News roundup: July 12, 2026

By Tri-Cities Transport Action Group

Here's the latest in Waterloo Region walking, biking, and transit news from the last week.

What's happening

• CHAIR APPOINTMENT: Applications are due Monday, July 13 to be appointed by the provincial government to the no-longer-elected role of Regional Chair for Waterloo Region. (CBC)
• WELLESLEY STREETS: The Township of Wellesley will be adding sidewalks and safety measures as part of their Peter Street & Park Street Reconstruction. A Community Information Session will take place on July 16th from 5-7PM. (EngageWR)

Walking, biking, and streets

• The Record: Lime e-scooters and e-bikes are coming to Waterloo Region after Neuron removal.
• A week-long pedestrian block is coming to downtown Kitchener with King Street Unplugged. (City of Kitchener news release, Downtown Kitchener)
• CityNews: New multi-use path coming to busy school zone on Victoria Street.
• The Record: Wrigley Road residents call for slower traffic after fatal crash on similar road in North Dumfries. Residents of Wrigley Road in North Dumfries have been looking for a reprieve from speeding vehicles since the mid-1980s.

Transit

• Cambridge Today: Contractors are suing the Region of Waterloo for $110 million over delays in the ION Light Rail construction project
• CTVNews: Region of Waterloo’s appeal of encampment ruling claims judge made ‘multiple errors’ in decision
• FlixBus has added once a day (except Tuesday) trips between Kitchener and Guelph. (The Record) GO Transit still does not have direct bus service between KW and Guelph, despite having direct train service for part of the day.
• CTVNews: GO train service begins in Stratford. GO trains are now making stops in the Festival City.
• Transit Toronto (YouTube): Stratford GO Extension Launches - July 6, 2026

The shape of our cities

• Water crisis
  • Region eases water constraints through finding significant new water capacity (The Record, Region of Waterloo)
  • The Record: Opinion | There's a road out of Waterloo Region's water crisis. Here's what it looks like
  • The Record: Opinion | The water crisis is over. Now it's time to ask: Why?
  • City of Cambridge to hold formal public meeting on July 14 on its proposed water allocation policy (City of Cambridge)
• Citified: Council Approves the Kitchener 2051 Official Plan, making it easier to create more housing options in (almost) all neighbourhoods
• City of Waterloo: The Government of Canada announced that the City of Waterloo is now a Local Partner committed to using the Housing Design Catalogue.
• The Record: Waterloo Region’s downtown office vacancy highest in Canada. That vacancy rate has been declining slowly for three quarters, the study found.
• Narwhal: Bill 5 is in, the climate plan is out: the environmental stakes of Doug Ford’s third term. From species protections and mining approvals to climate policy and public oversight, the Ford government has spent the past year rewriting the rules governing Ontario’s environment
• CTV: Climate change is costing Canadian cities billions. Experts say there’s a better solution.

Elsewhere

• Four counties north of Waterloo Region are working on a study in partnership with Saugeen Mobility to create a unified regional transit network. One potential route would connect Elmira (Waterloo Region) with Fergus (Wellington County). (Grey County)
• Ontario News Release: Ontario Breaks Ground on Grimsby GO Station. New standardized design will reduce construction costs and speed up timelines