Media Release For immediate release Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Mayor Zehr chooses not to seek re-election for 6th term

!T"#$%$R After 26 years on Kitchener City Council (17 as Mayor and nine as City Councillor), Carl Zehr has announced his intention to retire from elected office after this term !urin" that same #eriod of time Mayor Zehr also ser$ed 2% years as a &e"ion of 'aterloo Councillor ()$er the #ast three decades our community has accom#lished a "reat deal,* noted Zehr (+y ,or-in" to"ether, residents, .usinesses, community "rou#s, munici#al staff and councils ha$e .uilt a city that is truly the en$y of many other munici#alities 'e ha$e #ro$ided residents ,ith the ser$ices they need today, ,hile transformin" our local economy into one ,hich creates /o.s for decades to come and #ositions us ,ell to com#ete "lo.ally 0 am dee#ly honoured and "rateful to ha$e had the o##ortunity to #lay a leadershi# role in many of those accom#lishments and .elie$e stron"ly in the community ,e ha$e .uilt * !m&ro'ed Munici&al (menities ) *er'ices+ Zehr "i$es credit to his collea"ues on fi$e different City Councils o$er the #ast 17 years ,ho ha$e ,or-ed to"ether ,ith the community to com#lete a num.er of si"nificant #ro/ects that ha$e made Kitchener a .etter #lace to li$e, ,or- and #lay 1ome of the munici#al amenities that ha$e .een .uilt, e2#anded or u#"raded o$er the #ast 17 years include3 12 community centres .uilt or e2#anded u#on4 Acti$a 1#orts#le2 .uilt (2 ice #ads, indoor ,al-in" trac- and .o2in" facility, 566! 7old Certified)4 Mc5ennan 8ar- and 9uron :atural Area created4 !om Cardillo Arena e2#anded t,ice in #artnershi# ,ith the Kitchener &an"ers4 'alter +ean 7rand &i$er ;rail de$elo#ed and ri$er crossin" .uilt4 6 of Kitchener<s 7 current fire stations .uilt4 !oon =alley 7olf Course e2#anded .y > holes, a #itch and #utt and #ractice facility4 1#orts,orld Arena #urchased and u#"raded (2 ice #ads)4 8eter 9allman +allyard u#"raded to tournament standards4 :e, Kitchener Mar-et .uilt4 % of the City<s current li.raries .uilt or si"nificantly reno$ated4 =ictoria 8ar- u#"rades com#leted, includin" reha.ilitation of the la-e, and4 Kitchener )#erations Facility .uilt

(:o one indi$idual, includin" myself, can ta-e credit for all of this ama?in" ,or- 'hile ,e ha$en<t al,ays "otten it ri"ht the first time, ,e ha$e achie$ed our "reatest successes ,hen ,e<$e come to"ether as a community to tac-le the challen"es of the day and #ursue the o##ortunities of tomorro,,* said Zehr (0 am truly a##reciati$e and than-ful for all the su##ort 0 ha$e recei$ed since first .ein" elected * Transformed, ,i'ersified and $-&anded itchener.s $conomic /ase+

0n recent years :orth America<s traditional manufacturin" sector has under"one a fundamental shift that has had a direct im#act on some Kitchener .usinesses and residents 0n antici#ation of that shift in traditional manufacturin", the city has utili?ed its 6conomic !e$elo#ment 0n$estment Fund (6!0F) to in$est strate"ically in transformin", di$ersifyin" and e2#andin" the city<s economic .ase o$er the #ast 1@ years

1ome of the strate"ic in$estments made throu"h 6!0F include3 'ilfrid 5aurier Ani$ersity<s Faculty of 1ocial 'or-4 Ani$ersity of 'aterloo<s 1chool of 8harmacy and McMaster Ani$ersity<s 1chool of Medicine4 and the Communitech !i"ital Media 9u. ;he do,nto,n #ortion of the 6!0F in$estment has essentially .een le$era"ed 1@ times .y #u.lic and #ri$ate sector in$estments )ther e2am#les include3 ;he ;annery (home of 7oo"le and !esire25earn), ;he +reithau#t +loc-, Kaufman 5ofts, City Centre Condos, and )ne =ictoria Condominiums ;he intensification of the inner city and Kitchener<s on"oin" commitment to stren"then the local arts and culture community .rou"ht a ne, $i.e, ener"y and e2citement to the do,nto,n ;his ne, $i.e has .een am#lified throu"h the recently formed Kitchener 1tudio 8ro/ect ,hich has .rou"ht to"ether a ,ide $ariety of #ri$ate sector and institutional #artners, includin" Conesto"a Colle"e )ld factories and underutili?ed #ro#erties ha$e .een rede$elo#ed and are no, housin" thousands of em#loyees ,hile increased residential de$elo#ment has contri.uted to "reater $itality and in$estor confidence in the do,nto,n ('hen 6!0F ,as created, Mem.ers of City Council had the $ision and the coura"e to loo- .eyond one or t,o terms of Council and to reco"ni?e the need to ma-e decisions and in$estments that ,ould fundamentally transform, di$ersify and e2#and Kitchener<s economic .ase,* said Mayor Zehr (;hose decisions ha$e resulted in the transformation of Kitchener<s core into a technolo"y, education and -no,led"e creation cluster that is attractin" ,orldB,ide attention, talent and in$estments into the community and into local /o.s * Com#lementin" the city<s in$estments to di$ersify and e2#and the local economy, Zehr has also .een a stron" su##orter of .rin"in" 5i"ht &ail ;ransit to 'aterloo &e"ion as a ,ay of continuin" to transform the community and #osition it to succeed for decades to come )ther Accom#lishments3 All of these in$estments into ne, and im#ro$ed amenities and ser$ices, and into transformin", di$ersifyin" and e2#andin" Kitchener<s economic .ase, ha$e .een accom#lished ,hile maintainin" com#etiti$e and afforda.le #ro#erty ta2es that are amon"st the lo,est of lar"e munici#alities in )ntario 0n addition to his leadershi# on Kitchener City Council, Mayor Zehr too- an acti$e role in the +i" City Mayors< Caucus of the Federation of Canadian Munici#alities and ,as its Chair for three years 9e is also a former Chair of the 5ar"e Ar.an Mayors< Caucus of )ntario 0n those roles Zehr effecti$ely re#resented the city and the re"ion and assisted in discussions ,ith the #ro$incial and federal "o$ernments ,hich resulted in munici#alities .ein" seen as $alua.le and eCual #artners ,ith "reater financial resources directed to cities Mayor Zehr added, (After 17 .usy years, 0 feel 0 ha$e contri.uted ,hat 0 can to the community as its Mayor 'hile 0 ha$en<t made any decisions a.out ,hat the future holds for me, 0 am loo-in" for,ard to #ursuin" other #rofessional and #ersonal o##ortunities, as ,ell as a chan"e of #ace that ,ill allo, me "reater fle2i.ility to s#end time ,ith my family and to tra$el * Zehr concluded, ()ne of the "reatest #leasures 0 ha$e had ,hile ser$in" as Kitchener<s Mayor has .een the o##ortunity to s#ea- ,ith and hel# so many #eo#le from so many different #arts of our community 'hile 0 ,ill certainly miss that #art of the /o., 0 am confident that the ne2t "eneration of #olitical leaders ,ill continue Kitchener<s lon"Bstandin" traditions of inclusion, com#assion, inno$ation and en"a"ement * B%@B