AMCTO Policy Blog


Legislative and policy updates from Ontario's largest municipal professional association.
Government of Ontario Tables Fall Economic Statement
2016-11-14 2:18:15 PM

Today the Government of Ontario tabled its fall economic statement, which was full of measures designed to address the high cost of housing for first time homeowners. Under the government's new plan first time homebuyers would be exempted from paying the Land Transfer Tax (LT...





Government Consulting on Cycling Strategy
2016-11-14 9:15:15 AM

The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) is conducting consultations on its proposed cycling strategy. The strategy, which is a part of the government's broader Climate Change Action Plan, is organized around five themes: Designing healthy, active, and prosperous communities ...





Government Consulting on Basic Income Pilot
2016-11-11 10:30:49 AM

The government is looking for feedback as it designs a new basic income pilot project. This pilot project is meant to test whether or not a basic income is a more effective way of lifting people out of poverty than the province's current social security infrastructure. The gov...





2017 OMPF Allocations Announced
2016-11-11 9:00:04 AM

Yesterday the Ministry of Finance issued the 2017 allocation notices for funding under the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF) . 388 municipalities across the province will receive OMPF funding in 2017. See below for more details on 2017 allocations. While the overall f...





Think Tank Calling for Targeted Funding for Economic Development in Ontario's...
2016-11-10 11:30:23 AM

The Northern Policy Institute (NPI) is calling on the government of Ontario to introduce new targeted economic development stimulus spending for northern Ontario.  According to NPI, northern Ontario is facing unique economic challenges, including labour shortages, and chronic ...





More American States Vote to Legalize Recreational Marijuana
2016-11-10 9:36:45 AM

Voters in California, Massachusetts, and Nevada all voted to fully legalize marijuana for recreation purposes in Tuesday's US general election. They join Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington State, and the District of Columbia, where recreational marijuana use is already permi...





Province to Introduce Legislation Allowing Municipalities to Use Photo Radar
2016-11-09 3:44:57 PM

The government has announced its plans to introduce legislation that would allow municipalities to use photo radar to detect speeding, amongst other measures designed to fight speeding. Specifically, the government's proposal would allow municipalities to: Use automated ...





Fall Economic Update Includes Increased Funding for Infrastructure
2016-11-03 12:05:35 PM

The federal government's fall economic statement, announced this week by Finance Minister Bill Morneau, included an even greater focus on infrastructure spending than the spring budget. Specifically the fall economic update included the following new announcements: The $...





Province Announces New Investments in Housing and Homelessness
2016-11-03 10:07:31 AM

The government announced yesterday that it is increasing its investments to help municipalities work with individuals and families to find safe and affordable housing. The government is investing an additional $15 million in the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative (CH...





PBO Predicts Lower Than Expected Revenue from Marijuana Legalization
2016-11-03 9:55:11 AM

A new report from the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) predicts that government proceeds from legalizing marijuana will be lower than expected, forecasting government revenue in the millions not billions of dollars. The report argues that the government's aim of decre...





Pages: 70 of 98