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Amalgamation
#31
I've always seen Cambridge as a very different city from K-W. Growing up in Kitchener, I don't think I had ever been to Cambridge until I was a teenager.
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#32
(01-12-2018, 07:09 PM)jeffster Wrote:
(01-12-2018, 03:03 PM)DHLawrence Wrote: I think it's more the thought of merger than rebranding for people in Waterloo - though using that name would make the merger go down easier for some. Cambridge would be a harder sell - not that anyone's really attached to the identity of Cambridge, but they don't really want to be part of Kitchener, even if it's called Waterloo. (Oddly enough, when the Cambridge merger was imminent, Preston and Hespeler threatened to join Kitchener instead of Galt.)

Any sort of merger, if it were to happen, would likely be named Kitchener because it's by far the largest city.  That said, it will never happen. All 3 cities are very different and have different values. Within Cambridge it's even mixed up. Around there, it's still Galt, Preston and Hespeler.

One day, though, maybe 30-50 years from now, Kitchener/Waterloo/Cambridge/Guelph will look like 1 city to any outsider. Kinda like how when you go to the GTA.

I 100% disagree. The Region of Waterloo is already called Waterloo, so that would be the adopted name of Kitchener+Waterloo. Plus Waterloo is just way more widely known within Canada and worldwide. I really expect an amalgamation within the next 10 years, and ION will accelerate the process.
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#33
(01-12-2018, 08:22 PM)urbd Wrote: I 100% disagree. The Region of Waterloo is already called Waterloo, so that would be the adopted name of Kitchener+Waterloo. Plus Waterloo is just way more widely known within Canada and worldwide. I really expect an amalgamation within the next 10 years, and ION will accelerate the process.

Except when you fly in here from Calgary, Punta Cana, Toronto, Chicago, Ottawa, etc you fly to Kitchener.  Yes, its YKF and officially called the Region of Waterloo International Airport but elsewhere it's called Kitchener.
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#34
I kind of like the Region's split personalities; I'd be sad to see the cities amalgamated.
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#35
(01-12-2018, 08:47 PM)jgsz Wrote:
(01-12-2018, 08:22 PM)urbd Wrote: I 100% disagree. The Region of Waterloo is already called Waterloo, so that would be the adopted name of Kitchener+Waterloo. Plus Waterloo is just way more widely known within Canada and worldwide. I really expect an amalgamation within the next 10 years, and ION will accelerate the process.

Except when you fly in here from Calgary, Punta Cana, Toronto, Chicago, Ottawa, etc you fly to Kitchener.  Yes, its YKF and officially called the Region of Waterloo International Airport but elsewhere it's called Kitchener.

No, you fly to Breslau.
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#36
(01-12-2018, 07:09 PM)jeffster Wrote: Any sort of merger, if it were to happen, would likely be named Kitchener because it's by far the largest city.  That said, it will never happen. All 3 cities are very different and have different values. Within Cambridge it's even mixed up. Around there, it's still Galt, Preston and Hespeler.

One day, though, maybe 30-50 years from now, Kitchener/Waterloo/Cambridge/Guelph will look like 1 city to any outsider. Kinda like how when you go to the GTA.

"Never" is a very long time. I don't think many people in the 70s would have been expecting Metro Toronto to turn into the new City of Toronto, either.

I do think it will happen, but not anytime in the near future.
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#37
(01-12-2018, 08:22 PM)urbd Wrote: I 100% disagree. The Region of Waterloo is already called Waterloo, so that would be the adopted name of Kitchener+Waterloo. Plus Waterloo is just way more widely known within Canada and worldwide. I really expect an amalgamation within the next 10 years, and ION will accelerate the process.

I don't think the "Regional" name would have anything to do with naming the city. Generally it goes by the largest city. But who knows really. But it's not likely any of the cities will merge.

Something to keep in mind, Waterloo has zero visibility from the 401. Until BlackBerry came around, Waterloo wasn't known for a lot of things. No one outside the area referred this to as "Waterloo Region".....Kitchener-Waterloo? Sure. Even CTV is referred to as CTV-Kitchener. The CMA considers Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, not the other way round.

