The end of the Seiling era
Regional chair shepherded Waterloo Region through decades of growth
Ken Seiling’s office is covered with mementoes.
There are family photographs, a decorated Oktoberfest tankard, a cardboard model of the Ion light-rail train that soon will be running through Kitchener and Waterloo, and two figurines of black-and-white Holstein cows.
The cows are special. They belonged to his grandfather, who owned a dairy, cattle and poultry farm where Seiling often worked as a child.
They’re a daily reminder that Waterloo Region isn’t only the three cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo. It also includes the rural townships of Woolwich, Wilmot, Wellesley and North Dumfries.
Understanding that balance of city and country is key to Seiling’s long stewardship of Waterloo Region, says his friend and longtime colleague on Waterloo regional council, Tom Galloway.
Seiling announced Wednesday that he would not be seeking an 11th term as chair of regional council. He has held the position for 33 years.
“He worked very hard behind the scenes to make sure everyone was getting their piece of the pie, and everybody was pulling in the same direction,” said Galloway.
When the provincial government told Waterloo Region more than a decade ago to plan for another 250,000 people, Seiling was instrumental in crafting a policy that preserved the area’s rich farmland by concentrating most development within the limits of the cities. The plan was so progressive, it eventually became the rule for every municipality in Ontario.
But Seiling made sure that the townships also got to
experience some of the benefits of population growth, in communities like Baden in Wilmot Township.
And the lack of urban sprawl in Waterloo Region means that “no matter where you are, you could be in the country in five, 10 minutes,” he said proudly.
Seiling has lived in Elmira all his life. His three brothers played professional hockey. Seiling became director of the Wellington Country Museum and Archives, was elected Woolwich township councillor in 1976, and township mayor in 1978.
When he became chair of Waterloo Region in 1985, it was known for meat-packing and car-parts manufacturing, not technology. Research In Motion was an infant startup; it would be another 14 years before it would unveil its signature device, the BlackBerry, and put this area on the map.
In the economic transformation that was to come, Seiling says he’d like to think his major accomplishment was “helping the community hang together: Preserving the things that are important to us, but moving forward to accommodate growth.”
He is proud of the fact that Waterloo Region has a strong social conscience including a commitment to affordable housing, and among the highest spending of any municipality in Ontario on items like dental care and eyeglasses for people on the lowest incomes.
On Seiling’s watch, the region was one of the first to ban smoking in public places (during the unhappy transition, one of his daughters visited a local pub and saw a drawing of her father’s face with a bulls-eye drawn on it).
He championed the arts, particularly the Waterloo Region Arts Fund which provides project grants to individuals and groups. And then there was light rail transit. The plan was for the train, running between Fairview Mall in Kitchener and Conestoga Mall in Waterloo, to attract development to the core areas.
It worked. Even though the trains have not arrived yet, more than $2 billion of development is happening beside the tracks. The condos and coffee shops are filled with technology professionals who work nearby.
But the rail plan drew its share of controversy. Some thought the cost was too high.
Seiling became so heavily identified with the project that when a dome was temporarily built at Kitchener’s Victoria Street train overpass to allow concrete to cure without the interference of weather, it was nicknamed “The Ken Ceiling.”
That said, Seiling isn’t one to grab the limelight, Galloway said. “Ken’s style is really an understated leadership.”
It’s said of Seiling that he has two rules: One, for his staff, is that he doesn’t like surprises. If there’s bad news, he wants to know about it before it comes out in the media.
The other is that he won’t make a snap decision. He’ll take a day or two to think.
It could be added that there’s a third rule Seiling makes for himself, and that is to attend as many community events as possible.
“If you invited him to your bake sale, he’d probably show up,” Galloway said.
Seiling says the constant contact with local people helps him to recharge his batteries.
But the main reason he attends so many events is that “so many people are doing good things,” he said.
“It’s my way of saying: ‘You’re appreciated for what you do.’”