Burlington at AMO 2023 Conference Highlights: Advancing Local Issues with Ontario’s Ministers

The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) held its 2023 AGM & Conference in London, Ont., from Aug. 20-23. This year’s conference featured plenary stage remarks from provincial leaders, a Ministers’ Forum, the annual Women’s Leadership Panel, and opening keynote speaker, the Hon. Catherine McKenna, former Minister of the Environment and Climate Change. As well, AMO once again offered a slate of concurrent sessions addressing some of the most pressing municipal issues we’re facing today. A summary of AMO’s priorities for its 2023 Conference is available via the link.

I arrived Saturday (Aug. 19) for the AMO Board meeting, where I sit as a member of the AMO Board’s Large Urban Caucus.

On Sunday (Aug. 20), as chair of the Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) caucus, I co-chaired a joint OBCM and Mayors and Regional Chairs of Ontario (MARCO) caucus meeting alongside MARCO Chair and Region of Waterloo Chair Karen Redman. We welcomed the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Hon. Steve Clark, with Associate Minister of Housing, the Hon. Nina Tangri, to speak about current provincial housing policies. The discussion focused on our shared housing goal of 1.5 million homes by 2031 and how collaboration with the Province and all housing partners in the home building sector is the only way to ensure we reach our target. This message was also the focus of the recently released report by Mike Moffatt’s the PLACE Centre in partnership with OBCM titled “Working Together to Build 1.5 Million Homes” (found here).

At the joint meeting, OBCM and MARCO passed several resolutions focusing on issues impacting our cities and regions. These included motions on:

• Long-term Provincial and Federal Support and Planning Assistance for Newcomers – Including Refugees and Asylum Seekers;
• The Gender and Intimate Partner Violence Epidemic; and
• Strengthening Municipal Codes of Conduct in Ontario.

On Tuesday (Aug. 22), I moderated a panel session called “The Evolving Provincial Housing Framework” where we discussed what has been working in the housing and development sector, what hasn’t been working and some possible solutions. The panelists included:

• Bonnie Clark, Warden of Peterborough County;
• Eldon Theodore, Partner, MHBC Planning, Urban Design & Landscape Architecture;
• Carrie O’Brien, Land Development Planner, Drewlo Holdings Inc.; and
• Sara Beyer, Senior Analyst, Ontario Chamber of Commerce. 

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced the Building Homes Faster Fund at the AMO conference. A three-year, $1.2 billion fund that will provide funding for municipalities that achieve 80% of their housing pledge targets, and bonuses for those that achieve more than 100%. Part of the funding, 10% of dollars will be for rural and northern municipalities. The Premier also announced extending the Strong Mayor Powers to an additional 21 municipalities whose population is targeted to increase over 50,000 and who pledge to meet the Province’s growth targets. Click/tap here for more details.

OBCM released a statement in response to the announcement of the new fund. Please click/tap the link for more.

Also at the conference, Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark announced that the regional review facilitators will be appointed by Sept. 11 for several Regions including the Region of Halton. We will be ready to share our thoughts with the facilitator. For more information and background, see the resolution we unanimously approved at our May 16 Burlington City Council meeting that laid out our city’s expectations for the upcoming Provincial review of regional governments.

In addition to the workshops and sessions, municipal officials and staff have the chance to meet with provincial ministers to discuss issues particular to their communities and share what’s happening in their municipalities.

I was part of two delegations:

• The City of Burlington — that also included members of Council and senior City staff;
• OBCM — that included Mayors of 29 single and lower-tier cities with a population of 100,000 or more, who collectively represent nearly 70 per cent of Ontario’s population.

Below is a high level summary of the Ministers’ meetings for each of the delegations at the AMO 2023 Conference that took place from Sunday, Aug. 20 to Tuesday, Aug. 22.

For the City of Burlington delegation meetings, those will be followed up with a thank you letter to each minister/ministry outlining agreed upon actions, as well as the presentations that formed the basis of our discussion. The presentations for Burlington delegation are also available via links in this post.

Also included in this post are links to advocacy documents from the Region of Halton that were shared with all the Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) who represent Halton, for the 2023 AMO Conference.

City of Burlington Delegation Meetings

Minister of the Environment, Conservation & Parks, the Hon. David Piccini:

Presentation Materials: AMO 2023 – Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks – CoB Presentation

In attendance: Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, Councillor Angelo Bentivegna, City Manager Tim Commisso, and Government Relations Manager Helen Walihura.

Purpose of Meeting:

• Community tax incentives/grants for deep home energy retrofit programs;
• Funding to support alternative fueled vehicles and infrastructure for municipal fleets (EV/Hydrogen); and
• Community tax incentives/grants to support EV vehicle purchase and charging infrastructure.

