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Park It and Leave It

citywaterloo — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:31:55 +0000

Whether it’s the fabulous shopping, the amazing food or the exciting events and festivals, uptown Waterloo is always bursting with activity. It’s the perfect place for the community to get together and enjoy all our city has to offer. And while I love seeing so many people bustling about uptown, I’d like to encourage everyone to plan ahead. If you’re going to be out and about enjoying our licensed establishments, remember to Park It and Leave It!

The Park It and Leave It program is brought to you by the City of Waterloo and the UpTown Waterloo Business Improvement Area (BIA). Depending on which lot you choose, you can park overnight for free, or for as little as $6.

The Park It and Leave It program offers these convenient overnight parking options:

The UpTown Parkade – $6 to park until 8 a.m. the next morning
Station Lot – free to park until 8 a.m. the next morning if vehicle is registered using the Overnight Parking Registry
City streets – free to park until 8 a.m. the next morning if vehicle is registered using the Overnight Parking Registry
Waterloo Town Square lots – free to park until 8 a.m. the next morning if vehicle is registered using the Overnight Parking Registry

The Park It and Leave It program was launched to help reduce the occurrence of motorists driving under the influence. I encourage you to get out and have fun in uptown Waterloo, but please remember that safety is paramount.

For more information about this program and our overnight parking options, visit www.waterloo.ca/uptownparking

Can’t drive tonight? Park It and Leave It!

WARD 7 COUNCILLOR

Melissa Durrell

t: 519.747.8784

c: 226.808.6043

melissa.durrell@waterloo.ca

Baby llama’s have names too…

citywaterloo — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:10:48 +0000

Fluffy, Mr. Pickles, Jimmy, Michelle….. so we’ve all named something in our lives, whether it was a pet, a stuffed animal or an imaginary friend (don’t worry, your secret’s safe with us). It’s time to spark this creativity again and name the newest addition to the Eby Farmstead, a baby boy llama.

Winners will have the chance to take their picture and spend some time with the little guy, plus of course, official bragging rights. Our names give us character, they define us and they become the names we respond to for the rest of our lives. This little llama is counting on you for a good name to stick with him forever.

Official closing date is May 17 and name choices can be submitted to us via email at communications@waterloo.ca, Twitter or Facebook. More information can be found on our website.

We encourage all ideas– you never know, your entry may be the winning one.

Don’t be shy Waterloo! There’s no age restriction, so send in your name ideas today!

Need some inspiration? Come out to the Eby Farmstead in Waterloo Park and check out baby llama. The weatherman is calling for a beautiful weekend and a picnic in the park is always a great way to spend an afternoon.

A simple thank you

citywaterloo — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:49:59 +0000

Thank you can sometimes go a long way, and as part of National Volunteer Week, the City of Waterloo would like to thank all the volunteers that make Waterloo the vibrant city it is.

We wish there was enough room to thank all of you individually, but truth is, Waterloo is so privileged with a countless number of volunteers that it makes it virtually impossible.

Your community benefits from your hard work and dedication. So a special thank you to all, including…

• 4,600+ volunteers involved with our affiliated Kitchener-Waterloo minor sports organizations
• 250+ neighbourhood association executives and outdoor rink volunteers
• 400+ City festivals, special events and public square volunteers
• 137 volunteers involved with 55+ programs and senior services
• 196 members of our committees, working groups or advisory boards
• 165 Waterloo Public Library volunteers who support many vital user services
• 100+ volunteers who maintain our parks and roadways through Partners in Parks and Adopt-a-Road programs
• 80 youth volunteers in our youth leadership program and youth recreation council
• 55 volunteers who assist with the Tree of Angels campaign
• 61 volunteers who assist with our aquatics programs
• 36 Waterloo Fire Rescue volunteers who make this a safer community
• 6 City of Waterloo Museum volunteers who make our heritage accessible to all
• 7 inclusion services volunteers who make this a more caring community

And of course, thank you to all those volunteering in any other programs in and around Waterloo.

In addition, be sure to check out the spread in the Chronicle next week for an official thank you to all who are awarded with Community Builders’ Awards milestone pins.

Enjoy the weekend and your community Waterloo!

April is National Poetry Month – Take the 2013 Mayor’s City Poetry Challenge

citywaterloo — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:44:29 +0000

Thirty communities from Victoria to Cornerbrook took part in the first challenge. Mayor Halloran has accepted this years’challenge from Regina Mayor, Michael Fougere.

This initiative is a celebration of poetry, writing, small presses and the contribution of poets and all writers to the cultural life in our communities. The objective is to have a poem written by a poet within our community, entered into the formal minutes of a City of Waterloo council meeting as a permanent record of the event. Poems will be judged by a volunteer committee and the winner will receive a $125 honorarium.

