Public works staff support our community all year long

The lifecycle of a city plant starts at our greenhouse, where Mike and his colleagues determine which plants will be planted in the coming year, then grow them from seed. Horticulturalists monitor conditions as planting season nears and develop planting plans to make sure every garden and planting bed in the city are addressed.Ultimately, each decision is made by our Horticulturalists to maximize the health and longevity of the plants in each space. Throughout the year, they are cared for by Mike and his team with watering, weeding, pruning and shaping in the warmer months, and cutting back or removing annuals in the fall. With weather changing constantly and many beds to care for, timing can be a challenge, but for Mike, the challenges are outweighed by the rewards. 

“It’s nice to be able to see the result of your work in a role like this,” says Mike. “I have people come up to my team all the time and share how much they love the gardens in their neighbhourhoods, so it’s really rewarding to know at the end of every day you’re doing something the community can enjoy!” 

Access to reliable, safe infrastructure improves quality of life and promotes sustainable growth in our cities. Making sure our sanitary and stormwater systems are designed, operated, and maintained to meet these objectives is something Water Resources Engineer Navdeep Kaur works on every day. Her work keeping our waterways clean and sewer systems functioning as designed directly affect our ability to live, work, play and grow. 

 Navdeep’s work primarily involves engineering design review and approval of sanitary and stormwater assets to make sure they align with the City’s, Region of Waterloo’s and Province of Ontario’s rules and regulations. As the city continues to grow and new developments are introduced, her role is critical! Hard surfaces introduced during development activities create more stormwater runoff, so any new development needs to include design solutions to capture runoff to avoid flooding and other damage to our homes, businesses, and public spaces. 

Capturing runoff is important for the safety and functionality of our city but treating that runoff and monitoring water quality is equally important to the safety and functionality of our watersheds. Navdeep and her fellow water resource engineers and technicians monitor how much runoff enters each watershed, develop designs to manage runoff and improve the quality of the runoff before it outlets, and work with the Grand River Conservation Authority to monitor the receiving watersheds to make sure we maintain good water quality for the watershed habitats. 

 Navdeep is also passionate about developing green infrastructure wherever possible, like infiltration galleries that collect and direct stormwater from underground, naturalized channels that collect and convey runoff called bioswales, impervious concrete that better conveys stormwater into the ground, and many other design solutions that are continually being implemented on City projects. 

 “I love looking at the whole picture of how our stormwater management and sanitary system work,” says Navdeep. “From our monitoring program to the ways people manage water in their own yards, it all helps keep the city running smoothly!"

For Alena, one of her favouritepart of her job is working with her team. It takes over 80 custodial staff working around the clock every day of the week to make sure our facilities meet the level of service we expect. These dedicated staff handle everything from maintaining core cleaning duties, sanitize, disinfecting, and garbage removal, to unexpected messes that could make our public spaces unusable if not addressed. With a diverse range of facilities, from Kitchener City Hall to community centres to pools and parks and beyond, her team is specialized and knowledgeable in how to keep all these unique spaces ready for use.    

“Our work is truly a team effort,” says Alena. “My team is there even if you don’t see them, but without their dedication and commitment, we wouldn’t have clean and safe public spaces to enjoy!” 

The city’s wastewater infrastructure is critical to the safety and health of our community, so there is always someone on call to address issues, even in the evenings, on weekends or holidays. Issues at a pumping station could have broader impacts to the functionality of our sewer systems, so they need to be addressed quickly. Problems at local homes can also quickly become bigger issues, so Barry and other members of our Sanitary and Stormwater Utilities team also work to support residents with those challenges to return their home’s systems to a working state as soon as possible. Supporting homeowners, either directly at their homes or through the City’s infrastructure network, is one of the things Barry finds most rewarding. 

"At the end of the day, what we’re doing is making the city safe and healthy for the people who live here,” says Barry. “I work with an incredible team who are all a key part of making that happen behind the scenes. Knowing we’re helping someone at their home on a bad day, or making sure that bad day never happens, is a really special part of this job!” 

 Landscape Architects like Karen look at the city from a holistic perspective, exploring how each new development or green space will impact the community, and finding design solutions that benefit the user, the environment, and the overall experience of the space. Because Karen’s work is not only about designing the physical spaces, but also about supporting the community, an important part of her role is connecting and engaging with the public. She needs to hear from the people who navigate these spaces in the city to understand what they need. As the city continues to evolve, and Karen’s projects along with it, listening to the diverse voices of our community helps her ensure our public spaces will continue to reflect their users. 
 
Integrating environmental principles and elements, innovative designs and amenities, and effectivelycollaborating with the community are some of the many factors Karen considers when designing the spaces Kitchener residents enjoy year-round.   

“I really appreciate seeing these community green spaces transform,” Karen shares. “Being able to watch Kitchener grow and knowing that I've had a hand in the design of some of these public spaces is a rewarding experience.”  

Cory and his fellow KU team members have to be able to respond to any number of issues across the entire gas and water infrastructure network, so they have to be highly trained and certified to address whatever they encounter.They also have to be prepared to respond to changing conditions in the weather, on the roads, or in the spaces where work takes place. The work they are doing, especially in emergency situations, can seldom be deferred, because putting off maintenance or repairs could have serious consequences for the city’s infrastructure and the people using it. While their work can’t be put off, they understand the impact disruption to water and gas services can have on the community, so they strive to give as much notice as possible when shutoffs do need to happen – and above all, they work to make sure our systems are in good condition so those service disruptions are few and far between. 

“Water and gas are one of those things that if you don’t think about them, you know they’re working,” says Cory. “I really enjoy knowing I get to make things work for the people in the city. When I get to find a problem, fix it, and see the positive impact it has on someone in the community, that is a great day on the job!”