Burlington Requests:

• Invest in municipal infrastructure and funding programs to help people prepare for a warmer, wetter and wilder climate. For example: grants for flood proofing homes and the installation of air source heat pumps, Ontario Building Code updates to ensure structures are more resilient to windstorms;
• Protect natural heritage lands to reduce flood risk; and
• Coordinate efforts with other ministries to ensure support for climate mitigation efforts, geothermal, district energy and electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure requirements in new housing.

Ontario NDP Caucus with Party Leader & Davenport MPP Marit Stiles:

Presentation Materials: AMO 2023 – Ontario NDP Caucus – CoB Presentation

In attendance: Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, City Manager Tim Commisso, and Government Relations Manager Helen Walihura.

Purpose of Meeting:

• Key City of Burlington priorities.

Green Party of Ontario Caucus with Party Leader & Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner:

Presentation Materials: AMO 2023 – Green Party of Ontario Caucus – CoB Presentation

In attendance: Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, City Manager Tim Commisso, and Government Relations Manager Helen Walihura.

Purpose of Meeting:

• Key City of Burlington priorities.

Minister of Transportation, the Hon. Caroline Mulroney:

Presentation Materials: AMO 2023 – Ministry of Transportation – CoB Presentation

In attendance: Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, Councillors Kelvin Galbraith & Paul Sharman, City Manager Tim Commisso, and Government Relations Manager Helen Walihura.

Purpose of Meeting:

• Update on the QEW Prosperity Corridor Study.

Burlington Requests:

• Renewed commitment and continued support of Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) leadership to ensure the study progresses through the analysis phases and meets the targeted Q4 2023 timeline for completion;
• Leverage future Provincial work through the 403 and QEW corridors to coordinate permits and construction activities associated with key infrastructure projects (extension of South Service Road, installation of bridge footings east of Brant Street); and
• Improved alignment with the City as it relates to the immediate need to consider urban street design standards and increased tolerance for congestion and delay within an urban context. Development of the Prosperity Corridor and adjacent Major Transit Station Areas (MTSAs) require assessment of traffic conditions with an urban lens, increased tolerance for capitated traffic conditions, and an emphasis on sustainable modes of travel.

Attorney General of Ontario, the Hon. Doug Downey:

Presentation Materials: AMO 2023 – Ministry of the Attorney General – CoB Presentation

In attendance: Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, Councillor Paul Sharman, City Manager Tim Commisso, and Government Relations Manager Helen Walihura.

Purpose of Meeting:

• Additional judicial services for the Central West Region.

Burlington Requests:

• Take steps to expeditiously fill existing Justice of the Peace vacancies;
• Allocate additional funding to create more Justice of the Peace positions;
• Advocate with the Chief Justice of Ontario to provide additional Justice of the Peace appointments to the Central West Region; and
• Develop legislative changes that would modernize provincial offences and allow for greater access to justice.

•                    •                    •

Region of Halton Advocacy Documents

The Region of Halton prepared advocacy documents for the 2023 AMO Conference that were shared with all of the MPPs who represent Halton: Natalie Pierre (Burlington MPP), Effie Triantafilopoulos (Oakville North-Burlington MPP), Parm Gill (Milton MPP), Stephen Crawford (Oakville MPP), and Ted Arnott (Wellington-Halton Hills MPP).

The documents highlight the following priority issues for Halton:

• Support to deliver new assisted and supportive housing;
• Support for increased housing supply; and
• Additional investment for expansion of the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care System in Halton.

•                    •                    •

OBCM Delegation Meetings

Minister of Tourism, Culture & Sport, the Hon. Neil Lumsden:

In attendance: OBCM Chair & Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic, Kingston Mayor Bryan Paterson, Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie, Brantford Mayor Kevin Davis, Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath, Greater Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre, Whitby Mayor Elizabeth Roy, Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff, and OBCM staff.

Purpose of Meeting:

• How OBCM’s Health and Homelessness Strategy will help local tourism industries and business communities;
  • Impact of not addressing homelessness on the tourism industry;
  • Overview of OBCM’s Health and Homelessness Strategy; and
• Overview of OBCM Key Priorities.

Parliamentary Assistants MPP Christine Hogath & MPP Bob Bailey on behalf of Minister of the Solicitor General of Ontario, the Hon. Michael Kerzner:

In attendance: OBCM Chair & Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, Brantford Mayor Kevin Davis, Greater Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre, Oakville Mayor Rob Burton, OBCM Vice-Chair & London Mayor Josh Morgan, Thunder Bay Mayor Ken Boschcoff, and OBCM staff.

