| Bio | Dorothy McCabe was elected Mayor of Waterloo in 2022 and has spent more than two decades bringing governments, businesses, institutions and communities together to solve difficult problems. Since becoming Mayor she has focused on decisions shaping Waterloo for years to come, from housing and healthcare to economic growth, neighbourhoods and public spaces. | Jamie Hari is running for Mayor of Waterloo. A Waterloo resident of 20+ years (partner of 22 years; son attending Wilfrid Laurier), he works as a Director of Product Management and describes himself as a 'Cybersecurity Evangelist' and public speaker who 'founded the Marvel Database.' Politically he identifies as a socialist, ran as an independent in the 2025 federal election, and endorses Mike Morrice for Green Party leader. His site says: 'This election isn't about me, but you still need to know who you're voting for.' | Jerry Jiang founded Akatos, a Waterloo startup community and hacker house for young builders. His stated role is to help people clarify what they are making, remove blockers, connect them with opportunities, and let them build. | Jeyas Balaskanthan moved to Waterloo in 1997 to attend Wilfrid Laurier University, held leadership positions at Laurier and the University of Waterloo from 2001 to 2022, and has been Executive Director of the Uptown Waterloo Business Improvement Area since 2022. | Shannon Weber is running for Mayor of Waterloo, having come within 331 votes of winning in 2022. She brings 30+ years in municipal, non-profit, higher education and financial services sectors, including Executive Director and Chief of Staff roles, plus an MBA from Laurier and HBA Economics from Waterloo. She served on Waterloo's Economic Development Advisory, Neighbourhood Strategy and Town & Gown committees and volunteered with the Waterloo Ravens, House of Friendship and Junior Achievement; she is raising her family in Waterloo. |
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| HousingWill I be able to afford to live here? | McCabe's housing plan moves housing projects forward and uses City-owned land to create more affordable homes. - Moving housing projects forward.
- Using City-owned land to help create more affordable homes.
- Next term priority: build more housing and keep taxes responsible.
Show their words & sourceHide (a few sentences)“Moving housing projects forward and using City-owned land to help create more affordable homes.” Source: Dorothy McCabe campaign site: Delivering for Waterloo - More Housing · October 17, 2026 Confidence:High | Hari would create a rent registry with landlord licensing, mandate 25–50% of new units be affordable, and build a city housing corporation. - Mandatory rent registry and landlord licensing bylaw: landlords publicly disclose global rental holdings and monthly rents, pay an annual registration fee scaling with total units owned.
- Bylaw mandating 25% of all new-built units be 'affordable for singles' (under 30% of average individual income, approx $1,500/mo) and 50% 'affordable for families' (under 30% of average household income, approx $2,350/mo).
- Create a city-owned municipal housing corporation to build and operate non-market housing, targeting 10% of the city's entire housing stock within 20 years.
Show their words & sourceHide (a page or more)“Create a city-owned municipal housing corporation to build and operate non-market housing, with a goal of operating 10% of the city's entire housing stock within 20 years.” Source: Jamie Hari campaign platform: Shelter · October 17, 2026 Confidence:High | | | |
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| Taxes & spendingWhat happens to my tax bill, and where does the money go? | | Hari proposes a scaling property tax making the first $250,000 of owned residential property tax-free, shifting the burden to higher-valued homes. - Create a scaling residential property tax scheme where the first $250,000 of owned residential property is tax-free.
- Total residential property tax collected in 2027 exactly 2% higher than 2026, then growing with CPI.
- Homes worth significantly more than the average (approx $700,000) would see significant tax increases; below-average homes may see decreases.
Show their words & sourceHide (a few sentences)“Create a new scaling residential property tax scheme, where the first $250,000 of owned residential property is tax-free and the total residential property tax collected in 2027 is exactly 2% higher than in 2026 and then grows inline with the consumer price index (CPI).” Source: Jamie Hari campaign platform: Tax · October 17, 2026 Confidence:High | | | Weber centres her campaign on affordability and value: property taxes rose 27% since the last election and every dollar spent must create real value. - Property taxes have climbed 27% in the City of Waterloo since the last election, outpacing inflation.
