Overview
Municipal governments strive to create healthy and prosperous communities, of which social services like community and supportive housing are a key component. These are essential for addressing the challenges of poverty, homelessness, the housing crisis, and mental health, and addictions which are taking a devastating toll on people and communities across Ontario.
Ontario’s municipal governments co-fund, plan and deliver social services through 47 Consolidated Municipal Service Managers (CMSMs) and District Social Service Administration Boards (DSSABs). Most also provide paramedic services including emergency response and community paramedicine. Municipalities often contribute funding above and beyond provincial subsidies to areas like long-term care, public health, social assistance, housing, homelessness and child care despite the provincial government’s responsibility for legislation, regulation, and program requirements. Long-term care and child care services provided by municipalities ensure seniors, children, and families have access to quality services, which in turn provides social and economic benefits to entire communities.
More and more, municipalities are asked to take on health and social challenges that they do not have the resources and tools to address. The results are unmet needs that hurt our communities and Ontario’s social and economic prosperity. AMO continues to ask the provincial government to sit down with municipalities and work together on a social and economic prosperity review to update the provincial-municipal fiscal relationship to support strong economic foundations, sustainable communities, and quality of life.
AMO Positions
- AMO is calling on the provincial government to take comprehensive action on the opioid crisis, including investments in prevention, harm reduction, treatment and enforcement.
- AMO is committed to working with all orders of government and community partners to prevent, reduce and ultimately end homelessness in Ontario. Urgent action is needed to move beyond crisis response and tackle the root causes of homelessness with solutions that address housing, income security, and health.
- AMO is calling on the provincial government to work with municipalities and the broader health sector to develop and implement a provincial, sector-wide health human resources strategy to improve access to health services across the province.
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