This poetry contest is open to all residents of the City of Waterloo – all ages are welcome to submit a poem.

Your poem should be about the following subject: What do you love about Waterloo?

Deadline: April 30, 2013 at 4 p.m.
Council Reading Date: May 27, 2013 (televised)
How to submit: Please email your poem to Colleen Dostle at colleen.dostle@waterloo.ca and include City Poetry Challenge in the subject line. You can also send your poem by mail to:

City Poetry Challenge
c/o Colleen Dostle
101 Father David Bauer Drive
PO Box 337
Waterloo ON
N2J 4A8

Questions: Contact Colleen Dostle, Festival and Events Coordinator, City of Waterloo
519-747-8769 or colleen.dostle@waterloo.ca

We look forward to reading your poems. Good luck everybody!

Check out our new mobile app

citywaterloo — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 13:39:08 +0000

If you haven’t already, you must download PingStreet on your BlackBerry today!

It’s the only complete municipal app of its kind, putting the information you need about living in the City of Waterloo right at your fingertips.

-Garbage and recycling calendars
-Reporting a problem
-Contacting elected officials
-City Facebook and Twitter feeds
-Events
-And more

Developed in conjunction with eSolutions and BlackBerry, PingStreet delivers local information directly to your handheld device at no cost to you. It’s currently available on BlackBerrys, but watch for iOS and Android device support at the end of this month.

Visit our website for full details.

Our history, our future

citywaterloo — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 12:02:59 +0000

Friday, March 22, 2013 marks Mayor Halloran’s annual State of the City address. It is a one of the mayor’s favourite events because it gives her the opportunity to look back on the past year as well as look forward to the opportunities of the upcoming year.

This year’s State of the City features a special surprise as Waterloo’s mayor for the day contest winner Josh Bechtel will be accompanying Mayor Brenda Halloran. His winning creative video will also be featured during the event.

A special thanks to the Rotary Club of Waterloo for their hard work and dedication in helping organize this event. All net proceeds will be donated to KidsAbility.

If you can’t join us at RIM Park, get your laptops out, your coffee and breakfast ready and watch our online feed. The address will be live-streamed from our website at www.waterloo.ca starting about 8:10 a.m.

For more information about the event and the schedule, please visit our website.

HIT SNOOZE ON YOUR WINTER BLUES

citywaterloo — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 16:14:48 +0000

When the weather changes for the worst, it can always be difficult to let you mood follow along with it. We get so used to letting the cold weather decide how we spend our days, as we wait around for the sun. It’s almost as if we are letting nature tell how us to feel. But for me, I like to think that finding the brightness in your day is the best way to stay positive and to avoid falling into the those terrible winter blues. There are so many different ways you can go about achieving brightness this winter. Here are my top three activities that have kept me going:

Staying Social
As much as we want to just sit around and hibernate, taking the time to make plans with friends and family will help to keep your mood up, and of course, provide you with the best medicine out there – laughter! Try a new restaurant, or even hit up an indoor pool. Taco Tuesdays are probably my favorite day of the week, so my friends and I make it a habit to go every Tuesday no matter how lazy we are feeling! The week just flies by knowing there is something to look forward to. You should always try to make plans with a friend at least once a week, because even if I choose to be curled up by the fire for a night, it always helps to have a friend there to keep things exciting.

Keeping Up My Energy
Staying active has to be one of the hardest things to do in the winter. We all make these exciting New Year’s resolutions to stay fit and active, but we let our winter blues get the best of us. I find that staying active has worked to help me physically, and most importantly, emotionally. I like to keep things interesting, so three times a week I’ll try a new class at the gym. Whether it be yoga, zumba or even kick boxing, I am able to energize myself, while still keeping it fun! Try a yoga class, join a gym with a friend, or even use a free video at home to work out. All these activities will help you to relieve stress, free your mind, and most importantly feel good.

Exercising My Mind
As we all know, our mind triggers our moods, so it is important to help keep yourself in the right state of mind. For me, I have found that challenging myself mentality has helped to keep me engaged. I do this by reading a new book, writing in my online journal, and even testing my knowledge with a crossword puzzle. Feed your drive by taking the time to do something productive like fixing up your resume, and researching job possibilities for the future. You should take what interests you the most and challenge it!

These are just a few things that have kept me going this winter, but there are so many more activities that can work for you! The best way to overcome your winter slump is to stay positive, and to keep doing what makes you feel great. Because even though you can’ t always see the sun, doesn’t mean you can’t create the mood, and the atmosphere that the sun brings!