- Residents want a city that listens, makes transparent decisions, and ensures every dollar spent creates real value.
Show their words & sourceHide (a few sentences)“Property taxes have climbed sharply since the last election — 27% in the City of Waterloo, outpacing inflation — while many residents continue to raise concerns about the basics like road & trail maintenance, snow clearing, & neighbourhood parks.” Source: Shannon Weber campaign site: home page · October 17, 2026 Confidence:High |
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| Emergency servicesWhen I call for help, will it come fast enough? | | Hari would cut Waterloo's funding to the regional police, ban license-plate and facial-recognition cameras, and transition toward a community security service. - Significantly cut the City of Waterloo's contribution to the Waterloo Regional Police Service annual budget.
- Ban Automatic License Plate Recognition and facial recognition cameras in the City of Waterloo.
- Long-term: transition from a 'militarized regional police service' to a community security service.
Show their words & sourceHide (several paragraphs)“Significantly cut the City of Waterloo's contribution to the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) annual budget. Introduce a bylaw prohibiting the use of Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) and facial recognition cameras in the City of Waterloo.” Source: Jamie Hari campaign platform: Justice · October 17, 2026 Confidence:High | | Balaskanthan would build a long-term uptown safety strategy with night transit and lit trails. - Long-term strategy for uptown safety at all hours
- Work with regional council to expand night-time GRT service
- Lighting on busy city trails; invest in community spaces
Show their words & sourceHide (several paragraphs)“I will develop a long-term strategy for uptown safety that ensures that residents, employees and patrons feel safe at all hours.” Source: CBC K-W candidate survey — Waterloo · October 20, 2026 Confidence:High | |
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| TransitCan I get where I need to go without driving? | | | | | |
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| GovernmentWill decisions be made in the open, and will anyone answer for them? | McCabe commits to continued investment in 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion: the READI equity plan, staff training, clear hate-incident reporting, and welcoming City spaces. - Says she has been clear throughout her term that queer and trans people belong in Waterloo and must access public services without discrimination.
- City's Get READI Plan commits to proactively respond to identity-based discrimination; Council committed $303,000 to inclusive programming, youth supports and fee assistance.
- Worked with SPECTRUM on Trans Swim and inclusive yoga; advancing all-gender and barrier-free washrooms.
- Priorities: council/staff training, clear reporting pathways, visibly welcoming City spaces, ongoing relationships with 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations.
Show their words & sourceHide (several paragraphs)“Municipal leaders and municipal governments must not be neutral when people's safety, dignity and equal access to public life are at stake.” Source: SPECTRUM 2026 election questionnaire: McCabe response on 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion · October 15, 2026 Confidence:High | Hari would advocate for ranked-choice municipal elections and free tuition at Waterloo's post-secondary institutions for Waterluvians. - Advocate for Elections Ontario to replace First Past the Post with a ranked choice (or similar) electoral system.
- Advocate for the city's post-secondary institutions to fully subsidize (free) tuition for Waterluvians.
Show their words & sourceHide (a few sentences)“Unfortunately, the municipal electoral system is largely out of the City of Waterloo's control. As such, the best we can do is aggressively advocate for Elections Ontario to replace the First Past the Post electoral system with a ranked choice (or similar) electoral system.” Source: Jamie Hari campaign platform: Electoral Reform and Education · October 17, 2026 Confidence:High | | Balaskanthan promises to break City Hall complacency by challenging the status quo and testing new ideas. - Break the culture of complacency by challenging the status quo, testing new ideas and keeping the city moving forward.
- He shows up, he listens and he builds bridges to solve problems.
