THUNDER BAY – On the first day of the North Ontario Municipal Association (NOMA) Conference, opposition leaders tore into the Ford government's record on municipal affairs.
Figures including NDP leader Marit Stiles, Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner, and Liberal MPP Stephen Blais, who stepped in for interim party leader John Fraser, took to the podium to share their thoughts on the strength and unity of Northwestern Ontario on Wednesday.
Premier Doug Ford was not in attendance, though several government ministers are set to address the gathering on Friday.
In their remarks, opposition leaders highlighted issues including housing, highways, economy, and infrastructure, saying municipalities need more provincial support.
"Northwestern Ontario municipalities have often felt left out, ignored, and overlooked in the conversations that are taking place at Queens Park," Stiles told the group, adding "a one size fits all approach" hasn't met the needs of regional communities.
The NOMA conference sees councillors and staff from Northwestern municipalities come together to collaborate and learn what they can do to better serve their communities in a nonpartisan way.
Still, Stiles said in her speech it was her job to be a political voice as the official opposition.
“I want to tell you, I see that they left you hanging,” said Stiles. “They’ve stripped you of the cash flow and left you to figure out the rest on your own.”
Schreiner also stated in an interview that he's concerned the Ford government “is downloading cost onto municipalities and the property tax base, and local property tax payers simply cannot afford that”
The word downloading came up repeatedly Wednesday in party leaders' speeches addressing road maintenance and affordable housing.
"Some of that was downloaded in the '90s as a way for Queens Park to get some writing off their balance sheet," said Liberal MPP Stephen Blais. "But it simply travelled down the table onto municipal private taxpayers and their bill."
"Those property taxes being spent on what should be provincial infrastructure could be better spent keeping local roads in good repair."
For Schreiner, attending conferences like NOMA is about listening to communities about their specific needs and then proposing solutions.
"One of the things we’re been pushing hard is a two billion [dollar]-a-year municipal infrastructure fund to help municipalities deal with the infrastructure repair backlog they are facing, and to also make sure that we are making sure that local infrastructure is climate-ready,” said Schreiner.
Stiles also addressed how the province can help municipalities with their aging infrastructure so their taxpayers are not feeling the brunt of those repairs.
“One of the most important things we can do is offer cities, towns, and municipalities reliable partnership and ensure they have the support from the province,” she said. “And that means the government coming forward with funding. For a lot of things, I think, consecutive governments have kind of slowly moved away from providing municipalities with the funding that they need.”
