Association of Municipalities of Ontario’s (AMO) Annual General Meeting August 16 - 20, 2025

2025 AMO Conference Highlights and Highway Advocacy | AMO The Priority Key Messages were the following: 1. Modernize the municipal-provincial fiscal relationship and provide long-term, predictable infrastructure funding. 2. Invest in solutions addressing homelessness, mental health, and deeply affordable housing. 3. Reassess Ontario's property tax system to ensure fairness and predictability. 4. Support Bill 9 for improved accountability and respectful civic engagement. 5. Highway Advocacy was high on the agenda as well with the AMO endorsing a 2+1 highway solution for Highways 11 and 17 to improve safety, reliability, and trade connectivity. This year Ontario Big City Mayors OBCM participated in the AMO Conference in Ottawa, advocating for urgent municipal priorities including housing, homelessness, mental health, public safety, and sustainable funding. Discussions with provincial and federal leaders emphasized the need for predictable infrastructure investment and relief from $5 billion in downloaded service costs. Key outcomes included five motions on housing, safety, and civility- with Toronto leading by successfully adopting a motion requesting the federal government reverse recent changes to the Interim Housing Assistance Program (IHAP) to ensure municipalities can continue providing shelter supports to refugee claimant arrivals -and a provincial announcement of $1.6 billion for housing-related infrastructure. OBCM stressed that municipalities cannot address complex challenges on property taxes alone and called for collaborative action across all levels of government. https://www.ontariobigcitymayors.ca/reports-submissions/ I attended the following meetings during the AGM: Board of Directors meetings, spoke at the special joint meeting of Ontario Big City Mayors (OBCM) and Mayors and regional Chairs of Ontario (MARCO), Opening Ceremonies, Plenary Programs, Concurrent Sessions, Trade Show, Chaired and moderated the session on Libraries for Community impact and Childhood Development, Learning Lunches, Insight Breakfast as well as meeting with Hon. MPP Peter Bethlenfalvy, Minister of Finance, Hon. MPP Minister Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and Hon. MPP Minister Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure as part of the OBCM AMO Conference Delegation. For more information, visit www.amo.on.ca