Show their words & sourceHide (one sentence)“Breaking the culture of complacency by challenging the status quo, testing new ideas and making sure our city keeps moving forward.” Source: Jeyas Balaskanthan mayoral launch post · October 15, 2026 Confidence:High | This candidate has spoken about this issue more than once. Each statement is shown with its own source. Weber says Waterloo needs accountable leadership that puts residents first. - Accountable leadership that puts residents first
- Meaningful consultation on major decisions
“I want to be your mayor because Waterloo needs accountable leadership that puts residents first.” (several paragraphs) Source: About — Shannon Weber for Waterloo Confidence:High Weber would require every major Waterloo decision to state the decision, cost, impact and alternatives. - Early, meaningful consultation before decisions are made
- Accessible public information on major decisions
- Regular public reporting on campaign commitments
“All major decisions will clearly outline four things: The Decision. The Cost. The Impact. The Alternatives.” (several paragraphs) Source: CBC K-W candidate survey — Waterloo · October 20, 2026 Confidence:High Think we’ve got this wrong? |
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| Roads & infrastructureWill the things I use every day actually get fixed? | | Hari would make Grand River Transit free, starting with seniors and students, and create a publicly funded city-wide snow removal service. - Fully subsidize (free) Grand River Transit passes for seniors and students first, then for every Waterluvian.
- Introduce a new city-wide snow removal service: publicly funded, unionized Region employees, electric snow removal equipment where practicable.
Show their words & sourceHide (a few sentences)“Fully subsidize (free) Grand River Transit passes for every Waterluvian. (Currently $88/month for Travelwise member company employees and $104/month for everyone else.)” Source: Jamie Hari campaign platform: Transit · October 17, 2026 Confidence:High | | | Weber emphasizes getting the basics right: road and trail maintenance, snow clearing and neighbourhood parks. - Focus on the basics: road and trail maintenance, snow clearing, and neighbourhood parks.
- An 'ambitious and affordable Waterloo working for you'.
Show their words & sourceHide (a few sentences)“An ambitious and affordable Waterloo working for you.” Source: Shannon Weber campaign site: home page · October 17, 2026 Confidence:High |
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| EconomyWill our main streets and local jobs thrive? | McCabe would work with businesses and universities to attract investment, streamline approvals, support jobs and keep talent in Waterloo. - Working with businesses, universities and community partners to attract investment.
- Supporting jobs and keeping talent in Waterloo; streamlining approvals.
Show their words & sourceHide (one sentence)“Working with businesses, universities and community partners to attract investment, support jobs and keep talent in Waterloo.” Source: Dorothy McCabe campaign site: Delivering for Waterloo - A Stronger Local Economy · October 17, 2026 Confidence:High | | Jiang is running on an entrepreneurship-driven vision: make Waterloo Canada's home for ambition, use its engineering culture to solve everyday problems. - Wants Waterloo to be 'Canada's home for ambition' where people can start something of their own and have a good life.
- Founded Akatos, a Waterloo startup community and hacker house for young builders.
- Philosophy: 'See a problem. Decide it matters. Make something useful.'
- Would use Waterloo's engineering culture to make ordinary life work better and let more people help.
Show their words & sourceHide (several paragraphs)“I want Waterloo to be Canada's home for ambition. Somewhere you can start something of your own—and have a good life here, too.” Source: Jerry Jiang campaign site: vision and philosophy · October 17, 2026 Confidence:High | Balaskanthan's vision is to make Waterloo the safest, most entrepreneurial and most customer-focused city in Canada, with less red tape at City Hall. - Vision: make Waterloo the safest, most entrepreneurial and most customer-focused city in Canada.
- Build a dynamic, inclusive economy where local businesses can grow, entrepreneurs can take risks, and opportunity reaches every neighbourhood.
- Make City Hall work better with less red tape, faster answers, focused on delivering results.
Show their words & sourceHide (a few sentences)“My vision is simple: make Waterloo the safest, most entrepreneurial and most customer-focused city in Canada.” Source: Jeyas Balaskanthan campaign site and launch post · October 17, 2026 Confidence:High | Weber highlights attracting investments through business and community partnerships. - Attract investments through partnerships
- Work with businesses, post-secondary institutions and governments
Show their words & sourceHide (several paragraphs)“bringing together businesses, community organizations, post-secondary institutions, & governments to attract investments & deliver results for our community.” Source: About — Shannon Weber for Waterloo Confidence:High |
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| EnvironmentIs the candidate protecting the nature we live in? | | Hari would create a mandatory polluter registry with an environmental resilience fund, ban water privatization, and set strict water availability standards. - Mandatory polluter registry and licensing bylaw: businesses publicly disclose local pollution emissions and pay annually into a local environmental resilience fund for emissions above standards.