If anything, if the cities were to merge, most likely people outside Kitchener would not be ok with Kitchener, people in Kitchener and Cambridge would not be ok with "Waterloo", and obviously Cambridge would not even be considered. So unless it's provincial or federal government forces a change, nothing is going to happen. And not likely the government will do anything, not after the mess of Metro Toronto and Hamilton-Wentworth.
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#38
(01-12-2018, 09:48 PM)DHLawrence Wrote:
(01-12-2018, 08:47 PM)jgsz Wrote: Except when you fly in here from Calgary, Punta Cana, Toronto, Chicago, Ottawa, etc you fly to Kitchener.  Yes, its YKF and officially called the Region of Waterloo International Airport but elsewhere it's called Kitchener.

No, you fly to Breslau.

Well, if you're ever in Punta Cana, etc., you'll be waiting a long, long, time before Breslau comes up on the screen.  Wink  On the other hand, if Berlin came up on the screen I'd be delighted as I don't care for the name Kitchener. 

   
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#39
(01-12-2018, 11:20 PM)jeffster Wrote:
(01-12-2018, 08:22 PM)urbd Wrote: I 100% disagree. The Region of Waterloo is already called Waterloo, so that would be the adopted name of Kitchener+Waterloo. Plus Waterloo is just way more widely known within Canada and worldwide. I really expect an amalgamation within the next 10 years, and ION will accelerate the process.

I don't think the "Regional" name would have anything to do with naming the city. Generally it goes by the largest city.  But who knows really. But it's not likely any of the cities will merge.

Something to keep in mind, Waterloo has zero visibility from the 401. Until BlackBerry came around, Waterloo wasn't known for a lot of things. No one outside the area referred this to as "Waterloo Region".....Kitchener-Waterloo? Sure. Even CTV is referred to as CTV-Kitchener. The CMA considers Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, not the other way round.

If anything, if the cities were to merge, most likely people outside Kitchener would not be ok with Kitchener, people in Kitchener and Cambridge would not be ok with "Waterloo", and obviously Cambridge would not even be considered. So unless it's provincial or federal government forces a change, nothing is going to happen. And not likely the government will do anything, not after the mess of Metro Toronto and Hamilton-Wentworth.

This is a major part of the reason why I don’t think amalgamation should be discussed — it opens up a huge can of completely unnecessary worms. And as already proven by Toronto and many other examples, amalgamations don’t save as much money as their boosters claim.

But if we gradually upload individual responsibilities to the Region, we get whatever gains are to be had without most of the downside. And in particular, without the need to amalgamate everything all at once. And we don’t ever need to have a discussion around “amalgamation” as such.
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#40
London (the big London) doesn't seem to be hurting too much from not amalgamating 100%. Westminster, Chelsea, Southwark, and dozens of other boroughs still have some degree of independence.
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#41
I think we need to get this thread back on track. Want to talk amalgamation? Lets start a thread for it.
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#42
Hell, there IS a thread for it already! http://www.waterlooregionconnected.com/s...hp?tid=435
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#43
I thought there was, looked in the politics section, saw there wasn't, and made that comment.

Next time, use the search feature haha.
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#44
(01-12-2018, 07:09 PM)jeffster Wrote:
(01-12-2018, 03:03 PM)DHLawrence Wrote: I think it's more the thought of merger than rebranding for people in Waterloo - though using that name would make the merger go down easier for some. Cambridge would be a harder sell - not that anyone's really attached to the identity of Cambridge, but they don't really want to be part of Kitchener, even if it's called Waterloo. (Oddly enough, when the Cambridge merger was imminent, Preston and Hespeler threatened to join Kitchener instead of Galt.)

Any sort of merger, if it were to happen, would likely be named Kitchener because it's by far the largest city.  That said, it will never happen. All 3 cities are very different and have different values. Within Cambridge it's even mixed up. Around there, it's still Galt, Preston and Hespeler.

One day, though, maybe 30-50 years from now, Kitchener/Waterloo/Cambridge/Guelph will look like 1 city to any outsider. Kinda like how when you go to the GTA.

I'm still rooting for #BERLIN
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#45
Grand River, Ontario works for me. We even have a name for the transit system already! :-)
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