On September 10, 2026, Premier Ford announced changes to Ontario’s Cabinet which was positioned as setting up the Province to fight against US tariffs. The shuffle adds one more minister, bringing the total up to 37.
Of particular interest to our members, David Puccini becomes Minister of Infrastructure, Trevor Jones becomes Minister of Labour, and Sam Oosterhoof becomes Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness.
Also of note, there is a new Associate Minister position under the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade: Associate Minister of Artificial Intelligence Adoption, which will be held by Vijay Thanigasalam.
Most other Ministers with portfolios relevant to the broader municipal sector, such as Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH), Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement (MPBSDP), Education (EDU), Finance, Health, Attorney General, Solicitor General, Rural Affairs, and Transportation, remain unchanged. A number of Parliamentary Assistants (PA) with whom AMCTO has met have also been promoted such as Matthew Rae who was PA at MMAH and Michelle Cooper who was PA at Ministry of Finance.
What this means for our advocacy
Key ministers at MMAH, EDU, Attorney General and others are remaining the same which means that for most of our key files, we will continue to engage and maintain relationships we have built at the political level to move member issues forward.
We will be monitoring how the new AI associate minister will collaborate with Minister Stephen Crawford at MPBSDP who has to date had carriage over the AI file with legislation such as Bill 194, which enacted the Enhancing Digital Security and Trust Act (EDSTA) meant to provide a framework for AI.
With changes in the PA ranks because of this shuffle, it is expected that there will be an announcement of new roles for other government MPPs to fill those positions, which means there will be opportunities to expand understanding of AMCTO's issues with other elected officials.
As always, we continue to grow and maintain relationships at the public service level as well to ensure that the permanent officials at the ministry level are well-informed about the challenges and opportunities facing municipal professionals and leaders. Ensuring that decision-makers have a well-rounded perspective on AMCTO proposed recommendations.
For a full list of changes, refer to the provincial news release.