Matt Rodrigues

Please describe one concrete policy, program, or decision you would support to address both encampments and permanent housing.candidate's own words

I support multiple approaches to addressing this issue. I will continue to advocate to expand eviction prevention and portable rent supplements to help people stay housed and reduce pressure on emergency shelters and homelessness services.

Would you like to provide any additional context for your views on housing?candidate's own words

My campaign priorities also include three additional housing-related actions: Commit to Waterloo Region Housing Revitalization and secure funding partnerships to deliver hundreds of new affordable homes over the next four years Use Regionally-owned land and buildings, including sites like the former Charles Street Transit Terminal, to support permanently affordable housing and strong mixed-income communities Expand supportive housing options with access to health, addictions, and social services, while recognizing the need for shelter of last resort

• Reallocate space on selected streets (e.g. road diets, transit lanes, protected bike lanes), Adjust signal timing, curb use, or intersection design, Focus improvements around schools, transit corridors, and commercial areas

1. Use transit to shape land use
2. Invest in rapid transit to anchor growth
3. Prioritize expanding coverage area
4. Prioritize lower-cost or incremental transit improvements
5. Prioritize maximizing operational efficiency

Yes, sidewalks should be cleared alongside roads as part of regular winter maintenance

Improve existing subsidies and discounts, but maintain fares for most riders

Please describe one criterion or principle that should not be compromised when making transit investment decisions.candidate's own words

Connection to land use

Other priority not listed abovecandidate's own words

Through our forthcoming Integrated Mobility Plan, I hope to champion the roll out of a rapid transit program that continually looks to expand the network and ways to connect more people to GO Transit in west Kitchener and the Townships.

Please name one specific street, corridor, or project where you would prioritize these changes.candidate's own words

In recent years, the Region has been incrementally expanding its network of transit priority measures that help speed up buses. I continue to push to increase the pace of this work. One specific corridor that I would prioritize these changes on is the Fischer-Hallman corridor to create a new high-frequency bus priority corridor that connects many neighbourhoods, institutions, and employment areas.

Describe one concrete policy, incentive, or decision you would prioritize to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Where possible, explain how it balances environmental goals with fiscal responsibility.candidate's own words

We need to continue and recommit to our commitments under TransformWR. I continue to advocate for ending the longstanding subsidy that municipalities provide to for-profit natural gas utilities using public land. If successful in our advocacy, this policy change would require for-profit natural gas utilities to pay the costs of using public land and help incentivize the transition to alternative energy sources.

Would you like to provide any additional context for your views on sustainability?candidate's own words

My priorities also reflect other measures like supporting our Regional Forests, retrofitting Regional housing buildings over time, and re-imagining how we manage waste.

1. Promote and support low-barrier spaces for local producers to distribute and sell food
2. Partner with other levels of government to develop local food hubs that reduce costs and barriers for small businesses
3. Develop a local food strategy, including research on how land-use change affects the food system
4. Encourage and support local landowners to rent to newcomer farmers
5. Leave local food livelihoods to the private market

Please describe one concrete policy, program, or decision you would support to strengthen the local food system.candidate's own words

Establishing a policy for the use of community-gardens on community housing sites operated by the Region of Waterloo.

1. Use development phasing tied to infrastructure capacity
2. Limit outward growth unless full lifecycle infrastructure
3. Prioritize infill and intensification where infrastructure
4. Require detailed cost and risk analysis before approving
5. Proceed with outward growth to address housing supply

Describe one concrete zoning, planning, or development decision you would support (or oppose) that reflects how you would balance these priorities.candidate's own words

The Region of Waterloo no longer has planning authority to influence much of these conversations. I continue to support the expansion of our rapid transit network to enable more households to be one-car or no-car households over time.

Please describe one concrete example of a growth or infrastructure decision you would support or oppose using this approach.candidate's own words

I support the continuation of the Region's water allocation policy as one way to support coordinated growth and development that matches our ability to provide water (and wastewater) infrastructure. I fully support a continued push on intensification that reduces long-term costs and avoids expensive outward expansion.

Would you like to provide any additional context for your views on growth?candidate's own words

In 2022, a key question on the Regional ballot was maintaining the Countryside Line in the Regional Official Plan. Since then, the Regional Official Plan has become the OP of the area municipalities. As a Region, we need to be proactive in how we plan and fund infrastructure to avoid future situations where infrastructure capacity is a limit to our ability to build new housing and support new jobs. As an urban planner, I have brought my perspective to Regional Council in helping navigate these challenges.

What can the municipality/region do, if anything, about land which sits vacant for years because it is being used as an investment (land banking)?candidate's own words

Engaging with landowners to identify if interim uses can occur. The Region has a limited authority in this realm.

It should be more transparent and accessible

Please describe one concrete example of a trade-off you would support (or oppose) when costs rise faster than revenues.candidate's own words

I support completing detailed reviews or audits of specific program budgets (or projects) to identify cost savings or alternative delivery models that achieve a similar benefit.

If you chose "It should be more transparent and accessible", please describe how.candidate's own words

Of the two options provided, I would suggest that there are always ways that we can make the budget process more transparent and accessible. For example, for the 2026 Budget Regional Council asked staff to host additional town halls in Cambridge and the Townships.

1. Accelerate exploration of alternative water sources (wells, treated wastewater reuse, inter-municipal supply)
2. Pursue a Lake Erie pipeline connection with provincial and federal cost-sharing
3. Prioritize immediate investment in water conservation programs and demand management
4. Commission an independent technical review of all options before committing to major new infrastructure
5. Approve developments now and resolve water supply constraints in the future

Describe your position on how the Region should resolve this issue and what timeline is realistic.candidate's own words

In simple terms, the Mannheim Water Capacity constraint was brought about by delayed infrastructure renewal and expansion. We need to complete our Water Supply Strategy as soon as possible (ideally 2027) to be our road map for projects in our community. We also need to establish a public-facing dashboard with relevant system demand and usage figures and development tracking to provide greater transparency and build back trust.