Logistics

Welcome to Canada!

Location

The Build Peace 2026 conference will be held at the CIGI Campus, located at 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The campus is situated in Uptown Waterloo with convenient access to public transit, restaurants, and a large public park. It is also home to the Balsillie School of International Affairs, one of the conference partners.

About Waterloo

Waterloo region, which includes the neighbouring cities of Waterloo, Kitchener, and Cambridge, has a population of over 700,000 people, and is situated along the Grand River on the traditional territory of ‎the Attawandaron (Neutral), Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. The first permanent white settlers in the early 19th century were Mennonites, a pacifist Christian tradition, and the region is now one of the most multicultural communities in Canada.

Waterloo is home to several institutions of higher education, including the University of Waterloo, a top research university with the oldest peace studies program in Canada. UWaterloo is better known for its co-operative education model and entrepreneurship programs, which contribute to a vibrant technology innovation ecosystem that includes hundreds of start-ups and some of the world’s biggest tech companies.

Travel

Travelers to Waterloo from outside Canada typically use Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ – 100 km away). Within North America, there are limited flight options to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ – 110 km away), John Munro Hamilton International Airport (YHM – 75 km away), and the Region of Waterloo International Airport (YKF – 15 km away). 

Visa Support

Please check this link to confirm if you need a visitor visa to enter Canada.  You are responsible for your own visa process, however please write to buildpeace@howtobuildup.org with your full name, as it appears on your passport, along with any other required details if you need a letter from the conference organizers to support your application.

Weather

In mid-November, the temperature in Waterloo usually ranges from –1 to +8 °C. 

[Check back as more logistics guidance will continue to be added]