We hosted an townhall on the Rights of Land and Water at Doon Pioneer Park Community Centre on September 12. This list are some of the projects I am championing. For them to come to fruition depends upon your support.

A human rights approach to city building requires centring the rights of the land and water that people live amongst. Across the world communities are recognizing the rights of rivers like the Grand River. (Learn More) The rights of land are & water are also fundamentally linked to the Haldimand Tract Treaty and Between the Lakes Treaty on which Kitchener resides.

​The City will ensure that:

• Water is conserved for generations to come
• Waterways are accessible
• Water quality and pollution is monitored
• Green spaces are conserved for generations to come
• Greenspaces are interconnected
• Greenspaces are plentiful
• Land rights are upheld through treaty responsibilities

LAnd Justice

1)Assist with Treaty ProceedingsThe Haldimand Tract Treaty and Between the Lakes Treaty outline responsibilities for Waterloo Region settler communities that have not been upheld. Six Nations has been engaged in court proceedings since 1995 to rectify this. Local governments should be supporting this efforts.

2)Begin Talks about Rent and Revenue Sharing
The Haldimand Tract Treaty intended for development in the Kitchener area to provide ongoing income for Six Nations. Brantford signed an MOU this summer that we can learn from as a starting point for our own process.

3)Support Community Land Stewardship
Community Land Trusts and community level planning give land management into the hands of underrepresented groups and encourage affordability, community space, and conservation.

Green Spaces

The current water crisis and recent loss of valuable green space has brought the rights of land & water into sharp relief. Kitchener needs a holistic lens that recognizes that we have a responsibility to environment we live with,
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4)Schneiders Creek Watershed Park
Schneiders creek connects almost every neighbourhood in the city. Turning into one common watershed park creates a holistic green space framework to better facilitate access, conservation, and active transportation linkages.

5)Grand River Watershed Park
The Grand River is central to our survival and yet most of the City does not have a relationship with it. This secondary planning tool fills gaps in the Walter Bean Trail and encourages greater public access, conservation, and mobility.

6)Expand Community Garden Programming
Urban agriculture is vital to increase food security, community, and economic activity. Every green space should have a community garden so local residents have options and access.

COnservation

7)Commit to Water Conservation
We are the largest community in Canada reliant on groundwater. Review industrial and residential water usage to identify greatest threats to and opportunities for long term water sustainability. Implement grey water use to create more system linkages.

8)Put a Moratorium on Data Centres
Pause all industrial scale data centres until resource extraction, labour disruption, and monopolization issues have been addressed.

9)Hold the Countryside Line
Our rural areas need to be protected from urban sprawl. We cannot afford the infrastrutre debt that comes from greenfield development. We need more efficient and sustainable use of our current infrastrucutre before we expand into agricultural lands.

10)Bring Transparency to the Wilmot Land Assembly
The Region needs to restore trust to local farmers and rural communities. Economic development should not proceed in such a harmful way. The land assembly should be returned back to agricultural use through land leases to small scale farmers and agricultural innovation projects.

11)Update Bylaws to Protect Native Species
Current bylaws threaten native plants and pollinator gardens. Outdated laws and rules based on aesthetics need to be removed. We should not be criminalizing sustainability efforts.

12)Implement Urban Forest & Bird Friendly Strategies
The City of Kitchener has committed to be a bird friendly city and a Tree City of the World. The strategies associated with these need to be fully implemented to promote climate mitigation, extreme weather adaptation, and ecosystem health