NDP Promising “A New Deal for Northern Ontario Municipalities”.

In an address to the annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference, Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles promised to reverse decades of provincial neglect and ensure Northern Ontario receives the support it deserves.

“Northern Ontario mayors and residents have been loud and clear for years—this region needs affordable housing, improved highways, healthcare close to home, and real support for communities forced to stretch municipal resources to the breaking point. An NDP government will not only listen, but will make these needs a reality, not a luxury,” said Stiles.

Deputy Leader and Critic for Northern Affairs, MPP Sol Mamakwa (Kiiwetinoong) joined Stiles at AMO and echoed her commitment:

“Under the NDP, Northern municipalities will no longer be waiting for the investments they need,” he said. “The North gives so much to the rest of Ontario. The NDP will provide the support municipalities in the North need to attract and retain skilled workers, boosting local economies and easing the strain on municipal resources. The people of Northern Ontario have been patient for too long, and the Ontario NDP is here to ensure that no one is left behind, regardless of where they live.”

This new deal will include:

• The application of a rural and Northern lens to the development of this new partnership to recognizes the unique challenges and opportunities facing those communities.
• A single ministry responsible for the homelessness crisis, which includes addressing the root issues of mental health and addictions and creating the necessary wraparound supports.
• A province-wide Social and Economic Prosperity Review of how infrastructure is funded in small, rural, and Northern municipalities that are facing disproportionate challenges with fewer financial resources in a changing climate.
• Upload back provincial financial responsibility for affordable housing, shelters, and homelessness prevention programs, while maintaining locally focused delivery by municipal service managers.
• Upload financial responsibility for formerly provincially owned controlled-access highways, not just those in Toronto or Ottawa, and for “Connecting Link” highways whose costs were unfairly downloaded onto municipalities three decades ago.
• A commitment to get Ontario back to building affordable homes through Homes Ontario – the Ontario NDP’s plan to provide significant new provincial investments in public, non-profit and co-op housing in partnership with municipal service managers.