Welcome to Kitchener-Waterloo!

Kitchener Waterloo is a great community

Relocation

  • The Greater KW Chamber of Commerce Relocation Guide is now available online as a pdf document (1,963 KB).

The Waterloo region has great restaurants, live theatre, museums, galleries and a symphony.  Waterloo is a mecca for the arts and culture enthusiast with galleries, studios, museums and festivals at every turn. We're proud to be home to numerous galleries celebrating and showcasing a great diversity of artistic undertakings from native arts to jewelry to modern sculpture and painting.

Our top-ranked universities and community college provide programs to help you and your family reach their educational goals.

The Region of Waterloo is a unique blend of urban and rural. Located just one hour west of Toronto, the Region is made up of the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo as well as the Townships of North Dumfries, Wellesley, Wilmot and Woolwich. It offers visitors to the Region a perfect blend of modern energetic urban centers, as well as scenic rural landscapes.

The Waterloo Region has a prosperous economy and enviable quality of life, that all of us in this area have come to expect living in the Waterloo Region.

Community Resources

Explore our parks, arenas, libraries and trails...

Arts and Culture

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Attractions

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Banking

Many traditional banks, credit unions, and trust companies can be found within the K-W area. Many of these banks will also offer credit cards (both secured & unsecured credit), loans for vehicle purchases, mortgages, and investments. To find out more about each bank, check out their sites:

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Childcare

Check out Child Care Connection for a list of other day care centres listed by city.

The Region of Waterloo also has a very comprehensive New Parent Resource Guide (2006) available with lots of information for new families with children 0 to 6 years of age.

OpenText EAP programs can also assist with resource listings.

Try The Yellow Pages and type in under category "daycare" and your desired city.

Another site to check for daycare centres is the Childcare Directory. This site not only provides a directory of daycare centres in Canada, but also provides some useful links to everyday questions and concerns of parents.

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Dental Care

Most local dental offices accept new patients. For a listing, check the Yellow Pages.

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Entertainment

Numerous types of entertainment are available in Kitchener/Waterloo, from live shows to the KW Symphony, the KW Chamber Music Society, and UW's own orchestra. The KW area also boasts a very active live theatre following, with five theatre groups in the area:

For something closer to home, the University's Theatre Centre also lists a number of events that are put on by both students and faculty. For movie theatre locations, what's playing, and show times, visit The Record Online's Movie Listings.

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Elder Care

Care for your parents may be something you never imagined you would need to think about. The Human Resources Elder Care site on the University of Waterloo website can provide some information about local nursing homes and some useful information about what you need to do to prepare.  OpenText EAP programs can also assist with resource listings.

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Electricity

Waterloo North Hydro is the local provider in Waterloo. In Kitchener, the local provider is Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro. To set up an account, in Waterloo call 519-885-6840 or 519-745-4771 in Kitchener, to speak to a service advisor.

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Events and Festivals

The City of Waterloo takes great pride in the many festivals and events hosted and sponsored in our community year-round. Be certain to check our calendar of events for dates and times as they become available.

Waterloo's newest festival Ice Dogs, occurs annually in February and features an exciting variety of activities centred around ice sculpture demonstrations and live dog-sled competitions.  June sees UpTown Country live on King Street (between Princess and Erb) in UpTown Waterloo. July brings another ever-popular music festival to the UpTown area - the UpTown Waterloo Jazz Festival

The Waterloo Buskers Festival continues growing in popularity over four days late August.  Following closely is the Royal Medieval Faire in Waterloo Park, and the annual Dionysia Wine and Food Festival at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex.  

Annually, Waterloo looks forward to kicking off the Kitchener Waterloo Oktoberfest celebrations by hosting the Mayors Luncheon in Waterloo. Watch the Chronicle and our News for more information as the event approaches. Spas' N Spiel is a non-alcoholic family event including great music, great food and great entertainment.

From December through early January enjoy the Wonders of Winter in Waterloo Park.

