The Ontario government heard that the local municipality should decide what is best for them in terms of governance, decision-making and service delivery. After careful consideration of the feedback we heard through the course of the extensive review, our government stands firm in its commitment to partnering with municipalities. We will provide municipalities with the resources to support local decision-making.
“As I made it perfectly clear before, my belief was Oakville would remain a distinct municipality within a two-tier region of Halton. I strongly represented the voice of Oakville residents every day,” states Oakville MPP Stephen Crawford. “MPP Effie Triantafilopoulos and I established a petition to collect your signatures since the Spring of 2019, we had countless discussions with our colleagues at the Legislature on this matter, and we consistently communicated with constituents. I would like to thank and recognize the entire team at We Love Oakville, and the residents of Oakville for working hard together as a community to ensure that we continue to live in our remarkable town of Oakville.”
As a result of the regional review, Ontario is providing up to $143 million to municipalities to help them lower costs and improve services for local residents over the long term. Funding will be available to all 444 municipalities so they can find smarter, more efficient ways to operate and focus spending on vital programs and services for Ontarians.
Our government is extending two application-based funding streams: one for small and rural municipalities, and one for large urban governments. The 2020 Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund will have the same structure as this year and provide a total of $500 million to 389 municipalities across the province. Ontario will also launch a consultation with municipalities about whether to align the municipal and provincial fiscal year to ensure better fiscal management and predictability. Our government is proposing to eliminate duplication by combining the provincial and municipal voters lists, giving Elections Ontario the responsibility of managing the updated list and taking the burden off of municipalities.
We are fortunate to live in such a wonderful community with so many engaged citizens who are passionate about Oakville. I am honoured to represent our community as your Member of Provincial Parliament.