Members of Regional and Local Councils attended the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) annual conference in Niagara Falls, where they met with Provincial leaders to discuss the critical issues facing Halton Region. A key area of focus for these discussions is the significant challenge facing Halton Region as a result of the mandated growth targets set out in the Provincial Places to Grow Act.
We continue to emphasize to Provincial leaders the pressing need to find solutions to ensure the Region can meet provincial growth targets. Halton is mandated to grow to 780,000 by the year 2031, which means the Region needs long-term funding and legislative tools to ensure that taxpayers are not responsible for the financial impacts of growth.
Mayor Rick Goldring, City of Burlington; Mayor Rick Bonnette, Town of Halton Hills; Mayor Gordon Krantz, Town of Milton; Mayor Rob Burton, Town of Oakville; and a number of Regional and local Councillors met with several Provincial leaders:
Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Ted McMeekin, to discuss the need to create affordable housing solutions and conformity with Provincial growth legislation;
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, MPP Indira Naidoo-Harris, to discuss funding for public health programs, ambulance off-loading delays, enhancements to the Central Ambulance Communications Centre (CACC) and community mental health services;
- Minister of Education, Liz Sandals, to discuss the need for long-term funding to support new schools;
- Minister of Transportation, Steven Del Duca, to discuss Halton's community infrastructure needs including GO train service in the Town of Milton and Town of Halton Hills;
- Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry and Burlington MPP, Eleanor McMahon, to discuss Conservation Authority funding and aggregate resources legislation;
- Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, Yasir Naqvi, to discuss the upcoming review of the Police Services Act;
- Attorney General, Madeleine Meilleur, to discuss Halton's immediate need for a new courthouse in the Town of Milton; and
- Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Glen Murray, to discuss waste management legislation and adapting and responding to climate change.
Halton Region continues to advocate to both the Provincial and Federal governments as part of the Region's Advocating for a Strong Halton campaign which highlights the pressing issues facing the Region and identifies the specific action required from both levels of government to address them. To learn more, visit halton.ca/advocacy.