KENORA – Kenora representatives will join 1,700 participants at the 2022 Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference for the first time in three years at the Shaw Centre and Westin in Ottawa.
According to AMO, the conference is an opportunity for municipal officials to have direct dialogue with the Ontario government to voice their concerns on climate change, strengthening indigenous relations, creating diverse, equitable and inclusive communities, women's leadership, housing affordability, mental health and addictions, modernizing the public health system, municipal property assessment, economic recovery, changes to Conservation Authorities, Blue Box transition, municipal pensions, and much more.
Keynote presenters include:
- Hon. Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario
- Hon. Sylvia Jones, Ontario's Deputy Premier and Minister of Health
- Hon. Steve Clark, Ontario's Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing
- Peter Tabuns, Interim Leader of the Ontario NDP and Official Opposition
- Stephen Blais, MPP Orléans, Ontario Liberal Caucus Critic for Municipal Affairs and Housing
- Mike Schreiner, Leader of the Green Party of Ontario
- Jamie McGarvey, AMO President
The conference will also feature more than 60 speakers, sessions and workshops, reflecting the broad scope of municipal responsibilities.
As part of the Northern Ontario Municipal Association Board, Mayor Reynard plans to meet with several Provincial Ministers on regional issues.
Reynard, Goss, and Poirier will focus on meeting with the Minister of Infrastructure to address infrastructure funding and the impacts of highway closures on the municipality.
Additionally, they will also be setting their sights on the pending issues of police costing.
The Policing Coalition between the municipalities of Kenora, Sioux Lookout and Pickle Lake has been pressuring the Ontario government about reducing the policing formula for the three municipalities for several months.
Currently, the police formula costs taxpayers per property $832 in Kenora, $934 in Sioux Lookout, and $950 in Pickle Lake, where the median price for police services in Ontario is $300 per property. Of all 306 municipalities served by the Ontario Provincial Police, Kenora, Pickle Lake, and Sioux Lookout represent less than one per cent of the total number of properties the Ontario Provincial Police helps, yet make up over four per cent of the total serviceable hours.
