What Working For You Means to Richie Nanan
A stronger Ward 7, together
Ward 7 deserves safe streets, welcoming community spaces, reliable infrastructure and local leadership that listens and follows through. Richie Nanan is running to bring an accessible, accountable and community-focused approach to City Council.
His priorities reflect his experience as a longtime resident, his community service and his conversations with neighbours. He will work to make City services more responsive, advocate for fair investment in Ward 7 and keep residents informed about the decisions that affect their lives.
1. Promoting and Supporting Community Wellbeing
Everyone deserves to feel safe, respected and welcome in their neighbourhood. City services should support that sense of security and respond when residents experience harm.
Prevent the misuse of bylaw complaints
Richie will seek a review of how the City handles repeated complaints that may be deliberately false or used to harass a household. He will advocate for clear review procedures, appropriate safeguards and accountability for intentional misuse, while protecting residents’ ability to report legitimate concerns.
His own family’s experience with a hate-motivated incident and repeated bylaw complaints has made this issue deeply personal. He believes residents deserve fair treatment, clear communication and meaningful follow-up when they ask the City for help.
Improve support for people experiencing hate
Richie will work with City staff and community organizations, including the Centre for Mutual Wellbeing, to advocate for clearer and more accessible ways to report hate incidents and find support. Residents should be able to understand where to turn, how their concerns will be handled and what follow-up they can expect, including when an incident does not result in criminal charges.
Make community spaces more accessible
Richie will advocate for expanded evening and weekend access at Forest Heights Community Centre, alongside progress on its expansion. He will work with residents and staff to identify programming and gathering spaces that better serve families, young people, older adults and people with disabilities.
Address lighting and visibility concerns
Richie will ask the City to review locations where inadequate lighting or overgrown vegetation limits visibility along sidewalks and public spaces. He will advocate for targeted lighting improvements and responsible tree maintenance that support safer travel after dark while protecting the urban canopy.
Build connections across cultures and communities
Richie will invite cultural organizations, places of worship and community groups to help host welcoming ward meetings and conversations. By rotating meetings through accessible community venues, he aims to give neighbours more opportunities to connect, learn from one another and participate in local decisions.
2. Advancing Pedestrian-Compromised Infrastructures
Walking to school, cycling to work or crossing the road to catch a bus should feel safe and accessible. Richie will make pedestrian safety and traffic calming priorities for Ward 7.
Advance traffic calming where it is needed
Richie will press for a review of outstanding traffic-calming needs, with particular attention to Eastforest Trail and Westforest Trail. He will seek clear explanations of project priorities, proposed measures and implementation schedules, and advocate for solutions that address safety throughout the year.
Put school routes first
Richie will work with residents, schools and transportation staff to identify speeding concerns, difficult crossings and gaps in walking and cycling routes. He will push for effective measures around school zones and ask that their results be reviewed, so safety improvements are judged by how well they work.
Improve crossings near roundabouts and The Boardwalk
Richie will raise concerns about pedestrian and cyclist safety along Ira Needles Boulevard and around The Boardwalk with Regional representatives and transportation staff. He will request assessments of crossing locations, visibility, accessibility and appropriate crossing controls, with changes guided by safety evidence and the needs of people using those routes.
Make safety information easier to find
Richie will advocate for accessible information about collision patterns, reported concerns and planned improvements. Residents should have a clear way to identify problem locations and see how those concerns are being addressed.
Pursue available road-safety funding
Richie will work to identify City, Regional and other eligible funding opportunities for school-zone safety, traffic calming and safer crossings. He will advocate for Ward 7 projects to receive fair consideration and for available funding to be used effectively.
3. Improving Infrastructure Planning
Growth needs to be supported by dependable services and well-coordinated infrastructure. Richie will advocate for planning that considers long-term needs, reduces avoidable disruption and respects public money.
Coordinate roadwork and capital projects
Richie will press for better coordination between the City, the Region and utilities so that resurfacing, reconstruction and other major work are planned together wherever possible. When a road needs interim repairs before a larger project, residents deserve a clear explanation of the safety needs, costs and alternatives.
He will advocate for an accessible public map showing planned capital work, expected schedules and whether projects are confirmed or awaiting approval. Better information will help residents and businesses prepare for disruption and understand how decisions are made.
Make transit stops easier and safer to reach
Richie will bring residents’ concerns about bus-stop locations to Grand River Transit and the appropriate transportation staff. He will advocate for reviews of stops near roundabouts, busy entrances and difficult crossings, including along Highland Road West, with attention to accessible walking routes, visibility and safe connections.
Improve water-system accountability
Richie will seek clear reporting on water loss, leak detection, watermain renewal and the maintenance priorities affecting local service. He will also advocate for understandable public explanations of how water capacity and allocation decisions affect growth, working with City and Regional partners to support responsible planning.
Plan services alongside new housing
Richie supports a coordinated approach to growth that considers community spaces, safe crossings, transit access, childcare and recreation alongside new homes. For developments such as 1388 Highland Road West, he will ask how surrounding infrastructure and services will support both existing and future residents.
4. Initiating Policy-Management Efficacy
Residents deserve to know what has been promised, what has been approved and what is actually moving forward. Richie will focus on practical follow-through and fair access to community investment.
Move the Forest Heights Community Centre expansion forward
Richie will press for a clear, publicly available account of the expansion’s scope, funding, milestones and expected construction schedule. He will seek regular progress updates and explanations when plans change, while advocating for improvements to access and programming in the meantime.
Advocate for fair recreation investment
Richie will request a transparent review of investment in parks, trails and recreation facilities across Kitchener, including how spending responds to population growth and community need. He will work with Ward 7 residents to identify priorities for improved amenities and advocate for those needs in budget discussions.
Support resident-led neighbourhood associations
Richie will help residents explore establishing or re-establishing City-affiliated neighbourhood associations in Forest Heights and Highland West. He will connect interested neighbours with City staff, organizational support and eligible opportunities through Love My Hood and neighbourhood grants. Strong associations can help residents shape local projects, organize activities and speak collectively about community needs.
Make development commitments visible
Richie will advocate for timely access to planning documents, design proposals and clear explanations of development commitments. Residents should be able to understand proposed height and scale, accessibility, affordable housing commitments and changes affecting surrounding homes—and have meaningful opportunities to participate before decisions are made.
Support affordable and accessible housing
Richie will advocate for housing choices that respond to different incomes, household needs and abilities. He will ask clear questions about affordability commitments, accessible design and parking, and how approved housing projects are progressing toward occupancy.
Bring dignity and accountability to homelessness discussions
Richie’s work supporting St. John’s Kitchen and Outreach has reinforced his belief that every person deserves dignity, safety and a path to stable housing. He will raise questions about barriers to opening available housing, advocate for coordination with Regional housing partners and bring that perspective to City decisions affecting public spaces and people experiencing homelessness.
5. Build Trust and Create Transparency For Responsible Governance
Trust grows when residents can reach their representative, understand decisions and see what happens after they raise a concern. Richie will make communication and follow-through central to his work.
Hold regular, accessible ward meetings
Richie will hold monthly ward meetings on a published schedule, with opportunities for residents to ask questions, share concerns and discuss local priorities. He will work with community partners to offer welcoming, accessible venues and share updates for residents who cannot attend.
Open up community decision-making
Richie will advocate for public information about the Forest Heights Community Centre Advisory Committee, including its role, membership, meeting schedule and available meeting records, with appropriate privacy protections.
Give residents clear notice before decisions
Richie will push for understandable, timely communication about planning applications and other decisions affecting Ward 7. Notices should explain what is proposed, how residents can participate, when decisions will be made and where to find the relevant documents.
Explain taxes, fees and spending plainly
Richie will provide clear explanations of the City, Regional and education portions of property taxes, alongside separate utility charges. He will advocate for budget information that shows what is changing, why costs are rising and which services residents are paying for.
Track commitments and report progress
Richie will publish a Ward 7 progress tracker covering his commitments, key local projects and issues residents have raised. Updates will distinguish between proposals, approved work and completed projects, identify the responsible organization and explain delays or outstanding decisions. Residents deserve an honest account of both progress and work still to be done.
Rooted in Ward 7. Ready to serve.
Richie brings a BA (Hons) in Law and Society, an LLB (Hons), community service and lived experience to his candidacy. As a first-generation Canadian with roots in Trinidad and Tobago, a person of colour, a member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and a person with a disability, he understands why representation, accessibility and inclusion matter.
Kitchener has been his home for nearly 30 years. He is running to serve his neighbours, strengthen community connections and help build a Ward 7 where everyone feels heard, respected and welcome.
Vote Richie Nanan for Ward 7 Councillor, Kitchener.