Housing shortage, health-care crisis on agenda as Ontario municipal leaders meet

Municipal leaders from across Ontario have started gathering at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa for this year's Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference.

The 125th edition of the conference will bring together more than 2,500 participants — including mayors, city councillors and municipal staff — to discuss pressing issues facing communities across Ontario.

Topics on the agenda include the housing shortage, the opioid epidemic, climate change, crumbling infrastructure, access to health care and Indigenous engagement.

The conference will also feature workshops and speeches from more than 60 people, including Premier Doug Ford, Health Minister Sylvia Jones, Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma and Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Paul Calandra.

Delegates will have the opportunity to engage directly with representatives from provincial ministries and ask questions over the course of the event.

«Every municipality is a bit different,» said Isabel Anne McRae, a town councillor in Perth, Ont., who was at the conference Sunday.

«They have different views, they have different ideas and come from different backgrounds — and often they may come up with an idea or solution that possibly your municipality hasn't even thought of.»

This year, AMO is pushing for a joint «social and economic prosperity review» with the Ontario government.

The review's goal is to assess how sustainable and effective the current investments in public services and infrastructure are, with a focus on making life more affordable across the province, according to the association.

«We want to collaborate with the Ontario government to look at how Ontario's public services can be funded and delivered more effectively,» said Brian Rosborough, AMO's