- Bylaw irrevocably prohibiting the privatization of water within the City of Waterloo.
- Water service standard: 99.9% availability with a 24-hour restore time objective; automatic state of emergency if not met; landlord licenses revoked for failures.
Show their words & sourceHide (a few sentences)“I believe that human needs are human rights. This means food, water, shelter, healthcare, education, transit, a livable environment, and everything else someone needs to thrive in modern society should be guaranteed to everyone living in so-called Canada.” Source: Jamie Hari campaign platform: Environment and Water · October 17, 2026 Confidence:High | | | |
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| HealthcareWill there be a doctor and a hospital when we need one? | McCabe is campaigning on securing Waterloo's first hospital and supporting the health and innovation ecosystem around it. - Helping secure the new hospital in Waterloo.
- Supporting the health and innovation ecosystem around it.
Show their words & sourceHide (one sentence)“Helping secure the new hospital in Waterloo and supporting the health and innovation ecosystem around it.” Source: Dorothy McCabe campaign site: Delivering for Waterloo - Waterloo's First Hospital · October 17, 2026 Confidence:High | | | | |
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| Growth & developmentHow fast should we grow, and who decides what gets built where? | | | Jiang would reduce barriers to development for housing and commerce while building a city with beauty, businesses and third places. - Build a city worth loving: beauty, businesses, third places and a full life after school are not extras – 'they are why people choose a place'.
- Reduce guard-rails that get in the way of development for housing and commerce/job creation.
Show their words & sourceHide (a few sentences)“Beauty, businesses, third places and a full life after school are not extras. They are why people choose a place.” Source: Jerry Jiang campaign site: Build a city worth loving · October 17, 2026 Confidence:High | | |
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| Social & community servicesWho looks after the most vulnerable residents? | McCabe would build a vibrant, inclusive Waterloo across neighbourhoods, festivals, libraries and small business. - Vibrant, inclusive, welcoming community for everyone
- New inclusive, accessible recreation facility in West Waterloo
- Redevelop the public library; invest in arts, culture and heritage
Show their words & sourceHide (several paragraphs)“I am committed to ensuring Waterloo is a vibrant, inclusive and welcoming community for everyone across all neighbourhoods, public spaces, festivals, artists, small businesses, libraries, museums, and cultural organizations.” Source: CBC K-W candidate survey — Waterloo · October 20, 2026 Confidence:High | Hari would fully fund food banks, launch a city-owned union-operated grocery store, and incentivize community food gardens and cooperatives. - Supplement food banks with enough resources to entirely meet all Waterluvians' current needs.
- Launch at least one city-owned not-for-profit, fully union-operated grocery store.
- Bylaws holding corporate grocers accountable for using real estate contracts to eliminate small business competition; programs to incentivize community food gardens and co-ops.
Show their words & sourceHide (a few sentences)“Launch at least one city-owned not-for-profit grocery store which is fully union-operated.” Source: Jamie Hari campaign platform: Food · October 17, 2026 Confidence:High | | | |
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| Active transportationCan I walk and bike safely around town? | McCabe would invest in parks, trees, recreation and public spaces for stronger neighbourhoods. - Investing in parks, trees, recreation and public spaces that make Waterloo a better place to live.
Show their words & sourceHide (one sentence)“Investing in parks, trees, recreation and public spaces that make Waterloo a better place to live.” Source: Dorothy McCabe campaign site: Delivering for Waterloo - Stronger Neighbourhoods · October 17, 2026 Confidence:High | | | | |
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| Arts & cultureDoes the candidate value what makes this place feel alive? | | | | | |
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| Data centresShould energy-hungry data centres be welcomed here? | | | | | |
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| Water & wasteIs our drinking water safe and our waste handled? | | | | | |
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| Bylaw enforcementAre the rules fair, and are they actually enforced? | | | | | |
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