Representatives from Cornerstone recently attended Mayor Marianne Meed Ward’s State of the City Breakfast, hosted by the Burlington Chamber of Commerce. The event provided valuable insights into the Mayor’s priorities for 2026, which include reducing traffic congestion, improving quality of life for residents and visitors, and collaborating with local businesses and developers. Mayor Meed Ward also highlighted the Elect Respect campaign, emphasizing the importance of civility and respect for public office holders.  

The City of Burlington is investigating changes to the planning approval process that would speed up development by reducing the need for resubmissions, guaranteeing approval within 60 days, clarifying requirements, and implementing a concurrent building permit review where possible. The Pipeline to Permit committee will hear the report on February 12.  

On January 14, Cornerstone attended a meeting hosted by the Hamilton and District Apartment Association (HDAA) to hear from city staff about the new Safe Apartment Buildings By-law, which came into effect on January 1. Key points discussed included: annual registration requirements for buildings with two or more storeys and six or more rental units that share a common area; evaluation scoring and subsequent inspection frequencies; consistent building standards; and detailed procedures for Tenant Service Requests (TSR) to ensure timely responses to urgent and non-urgent issues. 

On February 10, Norfolk County Council-in-Committee voted 5-4 to move ahead with a proposed Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT) in principle, which would add a 4% tax on short-term overnight stays. In addition to the MAT, a Municipal Development Corporation would be established along with a short-term rental policy. This will be ratified at the February 24 Council meeting, and on March 10, a business case will be presented for the Municipal Development Corporation.  

Cornerstone Chair-Elect, Drew Hemsley, submitted a letter to Council requesting that they carefully consider this matter, citing concerns that the MAT could potentially discourage visitors, and that a short-term rental policy would add red tape and extra fees, which may cause some operators to opt out of renting their cottage or Airbnb.

On January 22, Peel Region created additional grants to cover Development Charges for purpose-built rentals and extended the deadline for other programs. 

In addition to the aforementioned event with Premier Ford, Cornerstone sponsored the Mississauga Board of Trade event with Minister Flack on January 22. The Minister spoke about Development Charges, the Region of Peel water and wastewater pilot, and removing the HST for first-time homebuyers. Cornerstone had the opportunity to thank the Minister after his remarks and raised the need for the HST to be removed for all new home buyers. Cornerstone also connected with Minister Nina Tangri, MPP Rudy Cuzzetto, MPP Deepak Anand, MPP Sheref Sabawy, and MPP Silvia Gualtieri at the event.  

Mississauga’s State of the City will take place on March 24 at 11 am at the Ikon Event Space.  

Mississauga is offering tiny home tours at Celebration Square from February 16 to April 19 in partnership with Habitat for Humanity Halton-Mississauga-Dufferin to showcase locally built tiny homes and the opportunities available for ADUs in Mississauga. 

In January, the structural phase of construction was completed at the Trillium Health Partners’ Gilgan Family Queensway Health Centre. Substantial completion is expected in 2029, with occupancy to follow subsequently.  

The Region of Waterloo recently announced funding for a fast-tracked solution to address the water capacity constraints in the Mannheim Service Area. This proactive pilot at the Mannheim Water Treatment Plant is a crucial step toward ensuring the region can support continued growth and development. 

Cornerstone has been monitoring the response to the issue, and we will be receiving more regular updates through participation in the region’s new Water Supply Industry Stakeholder Group.  

For the time being new development application approvals are still paused, but the region has reiterated that current homes are not at risk of running out of water. 

On January 20, Cornerstone attended the Waterloo Region Home Builders' Association Networking Lunch and heard from Waterloo EDC's Tony LaMantia, who provided a local economic update. Mayors Berry Vrbanovic and Dorothy McCabe, as well as Region of Waterloo Councillor Colleen James, shared updates on the water capacity challenges. 

On February 4, Andrea Fedy, Cornerstone Director and member of the Provincial/Federal Advocacy Committee, participated in a roundtable discussion with Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria. At the event, hosted by the Greater KW Chamber of Commerce, Andrea reiterated the need for continued investment in local transportation infrastructure.  

The subsequent event focused on transportation issues in Waterloo Region, including Phase 2 of the LRT, All Day 2 Way GO service, and the Highway 7 extension. 

On February 3, Cornerstone Director Christal Moura presented at a Cambridge City Council meeting to support the proposed Form-Based zoning. After a thorough discussion, the Council approved the zoning changes, which will simplify the process for building new housing in Cambridge and allow for more diverse housing options.  

During the delegation, Christal also raised a concern about the extended driveway lengths being proposed. The required length for new home driveways was adjusted from 6m to 7m, in contrast to the 8m that was initially suggested. Cornerstone had advocated for retaining the 6m standard, consistent with most Ontario municipalities, as longer driveways complicate new home construction. 

On January 16, Cornerstone representatives attended the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce City Manager’s Breakfast. During the event, City Manager Rob Axiak discussed his three main priorities since joining the city: managing operations, engaging with the public and business community and working with elected Officials on governance. Rob Axiak is also focused on the city's budget, setting ambitious goals to boost economic development. The event also provided an opportunity to reconnect with MP Connie Cody. 

The City of Kitchener is hosting Kitchener 2051 Pop-Ups, a series of community events designed to gather input on the future growth and development of the city. The events will be held as follows:  

The City of Waterloo recently approved the creation of a Rental Renovation Licensing Program, which will require landlords to obtain a licence when issuing an N13 notice. The city has also created a Tenant Support Fund to assist tenants requiring legal guidance or advocacy services related to eviction.