Opposition Leader Addresses Delegates on Day Two of 2021 AMO Conference

August 17, 2021

Toronto, Ontario, August 17, 2021 – The second day of the 2021 AMO Conference opened with the PJ Marshall Award ceremony. The awards acknowledge municipalities that have demonstrated creativity and success in implementing new, innovative ways of serving the public. Four municipalities received awards: the Township of the Archipelago for its Tale of a Thousand Turtles project; The City of Kitchener for its Housing for All project; The City of Markham for its Single-Use Plastics Reduction Plan; and Renfrew County for its Virtual Triage and Assessment Centre.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath addressed more than 1,500 municipal delegates at the online event. Horwath focused on the need for infrastructure renewal and broadband expansion to support economic recovery and thanked municipalities for their “determination, dedication and study hands” during the pandemic.

“The prevailing message from municipal and provincial leaders at the AMO Conference is that Ontario communities are stronger when we work together,” said AMO President Graydon Smith. “It is clear that the fight against COVID-19, people’s health and our economic recovery continue to be key priorities for Ontario’s municipal governments.”

Featuring more than 40 speakers and sessions, the three-day conference has facilitated more than 425 online delegation meetings with provincial ministries.

Conference highlights for Wednesday, August 18 include:

Woodland Cultural Centre – delegates will take a virtual tour of the Mohawk Institute Residential School.
The Honourable Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure.
Steven Del Duca, Leader of the Ontario Liberal Party
Mike Schreiner, Leader of the Green Party.
Keynote presentation by Anthony McLean who will speak about diversity, bias, inclusion and mental health.
Sessions on policing, long-term care, electronic building permits, municipal insurance costs and Ontario’s energy future.
A forum where Ontario Ministers will take questions from municipal delegates related to the environment, infrastructure and resource development post-COVID.

The conference is hosted by the City of London and is being held entirely online for the second time in AMO’s 120-year history. A full conference program is available online.

Registered media will have access to the entire conference online. Register now by contacting Jacqueline Demers, demers@redbrick.ca. Media are encouraged to register as soon as possible to ensure timely access.

AMO is a non-profit organization representing almost all of Ontario’s 444 municipal governments. AMO supports and enhances strong and effective municipal government in Ontario and promotes the value of municipal government as a vital and essential component of Ontario and Canada’s political system.

-30-

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Brian Lambie, AMO Media Contact, 416-729-5425, lambie@redbrick.ca
Follow AMO on Twitter, @AMOPolicy, and use the official conference hashtag #AMO2021