue growing into the future.
How will we navigate our challenges and find opportunities together? Hear what Chair Redman and panelists said in this full video recording: