News roundup: October 30, 2026

By Tri-Cities Transport Action Group

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

What's happening

• PROTEST POLICING: The province of Ontario is proposing to create new prohibitions and new policing powers related to roadway obstruction, and to access to community sites. Comments are due by tomorrow, October 31. (Ontario Regulatory Registry)
• KITCHENER PLAZA: The City of Kitchener is seeking feedback on features for a small urban plaza being created as part of its combined fire station and housing development at King/Madison, with a survey open until November 15. (EngageWR)

Walking, biking, and streets

• After a driver hit and injured an e-bike rider on Victoria St N in Kitchener, police charged both. The driver was charged with making an unsafe turn. Police determined the e-bike was not compliant and charged the rider with multiple offences related to motor vehicle operation. (The Record, CKWR)
• The Record: Man in local hospital after hit-and-run in Waterloo. A pedestrian was taken to a local hospital after being struck by a SUV while in the area of Weber Street North and Lincoln Road, before fleeing the scene.
• In a 5:4 ruling, the Supreme Court of Canada finds that "even a momentary lapse in attention behind the wheel can, on its own, constitute the offence of dangerous driving." (Supreme Court of Canada, via John Michael McGrath)

Transit

• The latest video from popular urbanist YouTube channel Not Just Bikes features an opinionated take on ION light rail and what other cities can take from it. It also references our article on making ION faster. (Not Just Bikes / YouTube)
• The Record: Region of Waterloo buys Cambridge Tim Hortons property, ending expropriation case at OLT. The Region of Waterloo purchased the Tim Hortons property adjacent to Phase 2 LRT tracks, ending a two-year expropriation case with the owners of the property. The region won’t reveal plans for the property, though a LRT station is proposed for that area.
• The Record: Kitchener transit hub plan on track for construction in 2027. Utility relocations and demolition work planned this fall to prepare for construction.
• The Record: Are the Ion tracks defective? A Region of Waterloo court filing claims they are. The legal battle over the $1-billion system reveals a transit partnership under strain.
• Sean Marshall: The slow way to Stratford. A recent GO train ride to Stratford shows how ridiculously slow travel can be west of Kitchener. If the province is committed to serve Perth County, it will need to invest in rail infrastructure and connecting buses.
• Urban: PLUS ULTRA: Why is the North American streetcar revival so slow? Bringing back trams is only half the challenge. Ontario shows why knowing what they're for matters just as much.

The shape of our cities

• The Record: Opinion | A Region remade. Except for Kitchener, every Waterloo Region mayor was replaced by voters. Here's why: Voters seemed to punish mayors, but not their councils, for unpopular and costly decisions in the past four years, Luisa D'Amato writes.
• The Record: Kitchener’s new councillors eager to serve the city they love. Tracey Weiler and Sam Nabi will be sworn in as new Kitchener councillors on Nov. 16.
• CBC: Ontario will appoint hand-picked regional chairs within weeks. Critics call the move 'undemocratic'. Under Bill 100, unelected regional chairs will have powers similar to strong mayors

Elsewhere

• CTV: Ontario minister says bike lanes ‘causing congestion’ as he confirms removal of Bloor Street West bike lane
• Streetsblog: Seattle aims to turn Vision Zero dreams into ‘durable law’. The stars are aligning for Seattle to make big progress on Vision Zero — but can they pass the laws that will hold city leaders to that goal?
• CTV: Spain's latest deadly train crash puts human error and systemic failure under scrutiny. Was Spain’s second major train collision this year caused by human error or failures in its once touted high-speed rail network?