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Faith Communities

For those who wish to express their spirituality through participation in faith communities, Waterloo offers a wide range of religious options. To find a faith community, consult the Yellow Pages under "Churches."

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Health Care

Find a Physician - http://www.greaterkwchamber.com/find_physician.asp

24-hour emergency services are available at the Grand River Hospital, 519-749-4242.

The WatPort office or the Health Services can direct you to a family physician and can assist if you are having difficulties finding other medical services.

If you need medical care before you have a family doctor, visit the walk-in clinics listed in the Yellow Pages under "Clinics-Medical."

For more information about community health services and alternative medical care, visit the Region of Waterloo's Public Health site

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Insurance - Home & Auto

UW employees receive group rates on auto and home insurance with two companies:

Other companies may offer competitive rates. Check the Yellow Pages for a full list of local insurance agents, brokers, and companies.

NB - Be warned that most, if not all, insurance companies will only accept a Canadian or American driving record as proof of driving experience. However, a few insurance brokers will try to take into account your foreign driving records and negotiate with the insurance companies to provide a bit better rate than that of an "international driver."

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Job Opportunity Sites for your Spouse and Children/Family

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Media

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Museum & Galleries

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Natural Gas

As most homes in the area are heated by natural gas, Union Gas is the local provider in Waterloo to call; for Kitchener it is Kitchener Utilities. To set up services with Union Gas, call 1-888-774-3111 (press"2" for other inquiries then "2" for moving and new accounts). For services with Kitchener Utilities, call 519-741-2450 and speak with a customer service representative. You will need to have identification ready - your driver's license, SIN, or passport.

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Pet Care

Veterinarians and kennels are listed in the Yellow Pages. Also check this site out to find out what you need to do to bring your pet with you to Waterloo.

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Postal Services

Remember to notify your current postal service of your move and to change your address with Canada Post. There is a fee for the change-of-address form.

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Recreation & Outdoors

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Schooling for your Family

Public Schools

The Ontario Ministry of Education website provides an in-depth description of elementary and secondary education, including curriculum and expectations for each grade level and subject, a school board directory, and an elementary and secondary school finder.

In Ontario, there are two publicly funded school systems, public (non-denominational - Waterloo Region District School Board) and separate (Roman Catholic - Waterloo Catholic District School Board).

Private Schools

The Ministry of Education maintains a directory of private elementary and secondary schools. Information about private schools can be accessed through the Canadian Association of Independent Schools website.

Post-Secondary Education

There are several post-secondary options in the Kitchener-Waterloo area including two universities, and one community college. They offer programs from academic to graphic design and information technologies. The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities provides a good overview of post-secondary education in Ontario and includes useful links to individual universities, colleges of applied arts and technology, privately funded degree-granting institutions, and registered private vocational schools.

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Telephone

Bell Canada provides local and long-distance home telephone services. To set up residential service, call 1-800-668-6878 or visit their website. Bell also provides services for cellular telephones, internet service and digital satellite service for your television and/or computer internet.

For other long-distance services providers, check out the Yellow Pages.

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Television

Rogers Cable is the local cable provider. To arrange for service call 519-823-4570 or visit their website. As with Bell, Rogers can also provide services for cellular telephones, internet services, and digital satellite service for your television and/or computer internet.

Check out the Yellow Pages for other satellite providers.

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Tour & Maps

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Transportation

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Wet/Dry Waste Disposal

The Region of Waterloo collects wet/dry waste and recyclables weekly. Be sure to find out when your area gets its waste picked up.

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Toronto Ontario

Toronto is a cosmopolitan city with a wonderful network of parks, recreational, and cultural facilities. Toronto is the home of four professional sports teams and the third largest English-speaking theatre district in the world, behind New York and London. One of the world's most ethnically diverse cities, it is home to more than 80 ethnic communities from Africa, Asia, and Europe. Toronto is also the business centre of Canada. Here are just some of the many Web sites that contain information about our city. Visit some of the following links to find out more:

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Other

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