The Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) represented the region’s 103 rural and small urban municipalities during the Association of Municipalities of Ontario’s (AMO) 125th Conference, held in the City of Ottawa from August 18 to 21, 2024.
The EOWC welcomed the opportunity to advocate strongly for regional priorities – infrastructure, housing, and health care – during meaningful conversations with federal, provincial, and municipal elected leaders. The EOWC joined over 3,300 participants from 444 municipalities across Ontario, including government, Indigenous, non-profit, and private sector partners. The EOWC is pleased that health care and infrastructure investments and tools were announced by the Ontario Government during the Conference.
"The EOWC continues to be a champion for our small urban and rural municipalities at decision-making tables," stated Peter Emon, EOWC Chair. "This Conference brings an opportunity for us to highlight our priorities and bring solutions forward to our federal, provincial, and sector partners. We came prepared to ensure that our region’s needs are recognized."
Meeting discussions centered on the EOWC’s 2024-2027 Strategic Plan priorities and the EOWC’s Mind The Gap: Municipal Infrastructure Policy Paper. The paper outlines the region’s municipal infrastructure deficit, which has grown 58 percent from 2011 to $6 billion. The EOWC’s rural and small urban municipalities need specific support from the Federal and Provincial Governments to maintain and repair existing infrastructure, as well as build housing enabling infrastructure to support the growing regional economy.
During a joint meeting with the EOWC, the Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (WOWC), and the Eastern Ontario Mayors’ Caucus (EOMC), representing 230 of Ontario’s municipalities, the three Caucuses submitted a joint letter to the Ontario Government to advocate for the Social and Economic Prosperity Review, led by AMO. The EOWC, the WOWC, and the EOMC Chairs also sent out a news release related to the ‘Solve the Crisis’ Campaign, led by Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM), to highlight the homelessness and mental health crisis taking place across all the communities. Ontarians are encouraged to join the call to action and visit the ‘Solve the Crisis’ website.
The EOWC thanks the elected officials and organizational partners for meeting (listed below):
- The Honourable Sean Fraser, Federal Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities;
- The Honourable Paul Calandra, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing;
- The Honourable Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure;
- The Honourable Lisa Thompson, Minister of Rural Affairs;
- The Honourable Natalia Kusendova-Bashta, Minister of Long-Term Care;
- The Ontario New Democratic Party, led by Marit Stiles, the Leader of the Official Opposition;
- The Ontario Liberal Party, led by Bonnie Crombie;
- The Federation of Canadian Municipalities;
- The Ontario Medical Association;
- The Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus; and
- The Eastern Ontario Mayors’ Caucus.
For more information on the EOWC’s AMO 2024 Conference advocacy, please read the briefing package at EOWC.org.
(News Release submitted by the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus)
In the photo below: representatives from the EOWC with Minister Calandra