Joe Gowing

Gowing: measure housing success by homes people can afford — public land, master leasing, tax relief tied to genuine affordability.

• Continue work on a Municipal Housing Corporation as a vehicle for affordable and lower-income rental housing.
• Make appropriate Region-owned land available for affordable housing, partner with non-profit and co-operative housing providers, preserve existing affordable rental housing, and make better use of existing buildings through acquisition or master leasing.
• Support property-tax relief tied to genuine, measurable affordability and work with area municipalities to reduce unnecessary housing-approval delays.
• Build housing across the spectrum — supportive, deeply affordable, affordable rental, missing-middle and market — and measure results by how many homes people can actually afford, not units approved.

“Most importantly, we should measure results by how many homes people can actually afford, not simply by the number of units approved.”

(several paragraphs)

Source: CUPE 1883 candidate survey answers — Joe Gowing · October 16, 2026

Confidence:High

Gowing: a Municipal Housing Corporation can be part of the solution to the Region's housing challenges.

• Gowing backs advancing a Municipal Housing Corporation as a practical new housing tool for Waterloo Region
• Says he has been connecting with other municipalities to learn from their experience and gathering ideas to guide a strong, effective model
• No publication date on site; discovered 2026-10-22; verified NOT previously extracted anywhere — PRE-WINDOW

“Waterloo Region needs practical new tools to help address housing challenges, and I believe a Municipal Housing Corporation can be part of that solution.”

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Source: Joe Gowing for Regional Council, Kitchener — campaign site (A New Approach to Housing) · October 22, 2026

Confidence:High

Gowing: Regional government works best when it plans ahead, spends responsibly and stays focused on residents' needs.

• Gowing's governing philosophy: Regional government plans ahead, spends responsibly, stays focused on residents' needs
• Site lays out 10 priorities: housing/affordability, homelessness, health access, income & food security, water & environment, growth & infrastructure, transportation, Indigenous reconciliation, local democracy, fiscal responsibility
• No publication date on site; discovered 2026-10-22; verified NOT previously extracted anywhere (no candidate_website Gowing row in kitchener baseline, no prior deepdive-run rows, no import-file rows) — PRE-WINDOW

“I believe Regional government works best when it plans ahead, spends responsibly, and stays focused on the needs of residents.”

(a page or more)

Source: Joe Gowing for Regional Council, Kitchener — campaign site (Joe's Vision for the Region of Waterloo) · October 22, 2026

Confidence:High

Gowing wants child-care expansion judged by whether families can actually access spaces, with sustainable funding and workforce retention.

• Affordable child care is both a family issue and an economic issue — parents cannot fully participate in the workforce without reliable child care.
• Ensure CWELCC expansion continues and judge success by whether families can actually access spaces, not just the number of licensed spaces.
• Support sustainable operating funding, public and non-profit providers, workforce recruitment and retention, and incorporating child care into community facilities and new developments.
• Advocate strongly to provincial and federal governments for predictable child-care funding.

“I want to ensure that expansion continues and that we pay attention not only to the number of licensed spaces, but also to whether families can actually access them.”

(several paragraphs)

Source: CUPE 1883 candidate survey answers — Joe Gowing · October 16, 2026

Confidence:High

Gowing opposes privatizing drinking water and wastewater; ownership, control and accountability must stay firmly in public hands.

• Does not support privatizing drinking water or wastewater systems — decisions should be based on public health, environmental protection, reliability and long-term community needs, not private financial return.
• Cautious about models that move water services into separate corporate structures even where ownership technically remains public; any change must preserve transparency, public accountability and meaningful municipal control.
• Support public ownership and accountability, investing in employees and infrastructure, protecting groundwater recharge areas, strengthening conservation, planning future supply, and keeping major decisions transparent.

“I do not support privatizing our drinking water or wastewater systems.”

(several paragraphs)

Source: CUPE 1883 candidate survey answers — Joe Gowing · October 16, 2026

Confidence:High