December 29, 2008 - THE RECORD

After years of struggling, Kitchener's core appears to be offering some welcome signs of vigour. Waterloo's core, which has usually seemed vibrant, also appears to be doing even better.

This positive information comes from statistics compiled about the number of new jobs in the cores. Kitchener's economic development department says 407 more people are working in the core this year. Considering the difficulty Kitchener has had trying to rebuild its core, this statistic is pleasantly surprising.

Interestingly, Kitchener seems to be benefitting from being close to Waterloo's high-tech companies. John Vickery, manager of marketing and leasing for Realex Properties, said Kitchener's downtown offers technology companies an affordable alternative to Waterloo.

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In Waterloo, the Uptown Waterloo Business Improvement Area estimates that 2,300 employees have moved into the area in the last three years.

Statistics for Cambridge won't be available until January, but they will be watched with interest.

Whether job growth in all the cores will be affected by the recession is a question to be answered in future, but there is little doubt this region is as well-prepared as any in Canada to deal with harder economic times. The cores offer us all real hope for the future.