A Beautiful City Worth Loving

I wanted to get a bike. We live close to so much of Waterloo, and I don’t want to drive everywhere. But I also want somewhere to park it. More bike lanes are only part of the answer.

That’s the sort of detail I mean when I talk about making Waterloo a better place to live. Can you get to the places you enjoy? Is there somewhere to spend time with other people? Is there something to do in winter? These aren’t small questions if they shape what most of your days feel like.

I want more places where people can meet without a professional reason. You should be able to find friends through a shared interest, or spend an evening somewhere without needing to be invited to an event. A city needs that ordinary social life as much as it needs remarkable work.

And I want Waterloo to look amazing. Great research and creative work happen here, including in people’s homes and backyards. I’d like to see that imagination in the buildings and streets around us. I like modern architecture. I want us to take aesthetic and livability standards seriously while making room for more homes and businesses.

Winter deserves some imagination too. I’ve been thinking about places to gather and music or cultural activity designed for the cold months. I don’t want the most enjoyable parts of city life to disappear when it gets cold.

We also need more businesses of all sizes. A café or a small shop can become a place people know and care about. Government doesn’t have to run those places. I want it to be easier for the people with an idea to get started, with rules they can understand and a clear process to follow.

I want Waterloo to be lovable. A place where you’re proud of what you’re doing, and happy to step outside when you’re done.