The City of London joined more than 1500 municipal leaders at the 2022 Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) in Ottawa earlier this week to collaborate and make progress on shared priorities.
This year was the first time the conference was held in-person since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and marks the first time many municipalities were able to meet with Provincial Ministers face-to-face.
London was represented by Mayor Ed Holder and Deputy Mayor Josh Morgan, and members of Council including Maureen Cassidy, Mariam Hamou, Jesse Helmer, Anna Hopkins, who is also an AMO Board Member, and Stephen Turner. Over the past few days, they met with many municipal colleagues, advocates, and Provincial Ministers, on behalf of Londoners.
Mayor Holder participated in meetings with Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) and the Mayors and Regional Chairs of Ontario (MARCO) who reiterated their call for an emergency provincial-municipal meeting to find solutions for chronic homelessness, and the mental health and addictions crises facing Ontario’s largest cities.
“Homelessness, mental health, and addictions are growing challenges that require an investment in solutions from all orders of government,” said Mayor Ed Holder. “This conference provides an unparalleled opportunity for municipalities to meet directly with Provincial cabinet members and we always look forward to working collectively.”
City staff and other elected officials connected with Provincial decision makers on the heels of the Province’s recent Throne Speech to continue important discussions. They attended several delegations with Ministers, focused on health, housing, economic development and transportation, as well as sessions in conjunction with Middlesex County to advocate for Provincial support for shared priorities.
“This AMO conference was made even more significant because many of my delegations were joint delegations,” said Middlesex County Warden Alison Warwick. “I truly believe a regional approach benefits us all. What we can do to provide solutions together makes us stronger and ultimately more successful.”
A highlight of the conference was recognition for all municipal Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) who were recognized with an Honour Roll award for their efforts to help ensure services continued throughout the pandemic. The City of London congratulated and thanked all City CUPE employees on this well-deserved recognition.
“We join the City of London in calling on the provincial government to invest in our communities,” said Fred Hahn, President of CUPE Ontario and Steven Holland, President CUPE Local 101. “At this time of great economic anxiety for so many people, we desperately need provincial funding for a range of solutions to rebuild our cities. During the pandemic, the critical role that municipal workers played is a reminder of why investments in strong public services delivered by these workers is key to meeting the challenges we face.”