Cambridge's State of the City Address

[UrbanWaterloo]

Cambridge's State of the City Address 2010
PDF

[DHLawrence]

Some good announcements on the heritage side there. Pity there isn't any news about the Biennale.

[UrbanWaterloo]

Cambridge Mayor’s ‘State of the City Address’ Focuses on the China Connection
September 13, 2011 | City of Cambridge | PDF

Cambridge Mayor Doug Craig will deliver the 2011 ‘State of the City Address’ next week with a capture of the off-shore business development connections to Cambridge. The line-up also includes remarks by Nadir Patel, the former Canadian Consul General in Shanghai, and David Marskell, Chief Executive Officer of Waterloo Region’s The Museum.

“Just a few days ago, we heard about the European Union exploring how China may contribute positively to their economic situation,” says Mayor Craig. “Our city and regional partners have been actively building relationships abroad for some time now.”

Details about the State of the City Address include:

Date: Thursday September 22nd
Time: 6:00 pm networking; remarks begin at 6:30 pm
Location: Cambridge Mill Restaurant, 110 Water Street North

While the State of the City Address will cover the strategic alliance with China, later in the fall Mayor Craig plans to address other key relationships, government funding and the impact on taxpayers.

[UrbanWaterloo]

2011 Mayor’s State of the City Address
Cambridge in Good Fiscal Shape and Building Opportunities for Investment
September 22, 2011 | City of Cambridge | PDF | Presentation

Moments ago, Mayor Doug Craig delivered the first of a series of addresses on the state of the City of Cambridge. His remarks focused on the solid financial ground the City has achieved, the extensive ‘Service Review’ process that has helped the municipality shave over 9 percent off the budget over the last two years, and the City’s continued focus on the economy.

The Service Review at the City of Cambridge began in 2009 and is in its third phase now focusing on the capital program. The approach has been very effective in realizing a $5.8 million reduction of the total City budget and shaving about 25 full-time positions, mainly through attrition. Phase three is underway and will focus on the capital budget with recommendations going to the 2012 Budget Task Force. Mayor Craig noted that there were a number of temporary measures of reduction put in place for the 2011 budget, and addressing baseline services will be a prominent part of the budget discussions.

Mayor Craig made his presentation to a packed house at the new Cambridge Mill, an example of a private sector, multi-million dollar investment that has contributed to the revitalization of the downtown.

“We are maintaining our focus on the state of the local economy, and the many opportunities to support our existing businesses and bring new jobs to the community,” says Mayor Craig. He noted the importance of working with other local cities to tackle the national and international marketplace.

Members of Cambridge City Council were joined by Nadir Patel, Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Finance and Operations, Chief Financial Officer, Foreign Affairs and International Trade, who was formerly the Canadian Consul General in Shanghai and has a local connection to the City. David Marskell, Chief Executive Officer for THEMUSEUM, also delivered remarks about his experience in China and the growing business development opportunities
through partnerships.

Exploring the opportunities in China is high on the radar for Cambridge and is in keeping with the economic development strategy ‘Designing our Future’. Mayor Craig highlighted some of the elements a community must have in place to attract investment such as infrastructure, a competitive business climate, attractive industry clusters, a focus on a ‘green’ economy, collaborative economic development strategy and a high quality of life. He is scheduled to deliver further remarks in December focusing on the importance of governmental funding and supporting the social profit sector.

[UrbanWaterloo]

Mayor Doug Craig Delivers State of the City Address to Celebrate Achievements
Dunfield Theatre Cambridge – New Community Asset Unveiled
January 31, 2013 | City of Cambridge | Link



As public budget deliberations wrap up for the $125 million annual operating and capital budgets for the City of Cambridge, Mayor Doug Craig tonight addressed stakeholders and partners at his annual ‘State of the City’ event that put the spotlight on balanced community spending. The event was hosted at the brand new, soon to open Dunfield Theatre Cambridge, a $14 million investment secured through the Building Canada Fund.

“My remarks focus on partnerships and this new theatre is an excellent example of developing community assets with our federal partners to bring a balance of new infrastructure to Cambridge,” said Mayor Doug Craig. Cambridge’s contribution was $6 million leveraging significant support from the Canadian Government for the 59,000 square-foot complex that seats 500 theatre goers. The move consolidated Drayton Entertainment’s administration, production and support services to the city.

Mayor Craig spoke to the pillars of the community: sustainability, heritage, economic development, infrastructure advancement which included updates on our hospital, waterfront developments, and the importance of continued support for the local economy and job creation. “We continue to collaborate with our businesses, attract new enterprises and build the community infrastructure that creates the best quality of life for citizens.” As an example, in addition to a new community theatre, multi-million dollar investments into community centres and arenas, and roads have spurred construction over the past two years. Cambridge trails have expanded to include over 132km of onroad bikeways and 68km of multi-use trails. He also referenced the significant waiting list for affordable housing, social services supports, the increased need for foodbank services, and urged the other funding government partners to offer more to address these needs.

The remarks also referenced the global economy and the importance of working with neighbouring municipalities and other partners to attract foreign direct investment. In addressing challenges, he updated the community on the efforts to attract Go Train service to the community citing a continued need for linkages to other major metropolitan areas. “We need to work together as one city that embraces our history, and move forward in a unified approach.”

[UrbanWaterloo]

Mayor’s State of the City Follow Up Sharing Neigbourhood Investments and the Big Picture
February 7, 2013 | City of Cambridge | Link

Cambridge Mayor Doug Craig recently delivered the ‘State of the City’ Address and spoke to celebration and balance in the community. He recognized that economic development, investment in people and infrastructure, and embracing things like arts and heritage continue to be an important thrust for the City of Cambridge. Today, he shares information regarding the balance of spending in our three dynamic neighbourhoods of Galt, Hespeler and Preston.

“We have very important historical boundaries that we recognize under our one city approach,” said Mayor Craig who wished to present information on the balance of investment in the cores.

“We evaluated major capital projects and other line items in the budget with a view to sharing details on Council’s approach to spending within our city,” said Mayor Craig.

From a big picture point of view, per capita spending between January 2008 through to September 2012 is as follows:

Neighbourhood	Average 5 year Population	Actual Spending	Per Capita Spending
Galt	79,272	$54,963,333	$693
Hespeler	25,623	$39,928,246	$1,558
Preston	20,754	$28,811,988	$1,388
All		$72,618,044	$578
Total	125,648	$196,321,611	$1,562

According to data collected for the years 2008 to 2010, the per capita spending for Galt area was $446 compared with spending in Hespeler of $1,076 and Preston of $1,218. There was a fourth category of analysis ‘all’ that combined spending for city-wide expenditures - equipment, maintenance programs like snow and leaf clearing, infrastructure repairs such as sewer, road rehabilitation, and streetlighting, to name a few, that reflected overall investment of $319 based on a population of 124,285.



As ward boundaries changed in 2009, prior to the 2010 municipal elections, a second chart helps to present information on data collected between January 2011 through to September 2012. The ward boundary changes affected mainly Hespeler andPreston which is why there was a noticeable shift in the level of investment. As an example, infrastructure projects related to Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning shifted from being within the Preston boundaries to Hespeler.



The overall information shows a balance of new projects and investment while being reflective of the population representation within each area.

“As a larger city, it is also important to note that investment in amenities like Riverside Park or building a new theatre provides benefits to the community as a whole,” he adds.