Financial Planning & Resilience

Policy Statement 1: Protect and expand existing funding sources and investigate additional funding sources that appropriately address the infrastructure gap.

Key Activities:  

• Continue to advocate for stable and predictable funding sources to assist municipalities with building, maintaining, and upgrading local infrastructure 
• Impress upon the importance of federal and provincial investments in accessible local building and facility projects to ensure local assets can be welcoming and usable spaces for all 
• Amplify the advocacy of municipal association partners and the voices of their subject-matter experts on infrastructure issues

Policy Statement 1: Continue to provide existing Provincial grants, transfer payments and cost-sharing for locally delivered services and programs with stable and predictable funding sources, and respond to service and program delivery needs of municipalities of all sizes.

Key Activities:  

• Continue to advocate for stable and predictable funding sources to assist municipalities with delivering local programs and services, including the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF), emphasizing the importance that the fund keep pace with inflationary and other consequential costs to municipalities 
• Continue to press the importance that the release of grant opportunities, additional funds, and transfer payment monies consider and respect local decision-making timelines, recognizing that municipal budgetary planning is different from the Provincial year-end 
• Continue to monitor challenges and trends with assessment processes and Provincial management of property tax assessment

Policy Statement 1: Work with the sector to investigate increasing costs to municipal insurance rates and find equitable solutions.

Key Activities:  

• Continue to advocate for systemic change to joint and several liability with other municipal partners that reflect the recommendations made by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) 
• Amplify the voices of other municipal associations and subject-matter experts advocating for municipal insurance reforms