Kitchener projects ‘met or exceeded expectations’ says report card

The City of Kitchener resident advisory committee released its report on the municipal government’s strategic priorities in 2025, and its findings are unanimously positive.

Compass Kitchener, founded in 2003, Compass Kitchener is a committee made up of Kitchener locals who evaluate the city’s strategic plan, and reports its outcomes and impact directly to Kitchener City Council. According to the government, the committee “evaluates completed projects based on responsible delivery, public value, transparency, communication and community engagement.”

The municipality says it provides an extra layer of accountability and gives the government feedback on the progress of its strategic objectives. The city’s press release states that the committee is one of few of its kind in the country.

“It’s an honour to serve as Chair of Compass Kitchener and help provide Council with an independent community perspective on the City’s Strategic Plan,” said Troy Glover, Chair of Compass Kitchener.

“As members, we help shape the City’s community engagement approach for each strategic planning cycle, support key community engagement activities, ensure community perspectives are accurately reflected by providing feedback to staff, and evaluate the City’s progress on strategic priorities once the plan has been approved by Council.”

2025 Report Card

The 2025 report card reviewed 12 ongoing projects a part of the 2023-2026 strategic plan. The projects included relate to local municipal areas, including housing, transportation, environmental improvement and asset management.

The resident committee states in their report that they assessed city projects on a rating scale between “Exceeds expectations,” “Meets expectations” and “Does not meet expectations.”

All twelve projects received either an “Exceeds expectations” or “Meets expectations” grade.

Compass Kitchener specifically highlighted the following projects as exceeding expectations for the following reasons:

• Housing for All: the city used land, planning tools, funding opportunities, lived expertise, and partnerships to create public value.
• Localized Transportation Safety Improvements: data and resident knowledge informed practical neighbourhood improvements.
• Tree Canopy Target Plan: the City translated a long-term environmental commitment into measurable action.
• Entertainment Venue Management: better coordination of municipal assets strengthened their community and economic contribution.

The Compass Kitchener committee identifies in its report that “the strongest results occurred when the city combined the tools within its control with evidence, partnerships and community knowledge.”

Going forward

The committee focused on “adaptability and transparency” as a particular area of focus for the municipal government going forward. The report card reiterates that “when timelines, scope, or direction change, residents should also be able to understand what changed, why it changed, and what the city expects to achieve.”

One consideration made in the residents’ analysis is the constraints of the municipal government when taking actions that may be limited by provincial government policy. The Compass Kitchener report singles out housing, climate action, and transportation-related goals as dependent on provincial rules and funding, in addition to municipal interests.

The committee argues that in these cases, the City of Kitchener should “keep using the tools within municipal control while explaining both its actions and its constraints.”

In the report’s conclusion, it identified the following three priorities as a focus for the next Kitchener strategic plan:

• Measure outcomes residents experience, not only completed activities.
• Sustain attention across planning cycles to housing affordability, climate resilience, and other challenges that cannot be resolved through one project.
• Connect public reporting to residents’ lives, showing how municipal decisions and investments improve affordability, safety, sustainability, inclusion, and belonging

“The City has demonstrated that it can deliver projects responsibly. The opportunity for the next strategic plan is to show even more clearly how that work improves life for the people of Kitchener.”

“I’m incredibly proud of the work City staff are doing to bring Kitchener’s Strategic Plan to life. The progress being made in our community reflects the dedication, innovation, and collaboration across the organization,” said Dan Chapman, Chief Administrative Officer.

“It’s encouraging to see residents recognize and take pride in these accomplishments, and I value Compass Kitchener’s independent review of our progress. Their perspective helps ensure we stay accountable to the goals we’ve set and continue moving closer to our shared 20-year vision for Kitchener.”

To read the full Compass Kitchener 2025 report card on the City of Kitchener’s strategic objectives, click here. 

---