As a vital municipal association with membership roots that reach deep into every part of Ontario, AMCTO knows the challenges facing communities. 

Across the province, local governments are confronted with ongoing challenges to meet the complex demands of a well-served and vibrant municipality. As municipal administrators, our members have been on the front lines of this pandemic from the start with many of us having to pivot sharply to adapt our approaches to service delivery and to provide innovative, digital-first solutions to address immediate community needs.

Each of Ontario’s 444 municipalities has been affected in different ways, but we have all faced common challenges including incurring additional costs that were not previously anticipated or budgeted for as a result of needing to adapt our services. We recognize that in the face of these challenges, the primary focus of all provincial political parties is economic recovery and supporting Ontarians. Municipalities, and their administrators, have the same goal and therefore should be considered as key partners in serving the residents of Ontario.

For the first time ever, we have developed a provincial election priorities document that communicates the unique positions of our members and other municipal professionals to those involved in writing party platforms ahead of the 2022 June election. The document also provides recommendations on behalf of our members for the next Provincial government.

These include:

• providing stable, predictable funding and investment;
• supporting continuous improvement through a strengthened municipal-provincial partnership; and
• investing in skills development and training for the next generation of municipal leaders.

Members can use this document to engage in discussions about provincial priorities with your local leaders including members of council and provincial candidates.

A few weeks ago, letters were sent to the major political parties represented in the current legislative session, targeting election platform leads. These letters requested that they review this document and meet with us to discuss how we can work together to ensure the best outcomes for our residents. We look forward to connecting with representatives to discuss these priorities and recommendations further and will be sure to keep you, our members, informed on progress and next steps.

Stay tuned over the coming months for more updates, tools and resources to be released around this project including more in-depth spotlights on each priority and tactics around how we can work together as an association to advance these recommendations. In the meantime, for more information, please do not hesitate to reach out – your feedback is important to help us in continuing to develop and refine our approach to these important advocacy initiatives. Your member needs are at the forefront of what we do and should be supported as an integral part of the next Provincial government’s mandate.