Amy Yacoub

A regular Canadian winter…or is it?

citywaterloo — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 16:34:19 +0000

I think it’s safe to say Mother Nature simply cannot make up her mind this year. Crazy snow storms have been chased away by warm rainy days, only to find us knee deep in the white stuff again today. What will each day bring? Do we need mittens or not? Rain boots or winter boots? Are schools open or closed today?

This rollercoaster ride of a winter presents a great opportunity. Waterloo, this is your chance to tell us how you are coping with the crazy ups and downs of this winter season. Have you been embracing the weather or did you leave town for a warm, tropical destination? Have you taken the opportunity to learn to ski or snowboard? Has the weather affected your running group? Have you been able to stick to your dog walking routine? Have you been working from home because the commute to work has been impossible?

We want to hear from you. Be creative! Send us a video, write a blog…use whatever format inspires you the most. Submit your entry by email to communications@waterloo.ca before March 4 and the winner will be featured on our March 8 blog. Good luck!

We look forward to hearing about your winter, or non-winter, adventures this season. In the meantime, keep safe and remember, the first day of spring is March 20 – only 40 days away!

Grab the family and the dog – it’s time for Winterloo!

citywaterloo — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 16:29:58 +0000

I would like to invite the citizens of Waterloo and their families and friends to the 10th Annual Winterloo IceDogs Festival. The event takes place Family Day weekend in UpTown Waterloo and surrounding area (February 16th – February 18th, 11:00am – 3:00pm each day).

Formerly known as the UpTown Waterloo Ice Dogs Festival – Winterloo – Waterloo’s Winter Family Festival will be expanded to a three-day event with lots of fun activities for all to enjoy.

I am going to mention a few activities but there is a lot more going on that weekend and I hope you will check it out!

The Button Factory on Regina Street will host a children’s art program and winter art gallery on Saturday and Monday.

Face Painting will be available all three days at the Waterloo Public Square and City Hall.

The highlight for me will be the second annual Waterloo Siskins vs. Waterloo City Councillors boot hockey game near the public square at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. Mike Farwell will be the announcer!

The second annual ice carving competition will be held on Saturday and will be judged by “celebrity” judges. We will again be featuring an ice slide – a very popular and fun activity for the kids to enjoy.

Some of the other activities include a free movie at the Princess Cinema, the second annual chili cook off at the Chainsaw Restaurant, a skating show and the very popular dog sled rides, which will be held in the Regina Street Parking lot.

Here’s how you can find out more:

• Visit www.winterloo.com

• Check us out on social media

o Facebook – www.facebook.com/Winterloo – the 10th Annual Ice Dogs Festival

o Twitter – @Winterloo_Fest

o Wonderful Waterloo – Winterloo

I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank our volunteers and organizing committee, particularly Tracey Weiler and Helen Kaluzny, for working so hard to make this popular winter event such a success.

See you there!

City of Waterloo Councillor Angela Vieth

Ward 3

It’s your chance to run the city!

citywaterloo — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 16:13:59 +0000

It’s that time of year again! We are kicking off the second Mayor for the Day contest and I am really looking forward to having one student help me run the city for a day.

Last year’s contest was such a success and I was so delighted with all the entries that I have to do it again. This is a great opportunity for students to get involved in their municipal government.

I love my job as mayor of Waterloo. I get to meet so many wonderful people and attend some pretty interesting events. But it’s also a hard job sometimes. There are tough decisions to make and problems to solve. Every day is different but I wouldn’t change a thing. Waterloo is a great city and I am proud to be a part of its challenges and successes!

If you were mayor for the day, what would you do? Would you meet with your city councillors or tour some of our facilities? Would you want to give a presentation about technology at the University of Waterloo or draw up some plans for the improvement of Waterloo Park? Give it some thought because the winner of this contest will get to decide how he/she spends the day with me.

This contest is open to all Grade 5 students attending a school in Waterloo. Tell me why you want to be mayor for the day and be creative! Send me a poem, a video, a letter – anything you can think of. I can’t wait to see what you come up with.

The lucky winner will spend the day with me on March 22. We’ll start the day at the State of the City event where you will introduce me to the business community of Waterloo. Afterwards, well, you’re the mayor so I’ll follow you! And then, and this is the best part for me, I get to join the winner at a pizza lunch at his/her school. Won’t that be fun!

I look forward to reading each and every entry from the grade 5 students in this community so get started soon! All entries must be submitted to City Hall by March 4, 2013.

For more information about this contest, please visit our website at http://www.waterloo.ca

Mayor Brenda Halloran