Premier's Remarks at the 2015 OGRA/ROMA Combined Conference


February 23, 2015 9:15 A.M.
 
The Ontario Good Roads Association and the Rural Ontario Municipal Association's Combined Conference is a highlight in all of our calendars, as it is for the many mayors and councillors whose presence here speaks volumes about their commitment to their constituents, and highlights the important work that gets done at the OGRA/ROMA forum.

The Combined Conference and its predecessors have a proud history of bringing us closer together and closer to solving our challenges, and a proud history of building up our province and tearing down the myth that we are divided along rural and urban lines. As Premier, I try to do my part to tear down that myth too. And I know I can count on you to help.

OGRA was founded in 1894 to help the province see the potential that good roads would unlock for urban and rural Ontarians alike. Now, 121 years on, we have progress to celebrate - and still a ways to go. The saying "the more things change, the more they stay the same" applies.

Here is a good example.

At OGRA's 23rd annual conference in February of 1925, Ontario's Deputy Minister of Highways, S.L. Squire, filling in for his absent boss, declared that financing of roads was one of the great problems in which every municipality and municipal officer was interested in. Squire acknowledged that the province had "passed the buck" to municipalities, that taxes were unlikely to rise anytime soon, and went on to cite the many reasons why the federal government should financially assist provinces and municipalities in the matter of road improvement.

Things had changed since 1867, he said. It was time for governments to change too, he argued.

So when I saw that the theme of this year's conference is CTRL+ALT+DEL: Rebooting Ontario's Municipal Sector, it got me thinking about where we have been stuck in the past and where we have been able to make progress - and it also made me energized by the unique opportunity before us.

Ontario's 444 municipalities have just been through elections. Provincially, we too have a fresh mandate. This gives all of us an opportunity to deliver the positive change we all believe is possible and that many of us campaigned on. But we also know that we cannot make that change alone - that now is the time for us to work together.

Your conference program hints at this - and at Squire's frustration - when it describes municipal success as dependent on whether you can "respond to 21st century demands when saddled with a 19th century legislative toolbox." There is truth to that, but today I want to challenge that premise, because it suggests that you do not expect anything to change between us - that you are stuck with the 19th century toolbox and that is that.

It is not true.

It is a reality that we, as governments, need to be constantly evolving. Technology is advancing at an unprecedented pace. Aging infrastructure is in need of renewal at the same time that a growing population requires us to invest in new infrastructure. Public expectations have increased, and rightfully so, because citizens care deeply about public services. And underpinning all of this, we have global economic realities to contend with.
These are challenges, to be sure, but they are also opportunities we are using to rethink and reboot. Looking at our past achievements, together with the commitments our government has made going forward, I am convinced that we will seize this moment together. I am convinced that we will deliver the reboot that is needed.

And now I am going to convince you.

I just recently marked my second anniversary as Premier - some of you may remember that this event was actually one of my first after being sworn in two years ago. In my time as Premier, I have been focused on strengthening relationships and building co-operation at all levels - municipal, inter-provincial, federal and international. That is not a sound bite and it is not predicated on the naïve assumption that we can always agree. It is, quite simply, a learned strategy for success.

For the past 10 years, I have been part of a government intent on rebuilding our relationships, intent on helping municipalities succeed as partners, intent on working closely with municipal leaders, and making sure that we, at the provincial level, have experience in the municipal sector and an understanding of your issues from every perspective.
I think the best example of this is the phased uploads that are relieving some of the pressure you are under. In 2015 alone, these uploads will save rural municipalities more than $320 million; those savings will increase even more as we continue working toward full implementation by 2018.

As an MPP since 2003, I have seen the value of a provincial government that puts a rural lens on its decision-making - and the challenges created when that lens is overlooked, as it has at times been.

For example, we know that modern infrastructure is key to being competitive in the global economy, and to driving growth here at home. That is no less true across rural and urban boundaries, but it can mean different things.

Right now, limited access to natural gas is acting as a barrier to growth in too many rural municipalities. So in last year's election, we committed $200 million in loans and $30 million in grants to get more lines to more homes and businesses. And just last week, the Ontario Energy Board took the next steps and invited applications from parties interested in distributing natural gas to underserved areas.

Here is another infrastructure example where our partnership paid off: the new Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund. Working together, we were able to launch this steady source of long-term, predictable funding for the unique infrastructure needs of small, rural and northern municipalities across the province. And we aligned the Fund with the joint Small Communities Fund because we know that your resources are stretched and that creating more provincial paperwork would just slow progress for people in your communities.

Looking forward, our partnership will be critical as we apply the rural lens to Moving Ontario Forward. This 10-year transit and transportation strategy will make nearly $29 billion available. Of this, nearly $14 billion will go toward projects in your communities. These funds will build and support better public transit in congested cities and better roads to connect towns and rural and remote communities all across the province.

Our roads carry our economy, they carry our loved ones, and they are an important part of our vision for a province-wide transportation network. So when you tell me that having connecting links projects eligible under the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund is not enough to support these vital pieces of our infrastructure, you have my full attention.
I have asked Ministers Del Duca, Leal, Duguid and McMeekin to use our Moving Ontario Forward program to address connecting links - because our cities, towns and all our municipalities need to be part of one transportation network. They are looking at this right now, and as soon as we can move ahead, we will do it together.

At the same time, I have called on the federal government to be a full and engaged partner in building the local infrastructure that will fuel Canada's growth and prosperity for the next 50 years - as it has for the past 150. It is not enough for provincial and local governments to work together - we need a stronger federal partner. Deputy Minister Squire was right - the national economic benefit is too significant for the federal government to ignore and everyone in this room has a role to play in making the case.

Over the past two years, I have also placed a high priority on building strong interprovincial relationships.  Working with Premier Couillard, I have strengthened the Ontario-Quebec partnership to increase trade between our two provinces.

And we are increasing opportunities in markets like China and South America to make Ontario more globally competitive. When I was in China last fall to lead a trade mission, agri-food came up in nearly every meeting. The success of Ontario's agri-food sector and that of our province are inseparable. It is another area where the rural lens in government is so critical, where the premise that rural and urban interests are at odds is so false, and where the opportunity to lead is so great. That is why Minister Leal is heading to China soon on a trade mission dedicated to promoting our agri-food sector.

But a thriving sector requires a lens as wide as government itself, so we have been active elsewhere too. In 2013, we introduced the Local Food Act to get more Ontario food on Ontario tables, even as we worked to find new markets overseas and increase exports. And since I took office, we have tripled support for the Rural Economic Development Program. The 2014 Budget confirmed that $14.5 million will be available annually to continue attracting investment and keeping good jobs in your community. That is what our Open for Business strategy and red tape reduction efforts have been helping to do. Most recently we were able to improve the management of greenhouse nutrient feedwater and help Ontario greenhouse growers become even more competitive by making the approvals process less costly and more predictable.

Regulation is a word with a bad reputation, and deservedly so. Regulations can outlive their original purpose and become burdens. Reducing regulation needs to be an ongoing effort because as I said earlier, Ontario is constantly evolving. But that also means new regulations to adapt to changing circumstances, and we need to be careful here not to paint all regulation with the same brush. Regulations serve important purposes and carry demonstrable benefits, but only if we develop and retire them together, which is exactly what we will continue to do.

The approach we have taken, your partnership, the talent and skills of our growers and processors, the leadership provided by Ministers Leal and McMeekin - all are helping to move towards the target I set for Ontario's agri-food sector to double its growth rate and create 120,000 new jobs by 2020. In fact, agri-food exports are up about 10 per cent annually over in the past 2 years and the sector has added over 17,000 jobs last year alone. It is cause for optimism, but we know challenges remain.

Provincially, we are committed to eliminating the deficit by 2017-18. But we will not get there by making across-the-board cuts to services or support for municipalities. What we are doing is fundamentally rethinking how government works, and how we can continue to deliver the best programs and services to our communities. It is about doing government differently, rebooting the public sector as a whole.

For example, our Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative, which is part of our government's Poverty Reduction Strategy, was a reboot of our existing initiatives and has helped about 33,100 households experiencing homelessness obtain housing. It has helped another 83,800 households who were at risk of homelessness remain in their homes.
Though this initiative is provincially funded, it is supported by Ontario's 47 Service Managers. These people work for municipalities, which means they know their communities' needs best, and they can help make sure we are getting the most value out of each dollar and that we are helping as many people as we can. Further proof that we can - and do - achieve so much more when we work together.

Another example of how we are updating your toolbox together is the ongoing consultation on the Provincial Land Tax. We have consulted extensively across the north and have worked closely with northern municipalities on this issue. We have heard the serious concerns raised by northern municipalities about the property tax inequities between taxpayers in municipalities and unincorporated areas, where the Provincial Land Tax rates have not been changed in over 60 years.

My commitment to you today is that we will reform the Provincial Land Tax. In fact, we will bring forward proposals that can be implemented beginning this year.

And to those of you who would like to talk with the province about whether it is time to give municipalities new revenue tools - time to create some 21st century tools - it is a discussion I am open to having. We need to be willing to consider every option that will help build our communities up. Revenue tools that give municipalities the fiscal space to grow while balancing the need to remain competitive have worked elsewhere. They can't be off the table. Jeff and Ted and I look forward to your input on that.

Our relationship with municipalities is always evolving, and that's a good thing.  On infrastructure, on business environment, revenue tools, services, and in all the ways municipalities are essential partners in building this province up, we are proud of the changes we have made together.

As we look to the future, as we work together to continue building a more competitive Ontario, a fairer Ontario and a more prosperous Ontario for all, we can do so with confidence that we will continue evolving and rebooting when necessary - and confidence that with this approach, we will do what the leaders of our province have always done: continue expanding opportunity and creating security for people today and tomorrow.

Thank you.

 

Remarks by:
Gary McNamara, AMO President and
Mayor, Town of Tecumseh

Monday, February 23, 2015
Canadian Room
Fairmont Royal York Hotel

OGRA/ROMA Combined Conference

(Check Against Delivery)

 
Thank you for the warm welcome.

It is a pleasure to be here with you today.

For some of you, this is a chance for us to reconnect since AMO’s annual conference this past August.

But some of you are just settling into a new life on municipal Council. Across Ontario, nearly half of all elected municipal leaders are new to office.  Hopefully many of you, seasoned or new, have had a chance to take some of the training that AMO offers.

That training is just one of the ways that AMO supports municipal leaders.

AMO is not a thing … or a head office for Ontario’s municipalities.

AMO is a meeting place for community leaders and municipal staff.

All of our communities are diverse. Every day, we each contend with local issues and circumstances. But at AMO, we come together to deal with the collective challenges that we all face.

Decisions are made by AMO’s 43 member Board of Directors – and each is expected to represent you, to the best of their ability.

Sadly, we lost one of Ontario’s great champions this week. Joe Mavrinac, former Mayor of Kirkland Lake, passed away Saturday. He was AMO President in 1992 and 1993. He was well known for his work in Northern Ontario. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family – and to our colleagues in Kirkland Lake.

AMO has demonstrated time and again that mutual support and cooperation among us achieves far more than we could ever achieve as individual municipalities.
When small municipalities have an issue with the Province, they need to have the weight of Ontario’s largest municipalities behind them. And when Ontario’s largest municipalities have an issue with the Province, they need to know that everyone else has their back.

We are stronger when we stand together. There is an African proverb that says – if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.  

I think ‘far’ is the better objective – one that will also support good public policy.  

AMO works to have a productive relationship with the Ontario government. Sometimes we make progress and sometimes it is tough. But we always keep on trying.

AMO’s Work Plan for 2015 demonstrates our resolve. I sent a copy of this to every individual elected municipal official in December.

There is much to do. There are 30 different provincial priorities that directly relate to municipal government – some in response to our interests. And there is other legislation and initiatives that we must keep our eye on, because there could be significant impacts if government doesn’t take our advice.

We know that the Province is yet again focused on balancing its own books. We cannot, we will not, re-live the 90s downloading. The Province has been told this. To their credit, the upload agreement has not been altered. The Province knows that our communities are counting on those dollars.  

You and I also know that the fiscal well-being of our communities forms the very foundation of the Province’s well-being. But that foundation is not as strong as it should be to take us into the future.

Amidst many pressing matters, which I will touch on later, the Board is also looking to our longer term needs.

It’s not the first time AMO has taken that approach. Ten years ago, AMO created a strategy to engage the Province on uploading the provincial social service costs that were parked on our doorstep in the late 90s.

That downloading meant that your property tax dollars were sent to the Province to pay for drug benefits, disability benefits and other social programs. The Province balanced its budget – using those property tax dollars.

After a two-year, well-researched, solid outreach and advocacy campaign – including municipal voices from across Ontario – we were successful in bringing the Province to the table and subsequently, in 2008, reaching the upload agreement.

Today, municipal governments are no longer sending $1.5 billion to the Province to subsidize its programs. Just think what your tax bills would look like today, if this $1.5 billion was still going to Queen’s Park. How much further behind would we be? What state would our infrastructure be in, without the upload?

And yet, today, we still have a significant infrastructure deficit, along with other service pressures, as communities grow and age.

So, what is next? Even with the uploading, municipal governments still need greater financial stability.

To that end, the Board has decided to examine what a framework for our financial future might look like.  

What tools do we need to chart our own course and achieve greater financial independence?  We also need to protect our gains.

We’re asking a pretty big question – What’s Next Ontario? What’s next in terms of creating stronger communities? With the upload nearly complete, how do we secure our financial future?

Right now AMO staff is researching future needs, costs and potential revenue sources. Later this spring, we will be meeting with and listening to all of you, to get your input on what may make sense in different parts of the province.

We will be asking you to finish the phrase, “Imagine if…” as we consult, analyze and develop a potential sustainability framework.

By August 2016, we hope to have our new campaign that offers a recipe for greater stability and sustainability – and that meets the challenges and needs of Ontario’s diverse municipal sector.  

Together, we’ll then take our plan to the Province and tell them our vision for what’s next.

We are excited about this project because we know that when we work towards a common goal, we can make real, substantive progress.

So let’s get back to the here and now.

As I said, our pre-budget submission made it clear that the Province cannot balance its books on the back of municipalities and expect Ontario to prosper. Ontario needs strong, financially sound communities to thrive.

Similarly, we continue to press for permanent and predictable infrastructure funding to address the growing gap across all of our communities. And without a doubt, the federal government must bring forward more funding.

AMO’s submission also points to a number of provincial actions – that would come at no cost to the Province, which would support municipalities.

Passing Bill 31, which puts more teeth into enforcing the Provincial Offences Act, would improve the rule of law and help collect millions in unpaid fines. It has had multi-party support for years. We need to get this done.

We’re also pressing the Province to be more streamlined and efficient in their oversight.

The Drummond Report highlighted the amount of municipal reporting that is required, but not usefully analyzed, by the Ontario Government.

Filling out literally hundreds of reports may seem like accountability. But if the data is never used to improve service delivery or efficiency, we’re just draining municipal resources away from our communities.

We remain extremely disappointed with the government’s decision to ‘slow down’ reform of joint and several liability.  
We told the Province that it is not going away and that great Canadian traditions like tobogganing and skating on frozen ponds or slipping on sidewalks, are keeping the story alive.

This is the time to get ordinary citizens engaged, educated – if not enraged – about the bind that litigators, judges and insurers have put us in.

Nor are we are giving up on interest arbitration.

There are ways we can make the process more efficient, but the substantive issue is how to determine ‘affordability’ for different municipalities. What is affordable in one community may be cost prohibitive elsewhere. It is the core of AMO’s work on this matter.  

Frankly, any possible change to the interest arbitration regime is not going to happen without a new process that involves all the parties, including the Ministry.  

That’s the clear message to the Province and we are readying ourselves for future discussions.

AMO’s work on the 2014 Blue Box arbitration process is another way in which we achieved positive outcomes for members.

The arbitration process looked at how much money producers and manufacturers would have to contribute to the Blue Box program in 2014.

These businesses are important partners in keeping waste out of our landfills. At the same time, the law says they are supposed to pay for half the cost of the Blue Box program. But they rarely paid that full share. AMO challenged their methodology.  

After five months, and more than 30 days of hearings, the arbitrator’s November decision was that the producers should pay an additional $15.6 million to municipalities for the Blue Box program for 2014.
 
We hope that this will motivate producers to improve their packaging. That would be good for waste diversion and our planet. The decision certainly treats property taxpayers more fairly. Keeping the heat on stewards is something that AMO does.   

This case gives us important momentum as we engage with the Ministry of the Environment and product stewards on new waste legislation, which is anticipated later this year.  
We continue to work on the issue of double-hatters – those full-time firefighters that choose to volunteer in their off time in their home community fire station, where volunteers are the fire brigade.

Why is it that in almost all other Canadian jurisdictions, and throughout the United States, double hatters are not threatened?  Why is it only in Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador?   

This isn’t just a rural threat. I can tell you that the urban representatives on the Board and throughout the province are supporting double hatters.  

Let me wrap up.

AMO’s board members, and those who serve on our various task forces – all represent the full spectrum of Ontario’s communities.  

When our diverse voices find a common cause, we are very hard to ignore.

We look forward to working with you in the year ahead.  2015 will be busy and will we endeavour to serve our members well.

Thank you.

