As Canada and other countries around the world look for ways to decrease their dependence on fossil fuels and reduce carbon emissions to tackle climate change, the housing and construction industry has been identified as one area that can have an almost immediate impact.

The latest design for the Kitchener transit hub has been presented to the public, and will be open for comments and feedback through December 3. Waterloo Region hopes to put shovels in the ground on the project in the spring.

The projects consist of 2,983 long-term care spaces, including 1,968 new and 1,015 upgraded spaces, and brings the total number of new and upgraded long-term care spaces in the construction pipeline to 22,368.

The tool will develop a benchmark for technology maturity across the industry, and will yield a report that describes the innovation landscape, and what companies can to do advance their innovation capabilities.

When completed, the projects will connect approximately 5,220 more homes and businesses in Bruce County and 3,960 homes and businesses in Grey County, to fast, reliable internet.