Amalgamation

[jeffster]

Grand River's long been my preferred name should we amalgamate since most regional services get that name. If amalgamation is pushed by the government it will almost certainly just be Waterloo though. I think most importantly it's already the name of the Regional Municipality. Changing it would kick off a process and debate that wouldn't end with any more people being happy about the name, and it would cost more money than I think the province would want to spend.

I'm pretty sure neither Cambridge nor Kitchener would want Waterloo.

As for the naming the new city to anything, some things to keep in mind from outside the region perspective:

YKF = It's known as Kitchener (not from the K in YKF, that's just coincidence I believe)
VIA = Kitchener
GO = Kitchener Line
CTV = CTV Kitchener
Kitchener CMA (Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo)
Kitchener Rangers (I realize that this is minor league, but at 7,000+ per game, it's an important venue)

This are all major factors.

If past history means anything, Kitchener might be the choice if for any reason being close to the same size, population wise, as Cambridge and Waterloo combined. (233,222 for Kitchener versus 234,906 for Cambridge and Waterloo). Past history as in other cities that have amalgamated.

Changing things to Kitchener really doesn't have much an effect on outside the region, no changes really need to be made. Everything in Cambridge and Waterloo stays the same. Another benefit to Kitchener is that it is a fairly unique name. Unless you're from Australia (Kitchener has a population of 500), there is no confusion. In the US, there are several Waterloo's, including a city with an airport (Iowa), though there might be more. Same application with Cambridge, as there are a lot of them.

Of course, this discussion might very well be a waste of time, as nothing might change.