Along with more than 1,500 municipal delegates from across Ontario, members of Halton Regional Council participated in the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Annual Conference, which took place virtually from August 15 to 18. The Conference brought together municipal and provincial officials to work collectively to overcome municipal challenges, respond to the pressures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and plan for the future and successful recovery of our communities.
“The Minister meetings at AMO provide an opportunity to bring forward issues and concerns related to COVID-19 recovery, and important investments to ensure the continued health, safety and resiliency of our residents and businesses now and into the future,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. “We continue to work with our provincial colleagues to advance our initiatives on behalf of Halton residents.”
The 2021 AMO Conference is an educational forum and networking opportunity for municipal governments, featuring more than 40 speakers, sessions and workshops, reflecting the broad scope of municipal responsibilities.
The AMO Conference was an opportunity to bring Halton’s priority advocacy issues to the attention of Provincial Cabinet Ministers. Halton Region has been advocating for legislative and funding changes on a number of key issues that are important to Halton residents. Regional Council members met with the Ministers of Health, Infrastructure, Municipal Affairs and Housing, and Long-Term Care, and with the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Ministers of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on a number of issues. Some of these issues include:
- investments in long-term care;
- housing services and homelessness;
- public health resources to support COVID-19 recovery;
- public health and emergency health Services modernization;
- growth-related infrastructure; and
- immediate access to reliable rural broadband internet.
Sessions and speakers covered a wide range of topics, including COVID-19, its impact on municipal service delivery and charting our economic recovery; climate change; women in leadership; broadband connectivity in Ontario; transforming long-term care; community paramedicine; diversity, bias, inclusivity and mental health; municipal insurance costs; property assessment in a post-pandemic world; changes to Conservation Authorities, and much more.
Together with AMO, Halton Region has been advocating to the Provincial Government on issues that Halton residents have identified as important. For more information on Halton’s advocacy issues, visit halton.ca.
The Regional Municipality of Halton serves more than 595,000 residents in the City of Burlington, the Town of Halton Hills, the Town of Milton, and the Town of Oakville. Halton Region is committed to meeting the needs of its residents through the delivery of cost-effective, quality programs and services, including water and wastewater; Regional roads and planning; paramedic services; waste management; public health; social assistance; children’s and seniors’ services; housing services; heritage programs; emergency management and economic development. For more information, call 311 or visit Halton Region’s website at halton.ca.