How do we retain talent in KW?

[panamaniac]

What are the shortcomings, in your opinion?

In short, Kitchener-Waterloo are boring cities overall. There's not much to do besides going to a bar, restaurant or movie. Culture as almost everyone has said is clearly lacking. The universities are isolated, students struggle to become part of the community and just want to leave when they graduate (this is changing for the better, for sure). There's just not enough variety of activities, but that could just be because of the size of the cities. But in short, and as a young professional, this place can be pretty boring.

Not to be contentious, but I'm reminded of something the late UofW Professor John New told me when I was an undergrad  - "There are no boring places, only boring people".  Forty years later, it still comes to mind.

In any event, I agree that if tech workers are leaving the Region due to lack of amenities to keep them interested in living here, then the Region and municipalities (and the tech sector itself) need to be treating this as a priority.  However, if the complaint is mainly about the lack of nightlife, I'm not sure what can be done as this is a matter for the private sector and I'm not aware that they are unduly constrained by local policies, although I recall that Kitchener has had issues from time to time about the concentration of drinking establishments in the core.