Applications now open to fill vacant seat on Region of Waterloo council
Deadline to apply is 4 p.m. on Aug. 1
People who want to become a Region of Waterloo councillors can now fill out an application through the region's website.
The seat is vacant following the death of Coun. Kari Williams. The mother of two died in April after battling cancer. Williams had served as a councillor for Kitchener since 2022.
The application is listed on the region's website under the regional government tab and then under the "council" subhead.
The application asks for the person's name, address and a signature to indicate they are able to legally serve as the councillor that would represent Kitchener.
That includes that the person:
- Lives in the Region of Waterloo or be an owner or tenant of land there, or be the partner of an owner or tenant.
- Is a Canadian citizen.
- Is at least 18 years old.
Deadline to apply is 4 p.m. on Aug. 1.
After that, applicants will be asked to speak at a special council meeting on Aug. 14 and explain why they want the job.
Regional clerk Tim Brubacher told councillors at their meeting on June 25 that this would give them a chance to hear from the people beyond their online application.
"Councillors would be able to ask them questions like delegations. We would not allow any other delegations. Then a process of voting would begin," Brubacher said.
Voting would go until one person gets a majority of the votes.
During their meeting on June 25, councillors were given a few options for how they could fill the seat:
- Go to the next candidate with the highest number of votes.
- Seek applications.
- Appoint a person to take the seat.
- Hold a byelection.
In an interview on CBC K-W's The Morning Edition, regional Chair Karen Redman told host Craig Norris she thinks people are "quite weary" of elections — there has been a provincial and federal election already this year — and so the application process seemed like the best option.
As well, earlier this year, regional council decided to appoint the runner-up in the 2022 municipal election when Rob Deutschmann left his seat to run in the provincial election. Matt Rodrigues filled that seat in March. In that case, council went to Rodrigues because there had been just a 388 votes between the fourth and the fifth place person.
To fill Williams' seat, there was more than 2,400 votes between Rodrigues and the next candidate, lawyer Heather Caron.
Redman says she hopes people who apply really think about their "why."
"It has to be somebody that is interested, that has the flexibility to become knowledgeable about a myriad of issues and we are going into budget," she said.
"They have to be able to put aside that kind of time in their personal life to get up to speed and to deal with the budget and that starts in August [and] September."
Redman also said the person needs to remember that while they would represent Kitchener, they need to have a wider view on the issues.
"When you sit at that regional council table, you need to wear a regional hat and care as much about what's happening in Woolwich or North Dumfries or Wilmot as you do in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge. They're all distinct areas. They have distinct needs, but there's a huge commonality," she said.
Whoever is chosen will serve for just over a year. The next municipal election is Oct. 26, 2026.
LISTEN | Applications now open to fill vacant seat on Region of Waterloo council:
