WRCF launches Vital Ideas®: Social Infrastructure and Places – a new report exploring how the spaces we share shape connection in Waterloo Region
For Immediate Release | June 10, 2026
WATERLOO REGION, ON — The places where people gather, linger, and return are more than physical spaces. They are the building blocks of connection, belonging, and community life. Today, Waterloo Region Community Foundation (WRCF) releases Vital Ideas®: Social Infrastructure and Places – a new report that deepens the conversation started by the Waterloo Region's 2025 Vital Signs® Report and asks how our region can design, invest in, and protect the places that bring people together.
In 2026 and 2027, WRCF will be releasing a series of Vital Ideas® reports, each taking one idea raised by Vital Signs® and examining it in greater depth – through new lenses, voices and perspectives. This first report focuses on the importance of place. Written in partnership with Lead Author and Researcher Dr. Troy Glover, Professor in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies and Director of the Healthy Communities Research Network at the University of Waterloo, the report explores the difference between spaces that people occupy and places people genuinely return to – and what it takes to close that gap.
As Waterloo Region continues to grow, the report makes clear that growth alone does not guarantee connection. The data shows that belonging is under pressure, and that the physical and social conditions of our shared spaces play a direct role in whether people feel seen, welcomed, and part of something larger than themselves.
The report highlights:
Six in 10 Canadians having little or no sense of community – underscoring the urgency of investing in places designed to foster belonging.
91% of Canadians believe shared community spaces help build strong communities.
“When we talk about social infrastructure, we're really talking about the everyday places that hold a community together – the market, the library, the park bench, the community centre,” says Eric Avner, President & CEO, Waterloo Region Community Foundation. “In Waterloo Region, those places are under pressure, and the data tells us that belonging and connection are slipping. This report is an invitation to take that seriously – and to act on it. WRCF is committed to keeping this conversation going until it turns into investment and change.”
The report is available at wrcf.ca/vital-signs.
Waterloo Region’s Vital Ideas® Report on Social Infrastructure and Places would not have been possible without the funding provided by our sponsors, including Caldwell Group at Richardson Wealth, Equitable, and HIP Developments.
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About Waterloo Region Community Foundation
Waterloo Region Community Foundation (WRCF) is focused on making it easy for people to do more good. WRCF collaborates with partners to ensure communities across Waterloo Region are equitable, connected, and sustainable; and people are thriving. We work with individuals and companies to support the organizations and issues they care about.
WRCF drives measurable and sustainable impacts through Granting, Investing, and Mobilizing. Gifts are directed to WRCF's endowed funds, with the income generated being distributed in partnership with Fundholders through grants and investments that support a wide range of charitable causes that drive positive change within our community. We are growing our assets in a socially-responsible way without compromising financial returns, and transitioning to a 100% mission-aligned portfolio. These investments include directing at least 10% of our portfolio to impact investments. As a leading community-building organization, we also work to amplify voices and issues of importance by mobilizing conversations and sharing information, which leads people to action, while approaching our work with an equity mindset.
In 2026, WRCF continues to prioritize improving Waterloo Region’s social infrastructure. www.wrcf.ca
About Vital Signs
Vital Signs® is a community check-up conducted by community foundations across Canada that measures the vitality of our communities and identifies significant trends in a range of areas critical to quality of life. Vital Signs® is coordinated nationally by Community Foundations of Canada.
For additional information about this release or to schedule an interview, please contact:
Lynne Short
Vice President, Waterloo Region Community Foundation
519-725-1806 x 204
lynne@wrcf.ca
