Waterloo Region votes to take over A Better Tent City

Tiny homes at A Better Tent City in Kitchener, Ont. were photographed on May 20, 2026. (Heather Senoran/CTV News)

The Region of Waterloo will officially take over a tiny home community in Kitchener, Ont.

On Wednesday, regional council voted 14 – 2 in favour of absorbing A Better Tent City on Ardelt Ave into its broader shelter system and having The Working Centre operate the site. Councillors Michael Harris and Natasha Salonen were the opposing votes.

“It created a real place for people,” Joe Mancini, director of The Working Centre, said. “The region is basically saying we need to keep this going. There’s a lot there that can be supported.”

The site has 42 cabins, but up to 60 long-term residents call it home. Mancini said none of those people will be asked to leave, but there will be other changes.

For the last six years, part of A Better Tent City’s philosophy has been not turning anyone in need away. That policy has led to the community being treated as a quasi drop-in and warming centre for dozens of people.

The open door model that allowed visitors come and go as they pleased will end.

“The reality of visitors in shelters is almost 100 per cent related to safety. It’s really about the safety of the individuals in A Better Tent City,” Mancini explained.

To help the people who will no longer be able to stop by the site for a meal or a shower, the region is setting aside $2.8 million to fund a new drop-in centre.

“It’s very important that those other people that were not permanent residents of A Better Tent City, that we give the assurance that we are going to be looking after them and caring for them and providing services for them into the future.”

The region was told it will cost $2.56 million this year to operate the site and that price tag is expected to increase. An additional $2.5 million may also be needed this year to repair cabins and make improvements to common and shared spaces.

“It is estimated that annual operating costs to operate this site, as well as person and system stabilization costs, will be $5.76 million. The incremental levy impact will be $2.44 million in 2026 and $2.96 million in 2027,” a regional staff report said.

The Working Centre officially takes over the site on July 20.