Stiles' NDP to invest in strong and caring communities with a New Deal for Ontario municipalities

OTTAWA — In an address to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), Marit Stiles, Leader of the Ontario NDP, promised to reverse three decades of provincial downloads and deliver a new deal for municipalities when she becomes Premier.

“Affordable housing, quality infrastructure, and open ERs are a necessity in Ontario, not a luxury," Stiles told delegates Monday. “Municipal leaders shouldn’t have to beg the province to do their job – but that’s exactly what’s happening right now. Our municipal partners and the communities they serve deserve better”.

Stiles’ plan for Strong and Caring Communities: A New Deal for Ontario's Municipalities includes a commitment to reverse decades of unfair provincial downloads and funding cuts.

“Cities and towns invest billions each year in vital services and infrastructure,” said Stiles. “In return, they're asked to take on skyrocketing costs and increasingly complex social and economic problems. I’m committed to working in partnership with municipalities to build strong and caring communities and a stronger economy.”

QUICK FACTS:

Marit Stiles and the Ontario NDP's plan would reverse unfair provincial downloads and bring stability to municipal finances through fair cost-sharing of municipal-provincial priorities. This New Deal will include:

• 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.
• The restoration of 50% provincial funding for municipal transit net operational costs.
• 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.
• The application of a rural and Northern lens to the development of this new partnership that recognizes the unique challenges and opportunities facing those communities.