Remarks by:
Ron Eddy, ROMA Chair and
Mayor, County of Brant

2015 OGRA/ROMA Conference

Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Canadian Room, Convention Floor
Fairmont Royal York Hotel
Toronto, Ontario

(Check Against Delivery)


Good morning everyone. It is my privilege to welcome you back to the 2015 Annual ROMA/OGRA Combined Conference.  I hope that you have been enjoying the program so far.

As this is our first gathering since last fall’s election, I want to extend a special welcome to those delegates who are new to municipal government. And for those who have returned to office – it’s good to see you again.

I also want to extend a very sincere thank you to the OGRA staff who work so hard to make this conference happen.   The co-operation between ROMA and OGRA has once again resulted in this annual forum for rural municipal representatives.

As I look around this room, I see a wealth of knowledge, an abundance of passion, and a desire to learn more – all of which speak to the strength of leadership in rural Ontario.

Coming together has never been more important for rural municipalities, and frankly the municipal sector as a whole.  

There are many challenges and few easy solutions. But we do know that when we speak with common purpose on shared interests, we are more effective.


ROMA has a long and rich history as the rural voice at Queen’s Park. We will continue to advocate for sound public policy and offer guidance that reflects the needs of our rural and northern communities to the provincial and federal governments.  

Our job is to be a leader and it is a role that your ROMA Board takes seriously.

This year, ROMA refreshed our discussion paper “A Voice for Rural and Northern Ontario” and our Rural and Northern Lens.

The discussion paper reflects our interests and our needs. It tells our story to the decision-makers at Queen’s Park – our unique challenges and opportunities.  And what is required to make our communities thrive and succeed.

The Lens is a key tool.  It is a set of questions intended to focus provincial policy makers on the impacts of their decisions on rural and northern communities.

Later today there will be a concurrent session on the benefit of using this Lens to all orders of government. Please take the time to attend this great learning opportunity, if you can.

I also urge you to stop by the AMO booth for your copy of ROMA’s updated discussion paper and the Lens.

One of the more high profile rural issues recently has been double-hatters. These are full-time, professional firefighters that work as volunteer firefighters when they are off-duty.

Double hatters help protect small communities that could not possibly afford a full-time, salaried fire service.  They bring substantial experience to the rural and small communities that they call home.  However, if challenged by a local union, they often resign their volunteer work for fear of losing their permanent job.  

All volunteerism, including that of double hatters, should be celebrated – not litigated.  Individual municipalities should be able to decide how to deliver fire protection services based on local circumstances.  One size does not fit all.

ROMA will continue to support double hatters so that they may use their free time however they wish, without fear of reprisal.

I want to thank the growing number of cities who have supported rural Ontario on this matter – it is so appreciated.

You may have also seen efforts by ROMA this past fall to raise awareness of an Industry Canada proposal that threatened high-speed internet access to our communities.

The federal government was proposing to take thirty-five hundred megahertz spectrum licenses away from rural internet service providers in order to give these licenses to telecomms for cell phone services.

That spectrum is vital to providing good quality, broadband service to rural communities that truly need it. ROMA’s opposition to the proposal garnered widespread support from small, rural and northern communities all across the province.

I am glad to report that our efforts were successful. Industry Canada announced that they would not proceed with the changes. Those that provide internet to rural Ontarians will maintain their spectrum licenses. This is another example of ROMA working to advance the interests of rural communities.

Our top priority continues to be the construction and maintenance of local infrastructure.

Rural municipalities appreciate the commitment of the federal and provincial governments to support our local roads, bridges, water, wastewater and other facilities.  The federal Small Communities Fund and the Province’s permanent $100 million Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund are welcome additions.

The projects they support will build up our local economies and therefore support the Ontario economy. It is our hope that in the days ahead the Province will answer our call to make the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund fully formula based and increase it over time. This would ensure predictable, stable and permanent financing for rural infrastructure needs. With AMO’s help, we will keep this conversation going.

These are just a few of the many priorities that your ROMA Board is advancing to improve the well-being of our rural communities.

ROMA/OGRA is designed to facilitate partnerships, share success stories, and innovate.  I am so pleased to see so many delegates here, and it is my hope that this Conference is one that is both insightful and inspiring.

I would like to thank all the speakers and presenters, as well as the delegates in attendance. You are all helping to make this Conference a success.

Finally, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to serve as your ROMA Chair.

Thank you and I hope you enjoy the rest of the Conference.