Region of Waterloo moving forward with development as water solutions are built
Posted Feb 11, 2026 11:58:06 AM.
Last Updated Feb 13, 2026 10:55:19 AM.
The Region of Waterloo will look to get some development moving while solutions to the water capacity constraint are being built.
A motion from regional Councillor Berry Vrbanovic was brought forward and unanimously approved at a Sustainability, Infrastructure, and Development Committee meeting on Tuesday.
Vrbanovic’s motion directs staff to utilize up to 50 per cent of unbuilt, planned water capacity currently under construction, with completion dates in the next five years, to unpause development and the approvals of applications already received from developers.
The motion also points to a housing supply crisis, particularly for lower-income individuals within Waterloo Region, as a reason to unpause development approvals.
It’s a pause that has already, or could soon have, significant impacts on the local workforce.
“We’re hearing some concern, and the worst part is we’re hearing that we are open to having employees poached and taken away, and that should be of grave concern to everybody,” said Jeff MacIntyre, President, Grand Valley Construction Association, at the committee meeting.
A long list of delegates made presentations to the committee on Tuesday, many of whom represented local construction and development companies, who noted that the pause or potential stall to development approvals could have significant impacts on the local workforce.
“My concern today is the people who wear these hard hats, I’m not here about my business, I’m here for the people that have committed their time to work for me in this area,” said Scott MacDonald, President, Dean-Lane Contractors Inc.
The region has recently approved an investment of $15 million to build a project which could offer a short-term solution to the ongoing water capacity issues.
H2O Innovation Inc., an Oakville-based company, is set to be brought on to install three temporary ultrafiltration containers with a combined, estimated flow of 300 litres per second at the Mannheim Water Treatment Plant near Ottawa Street in Kitchener.
The first tank would be installed and operating by June of this year, with the other two coming online by July 2027.
The messaging is changing,” said CAO Mathieu Goetzke. “Every other week, we’re bringing new solutions, there are decisions made by council, and so we update that messaging on a regular basis.”
“We have a water capacity constraint,” added Goetzke. “We have developed a preliminary list of solutions that we are accelerating.”
Staff are set to bring forward updated and robust information on the water capacity constraint based on comments and questions from Tuesday’s meeting by the end of the month.
