City of waterloo neighbourhoods: strong and connected.

Stay warm with winter neighbourhood connections

Don't let the cold weather stop you from connecting with neighbours! Here are 3 ways to connect with neighbours this winter:


  1. Tell your neighbours to grab their skates and meet you at the rink! There are outdoor rinks throughout neighbourhoods in Waterloo. Find a rink near you using our online rink map.
  2. Be a good neighbour—clear your sidewalk to make it easier for everyone to get around. If a neighbour could use a hand, consider helping with theirs too!
  3. Make someone's day by nominating them for the Neighbourhood Kindness program, we'll send them a special thank you letter signed by the Mayor!
People skating outside.

Get involved

Cold days, fresh ideas!

Winter is a great time to grow some new ideas for your neighbourhood. Through the Neighbourhood Fund, you could get up to $7,500 for your idea that brings your neighbourhood together. This can be anything from a fun event, a special performance or a community garden, like this one in Eastbridge!


Have an idea but not sure if it will work? Reach out to us by replying this email and we can chat!

A greenhouse outside, surrounded by a garden.

More ways to get involved

  • What do you think about fireworks, their safety and how they can be better managed in Waterloo and across the region? Share your thoughts about Fireworks Safety by taking this survey.
  • Help us share this information with high school students! Volunteer Waterloo Region has over 150 volunteer positions listed that qualify for community service hours.
Dog in the snow.

🙂 Smile corner 🙂


Say hello to Toast!


Toast is out for a wintery walk at her favourite park. She enjoys exploring all the different parks in her neighbourhood while looking for all the squirrels.


Toast wants to know what brings you joy in your neighbourhood. Send us a smile-worthy moment from your neighbourhood (a furry friend, a favourite trail or park, a funny message, anything that makes you smile!) and it might be featured in our next newsletter.


Submit your photo and caption by responding to this email.

Get inspired

Celebrate on and off the ice!

Hockey arena with crowd watching game

Everything is more fun with neighbours! Uptown West neighbours went to cheer on our KW Siskins team at the Waterloo Memorial Complex Arena. Want to do the same? There are still regular season games left, check out their schedule and how to get tickets!

If you prefer to be the one on the ice, you can also host an outdoor rink party like neighbours in Laurelwood did! Their event was complete with hot chocolate, marshmallows, skating, and connecting with neighbours!


Want to plan something like this for your neighbourhood? We can help! Apply for our mini grant and get up to $300 to support your idea.


Neighbourhood kindness

Spotted: Neighbourhood Kindness! A person planting in a garden.

A neighbour wrote in...

"Keith is a good person, a very nice man, and a wonderful neighbour.

So the story goes, my father was in the last stages of cancer and approached Keith to ask him "Will you help my wife in maintaining her property when I'm gone?"


What an ask! That was over 20 years ago. Since my father’s passing, Keith mowed the lawn and cleared the snow. Gosh knows what other little jobs Keith has done to help my mother. Keith kept his commitment for many many years. He retired from my mom's employment a few years ago but he remains a good neighbour!


Beyond on all the odd jobs, Keith nurtured a lovely neighbourly relationship with my mother. He helped a widowed senior to stay in her home and maintain pride of ownership. I can’t put into words the kindness Keith extended to my mother - his neighbour - two houses away and across the street. So I’ll keep it simple and say thank you Keith from the bottom of my heart."


Have a great neighbour like Keith that you want to thank? Nominate them for our Neighbourhood Kindness program and we'll send them a thank-you package and enter them to win a $20 Uptown BIA gift card.

Nominate a kind neighbour

Get in the know

New exhibit at the City of Waterloo Museum

The City of Waterloo Museum has two new exhibits, Killing the Indian in the Child: Generations Lost and Bi-Giwen: Coming Home, Truth Telling from the Sixties Scoop. Both exhibits examine the devastating effects of Residential Schools and the Sixties Scoop on Indigenous communities while highlighting resilience and the journey toward healing and Reconciliation.


Admission to the Museum is free - invite a neighbour to join you! 

More things to know!

  • Get funding for a community event in a public greenspace through the TD Park People Grants. Apply by February 24.


  • There are lots of different drop-in fitness classes here at the City! Bring a neighbour and try out a different class each week.


  • Know a Grade 5 student with great ideas? Have them apply for our Council for a Day contest, if they win, they get to spend a day with Mayor McCabe.


  • Spectrum Waterloo Region's Rainbow Community space offers a variety of programs and services, check out their website for more information.



  • Waterloo Region has a long history of welcoming refugees and refugee claimants. Immigration Waterloo Region shares information on community support for refugees living in our region.

February Diversity Calendar

February 01: World Hijab Day

February 01: Imbolc / Imbolg / Oimelc / Candlemas

February 02: Groundhog Day

February 02: Vasant Panchami

February 04: World Cancer Day

February 06: International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation

February 11: International Day of Women and Girls in Science

February 12: Lantern Festival

February 12: Māgha Pūjā

February 13: World Radio Day

February 14: Valentine’s Day

February 15: National Flag of Canada Day

February 15: Parinirvana / Nirvana Day

February 17: Family Day

February 17: Islander Day

February 17: Louis Riel Day

February 17: Nova Scotia Heritage Day

February 20: World Day of Social Justice

February 21: International Mother Language Day

February 26: Pink Shirt Day

February 28 - March 2: Losar (Tibetan New Year)


February 01 – 07: World Interfaith Harmony Week

February 03 – 09: White Cane Week

February 16- 22: Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week

February 28 (sundown) - March 19: Nineteen Day Fast

Black History Month (Canada)

African Heritage Month (Nova Scotia)


Source: Canadian Centre for Diversity & Inclusion's Diversity Calendar

Waterloo Neighbourhoods is published throughout the year to keep residents informed about the good things happening in neighbourhoods across Waterloo. If you’re reading Waterloo Neighbourhoods as a non-subscriber, visit our subscription page to sign up for future editions.


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