Kitchener arenas, pools, other facilities in poor condition: Report
Posted Jun 20, 2025 08:49:20 AM.
Last Updated Jun 20, 2025 11:34:01 AM.
A new report brought forward to a Kitchener committee is showing that much of its facilities, including pools, arenas, community centres, city hall, and more, are currently rated as being in poor condition.
It comes through the city’s recent Asset Management Plans report, developed by staff, which looks to detail the overall quality and structural conditions for the municipality’s various assets.
It shows everything from sanitation, water and gas utilities, roads and sidewalks, forestry and more. It notes that 62 per cent of the included city-owned assets are in a condition of “good” or “very good,” with 83 per cent being “fair” or better.
It’s the facilities in particular that have raised some concerns, a majority of which have instead been labelled as “poor” or worse.
“Our operations and maintenance team does a fabulous job of keeping those facilities running and addressing problems as they arise,” Denise McGoldrick, General Manager of Infrastructure with the City of Kitchener, said. “More reactively than we would like in terms of our approach to facilities, but we are shifting to a preventative maintenance program.”
The report shows that, in order to bring the conditions of those facilities back up to standards, it could cost upwards of $24.5 million annually in ongoing renovations.
City staff did mention that, even though the facilities are labelled as poor, it doesn’t mean they are unusable, but rather have an increased chance of failing and leading to potential future servicing disruptions.
Committee members discussed the report and what it would take in order to bring those facilities back from disrepair. Ward 6 Councillor Paul Singh stated that this issue is one that stems further than just the city.
“This isn’t a City of Kitchener problem, it’s a municipalities-across-Canada problem. Within the property tax base, it’s just nearly impossible for us to be able to meet that aging need. It has to be a century 21 initiative for federal and provincial governments to come together to support the municipalities.”
Staff said they would look into potential grant funding or additional opportunities from the federal and provincial governments to address their ongoing shortcomings. McGoldrick mentioned that the city itself is working to develop a system that would begin looking at the particular facilities that are most in need of attention.
“It’s about investing in the right place at the right time to ensure that our facilities continue to run,” McGoldrick stated. “That program is already underway, but it includes critical systems like HVAC, roofing, and other elevator systems, those types of things.”
She did mention that having the facilities in such a condition as they’re in is not inherently a bad thing. McGoldrick said it gives the city a chance to develop or redevelop the assets more in line with their future visions.
“I think with aging infrastructure, there is also an opportunity. I know this council is very supportive of greenhouse gas reduction initiatives, and certainly as we look at the replacement of existing facilities, we’re also looking at how we reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
