Premier Ford, Ministers of Health and Municipal Affairs, and AMO President address Municipal Leaders at 2021 AMO Conference

August 16, 2021

Toronto, Ontario, August 16, 2021 – The 2021 Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference kicked off today, with more than 1,500 people from across Ontario participating in the virtual event, hosted by the City of London.

“Over the past year, municipal governments have worked hard to keep people healthy, safe and financially secure as we navigate difficult times,” said AMO President Graydon Smith. “In the face of great challenges, the AMO Conference continues to be a meeting place where municipal leaders come together and work together to help make Ontario’s communities great places to live.”

Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark addressed delegates and announced that the Ontario Government will provide an additional $307 million to municipalities and Indigenous partners to support critical services, protect homeless shelter staff and residents, and support affordable housing. Minister Clark also said that municipalities would get at least $50 million more for modernization initiatives.

Minister of Health Christine Elliott committed to providing $47 million in additional mitigation funding for public health units in 2022. As the pandemic continues, AMO welcomes this continued funding for public health to mitigate provincial funding formula changes done in 2020.

Featuring more than 40 speakers, sessions, and workshops, the 2021 Conference reflects the broad scope of municipal responsibilities. AMO has once again partnered with TVO to deliver segments of the conference through its flagship current affairs program, The Agenda, reaching a broad audience across Ontario.

Municipal staff and elected officials will take part in more than 425 online delegation meetings with provincial ministries over the three-day event.

Conference highlights for Tuesday, August 17 include:

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.
Women’s Leadership Forum, moderated by Nam Kiwanuka of TVO and featuring the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Ontario’s 29th Lieutenant Governor, the Honourable Jean Augustine, the first African-Canadian woman elected to the House of Commons, and Elizabeth May, Member of Parliament for Saanich-Gulf Islands and former leader of the Green Party of Canada.
Andre Picard, Globe and Mail reporter and top health and public policy commentator.
Sessions related to community paramedicine, the Blue Box transition, cannabis, Ontario Health Teams, and broadband connectivity.
Presentation of the PJ Marshall Awards for Municipal Innovation.
A forum where Ontario Ministers will take questions from municipal delegates, related to economic recovery and growth in Ontario.
Pitch Perfect: an opportunity for delegates to pose questions to telecommunications and broadband providers on what they offer municipal governments. Each service provider will have five minutes to “pitch” their product.

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.

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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