Ontario Big Mayors Meeting Hosted at the City of Toronto - by Councillor Paul Ainslie, seconded by Mayor Olivia Chow

I emphasized the importance of collaborative dialogue and clear policy direction on these issues, particularly regarding infrastructure and the work of the new PULSE panel, which will help shape the future of Ontario's largest cities. "Collaboration is essential to tackling the complex challenges facing Ontario's largest cities. By working together on issues like mental health, homelessness, and infrastructure, we can create sustainable solutions that improve the quality of life for all residents." I also reiterated Toronto's commitment to addressing homelessness and mental health challenges through both immediate relief and long-term strategies, including: - opening warming centres as part of the City's Winter Services Plan and expanding winter-response shelter capacity; - developing the 2025-2030 Strategic Plan to Address Homelessness, focusing on prevention and shelter diversion; - investing in programs like Eviction Prevention in the Community and the Toronto Rent Bank; - executing the Community Encampment Response Plan, backed by $25M in funding, to transition people from encampments into housing; and - increasing supportive housing capacity by adding up to 450 new permanent shelter spaces over the next 2 to 5 years. Despite these efforts, municipalities cannot solve this crisis alone. We continue to call for urgent action from other orders of government through the Solve the Crisis campaign. Key items addressed during the meeting included: a presentation and discussion on Solve the Crisis 2.0 focused on mental health and homelessness; an examination of infrastructure and utilities, particularly the impacts of the federal budget on municipal programs and planning; advocacy updates from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario regarding housing and infrastructure priorities; and considerations related to education property taxes and safety concerns. The Ontario Big City Mayors have Requested Other Orders of Government to: Expand Housing Supply, Expand Supportive Housing, Expand Mental Health and Addictions Supports and scale Up the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit. Learn more on the working being conduct at: Home - Ontario Big City Mayors