Quinte leaders head to Ottawa for 2024 AMO Conference

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Belleville city councillors and staff led by Mayor Neil Ellis will be among more than 2,500 participants from hundreds of municipalities who will take part in the annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference Aug. 18 to 21 at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa.

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Quinte West Mayor Jim Harrison will also lead a team of council members and senior city staff to attend the conference.

The association said this year’s conference will be dominated by discussions on how to convince the Ontario government to invest more in a number of issues affecting municipalities from homelessness and drug addiction to infrastructure.

“Key session topics will include housing and homelessness, how to fund infrastructure, the opioid epidemic, public safety, climate change, Indigenous engagement, access to health care services, use of artificial intelligence, and much more,” the association said in a release ahead of the conference.

“The 2024 AMO Conference brings municipal and provincial officials together at a time when Ontario communities face complex challenges that outstrip municipal resources and responsibilities. AMO is seeking a joint Social and Economic Prosperity Review with the Ontario Government to take a prudent look at how public services and infrastructure investments are funded,” the organization said.

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AMO President Colin Best said municipalities need to take action.

“Current funding relationships are undermining the prosperity of our communities.  Housing, public safety, infrastructure and healthcare are at risk, if we don’t take action,” said Best. “The goal is to make life more affordable for everyone – municipalities, the Government of Ontario, and the taxpayers we all serve.”

This call to work together is in keeping with the conference celebration of AMO’s 125th anniversary – a milestone that signifies more than a century of collaboration and advocacy for Ontario’s municipal governments.

The conference will provides participants the opportunity to learn, network and share ideas that can benefit communities. It also facilitates hundreds of delegation meetings between municipal governments and provincial ministries. In addition, delegates will have an opportunity to pose questions to provincial cabinet ministers, the association said.

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This year’s event features more than 60 speakers, sessions and workshops, reflecting the broad scope of municipal responsibilities.

The conference will kick-off with keynote speaker Andrew Coyne, political journalist and former national editor of Maclean’s magazine. Coyne will speak about emerging and potential threats to democracy, and how municipal leaders can navigate declining public trust and anger.

Other speakers include Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Paul Calandra, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing; Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure; Sylvia Jones, Minister of Health; Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict (invited); Marit Stiles, Leader of the Ontario NDP and Official Opposition; Bonnie Crombie, Leader of the Ontario Liberal Party; and Mike Schreiner, Leader of the Green Party of Ontario.

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