Purpose of Meeting:

• Bail compliance and safety in our communities; and
• Overview of OBCM Key Priorities.

Minister of Finance, the Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy:

In attendance: OBCM Chair & Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, Kingston Mayor Bryan Paterson, Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic, Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie, Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown, Greater Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre, Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe, St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe, Whitby Mayor Elizabeth Roy, Richmond Hill Mayor David West, and OBCM staff.

Purpose of Meeting:

• Express it is time for all levels of government to work together on a new municipal fiscal framework;
• Requesting more detail on how the Province will “keep municipalities whole” from the effects of Bill 23; and
• Reminder of OBCM Key Priorities.

Attorney General of Ontario, the Hon. Doug Downey:

In attendance: OBCM Chair & Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, Oakville Mayor Rob Burton, OBCM Vice-Chair & London Mayor Josh Morgan, St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe, Whitby Mayor Elizabeth Roy, Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff, Thunder Bay Mayor Ken Boshcoff, and OBCM staff.

Purpose of Meeting:

• Bail reform;
• Express the need for more Justices of the Peace in our municipalities to tackle the currently backlog in our judicial system; and
• Reminder of OBCM Key Priorities.

Minister of Public & Business Service Delivery, the Hon. Kaleed Rasheed:

In attendance: OBCM Chair & Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, Oakville Mayor Rob Burton, acting-Mississauga Mayor Alvin Tedjo, Thunder Bay Mayor Ken Boshcoff, and OBCM staff.

Purpose of Meeting:

• Status of consultation on locate provisions through One Call; and
• Overview of OBCM Key Priorities.

Minister of Energy, the Hon. Todd Smith:

In attendance: Kingston Mayor Bryan Paterson, Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie, Brantford Mayor Kevin Davis, Greater Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre, Oakville Mayor Rob Burton, Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe, St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe, Whitby Mayor Elizabeth Roy, and OBCM staff.

Purpose of Meeting:

• How municipalities can work with the Ministries of Energy and the Environment to meet our net-zero goals;
• Express the need for municipal engagement on future energy planning to ensure energy requirements for our growing communities are met; and
• Overview of OBCM Key Priorities.

Minister of Children, Community & Social Services; the Hon. Michael Parsa; Associate Minister of Housing, the Hon. Nina Tangri; Associate Minister of Mental Health & Addictions, the Hon. Michael Tibollo; & Associate Minister of Women’s Social & Economic Opportunity, the Hon. Charmaine Williams:

In attendance: OBCM Vice-Chair & London Mayor Josh Morgan, Kingston Mayor Bryan Paterson, Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie, and OBCM staff.

Purpose of Meeting:

• A special plenary meeting to discuss a path forward for OBCM’s Health and Homelessness Strategy; and
• Overview of OBCM Key Priorities.

Minister of Colleges & Universities, the Hon. Jill Dunlop:

In attendance: acting-Mississauga Mayor Alvin Tedjo, Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath, St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe, Greater Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre, Oakville Mayor Rob Burton, Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe, Whitby Mayor Elizabeth Roy, Richmond Hill Mayor David West, and OBCM staff.

Purpose of Meeting:

• Request that federal, provincial and municipal governments, as well as the higher education sector, all be at the table when planning student population increases and how housing needs for these increases will be managed, as well as plans for any new programs to get more young people trained in the skills we need to get more homes built in Ontario; and
• Review of OBCM Key Priorities.

Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training & Skills Development, MPP Deepak Anand:

In attendance: OBCM Chair & Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath, Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe, acting-Mississauga Mayor Alvin Tedjo, and OBCM staff.

Purpose of Meeting:

• Discuss the labour shortage and its impact on reaching our shared housing goals;
• Express how all levels of government need to be aware of federal immigration targets with enough time to adapt to new housing needs in our municipalities; and
• Overview of OBCM Key Priorities.

RELATED LINKS:

• AMO News Release: Policy Update – Busy AMO 2023 Conference Achieves Momentum Across Priorities 
• OBCM News Release: Ontario’s Big City Mayors Meet with Regional Chairs and Provincial Ministers at Association of Municipalities of Ontario 2023 Conference
• Provincial Government News Release: Ontario Making Progress on Work to Build at Least 1.5 Million Homes, Regional Review Facilitators to be Appointed by Sept. 11
• Provincial News Release: To Build More Homes, Ontario Launching Building Faster Fund & Expanding Strong Mayor Powers
• OBCM Statement: Ontario’s Big City Mayors Statement on Premier Ford’s Announcement of the Building Faster Fund
• OBCM News Release: The PLACE Centre at Smart Prosperity Institute Releases Housing Report in Collaboration with Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM)