Advocating for a Strong Halton

Halton Region provides quality essential services to the community including public health, paramedic services, childcare and long-term care. The current Provincial funding received for these critical health and social services delivered by the Region has not kept pace with increases in costs and growth. This creates shortfalls requiring an increased Regional contribution in order to maintain service levels and respond to community need. Increased Provincial funding shortfalls are reflected in 2024 for the following program areas:

• Public Health – shortfall of $9.9 million
• Paramedic Services – shortfall of $1.4 million
• Services for Seniors – shortfall of $2.5 million
• Employment & Social Services – shortfall of $877,000

The total shortfall that the Region will need to fund, that is more than its proportionate share, is increasing by $3.4 million to a total of $14.7 million in the 2024 Budget. It is imperative that the Provincial Government meets its prescribed cost-share.

The Provincial Government can support critical health and social services in Halton Region by:

• Addressing the 2024 funding shortfall of $14.7 million for cost-shared health and social services programming.
• Reviewing cost-shared programs to ensure Provincial funding keeps pace with inflation and growth.

Halton is one of the fastest growing communities in Canada. In addition to responding to increased population growth and the need for accelerated housing supply, municipalities including Halton, are continuing to respond to more complex health and social challenges – like homelessness, supporting asylum seekers and addressing the mental health and addictions crises.

A new municipal fiscal framework is needed to ensure the Region can advance shared Provincial objectives and address Halton’s ongoing Provincial funding shortfalls for cost-shared health and social services programming, the shortfall in development charge revenues, and to ensure critical water and wastewater infrastructure is adequately funded to keep pace with accelerated growth.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) has also demonstrated the need for a New Municipal Growth Framework and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) has highlighted the need for a comprehensive social and economic prosperity review to ensure municipalities can continue to address the priority issues affecting communities.

The Provincial Government can support Halton Region by committing to and advancing a new municipal fiscal framework (A New Deal for Halton Region) to address the ongoing funding shortfall for cost-shared health and social services programming, the shortfall in development charges revenues, and ensure critical water and wastewater infrastructure is adequately funded to keep pace with growth.

CN Rail is proposing to build a new truck-rail hub in the Town of Milton which would operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and result in 1,600 truck trips to and from the facility each day. On January 21, 2021, the Federal Government approved the truck-rail hub, putting the health and safety of Halton residents at risk. Halton Region commenced litigation in the Federal Court of Canada to review the decisions by the Federal Minister and Cabinet to approve the CN Project. Halton is taking this step to protect the health and well-being of its residents. In addition, in April, the Halton Municipalities and Conservation Halton resumed their 2018 Ontario court case to ensure that the proposed Milton CN truck-rail hub to ensure CN complies with laws that protect the health of residents and the environment. The Halton Municipalities have commenced litigation through an Ontario Court Challenge, an application for a Federal Judicial Review that seeks to overturn the decision by the Federal Minister and Cabinet, and we are also appealing the Canadian Transportation Agency’s decision to approve CN’s application for railway lines required for this proposed project.

Halton is seeking to ensure that should the project move forward, that all provincial and municipal by-laws and approvals are applied to the project.