Jamie Hari | Waterloo Mayor 2026

The goals and qualifications below summarize statements published by the candidate’s campaign. Each item links to its campaign source.

Goals for the term

Provide existing food banks with resources to meet residents’ current needs. CLEAR Source ↗
Create at least one city-owned, nonprofit, union-operated grocery store. CLEAR Source ↗
Use bylaws to restrict corporate grocers’ real-estate contracts that limit competition from small businesses. CLEAR Source ↗
Incentivize community food gardens and food-production and distribution cooperatives. CLEAR Source ↗
Prohibit water privatization by bylaw and advocate legal action to defend public water. CLEAR Source ↗
Require major commercial and industrial water users to disclose consumption publicly. CLEAR Source ↗
Require public consultation before a business begins materially drawing local water. CLEAR Source ↗
Set a water service standard of 99.9% availability and a 24-hour restoration objective for systemic issues. CLEAR Source ↗
Automatically declare a state of emergency when the water availability standard is breached. CLEAR Source ↗
Revoke landlord licences when a rental unit fails the water availability standard. CLEAR Source ↗
Introduce landlord licensing and a public rent and holdings registry with scaled registration fees. CLEAR Source ↗
Require affordable units in new developments: 25% affordable for singles and 50% for families. CLEAR Source ↗
Create a municipal corporation to build and operate non-market housing, targeting 10% of the city’s stock within 20 years. CLEAR Source ↗

Replace residential property taxation with a progressive scheme, a $250,000 tax-free allowance, 2% revenue growth in 2027 and subsequent growth tied to inflation. CLEAR Source ↗
Set municipal fees and fines as percentages of household income instead of flat amounts. CLEAR Source ↗

Create a pollution licensing and emissions registry and levy contributions to an environmental resilience fund. CLEAR Source ↗
Condition businesses’ access to local programs on meeting provincial and federal emissions standards. CLEAR Source ↗

Advocate replacing first-past-the-post municipal elections with ranked choice or a similar system. CLEAR Source ↗

Reduce the City’s contribution to the Waterloo Regional Police Service budget by half. CLEAR Source ↗
Ban automatic licence-plate recognition and facial-recognition cameras by bylaw. CLEAR Source ↗
Replace the regional police service with a community security service. CLEAR Source ↗

Phase in free GRT passes, beginning with seniors and students and then extending them to every Waterloo resident. CLEAR Source ↗
Create publicly funded, regional, union-operated city-wide snow removal, using electric equipment where practicable. CLEAR Source ↗
Advocate free tuition for Waterloo residents at local postsecondary institutions. CLEAR Source ↗
Put binding service levels, penalties and communication and documentation requirements into outsourced infrastructure contracts. CLEAR Source ↗
Limit how far ahead of actual construction demolition, road grooving and lane closures may occur. CLEAR Source ↗
Set binding transit service targets and publish wait-time and customer-satisfaction performance metrics. CLEAR Source ↗
Require future city development to be transit-centred rather than car-centred. CLEAR Source ↗
Improve path safety through traffic separation, lighting, sight lines and signage. CLEAR Source ↗
Support road and path coexistence education in schools, newcomer programs and the wider region. CLEAR Source ↗
Consider non-emergency construction freezes in busy areas during critical periods. CLEAR Source ↗