2021 is shaping up to be another atypical year. Therefore, AMCTO's ideas and recommendations that formed our 2021 Pre-Budget Submission are also somewhat atypical from our usual approach.

Our recommendations are divided into two parts:

1. Small but impactful actions that can relieve burdens so that administrators can focus on managing the pandemic’s impact on their communities and planning for an eventual economic recovery. 

• Extend deadlines in O. Reg. 588/17: Asset Management Planning for Municipal Infrastructure by one year;
• Extend the deadline requiring designated public sector organizations to conform with WCAG 2.0 Level AA to at minimum, January 1, 2022 under the AODA and focus on incremental and continuous website and web content improvements to increase accessibility compliance; and
• Reduce administrative and reporting burden on municipalities and release a list of reports the Province has reduced.

 

2. Municipal recovery and resilience actions that could have positive impacts for Provincial priorities as well as direct or residual benefits for workers, families and businesses who live, work and play in municipalities across Ontario.

• Maintain Provincial Transfer Payments including OMPF, OCIF as well as the Provincial Gas Tax allocations into 2022 and beyond;
• Provide financial support for municipal accessibility projects to communities who need the additional assistance to comply with the AODA;
• Investigate spikes in municipal insurance rates and report back with policy options to support municipal affordability;
• Include municipal administrators to the table in discussions to ensure that digital government policy and implementation work seamlessly and so that the best outcomes for service delivery to our residents can be achieved; and
• Re-invest in an expanded Municipal Internship Program (MIP) delivered by AMCTO.

These recommendations are actions the Province can take to provide some needed assistance to municipalities who are at the heart of Ontario’s economic recovery efforts.

Municipal administrators continue to be on the front lines of this pandemic, working side by side with elected officials, continuing to provide those programs, services and operations upon which taxpayers rely every day. 

Read our full submission here.