Provincial Government Advocacy Ahead of 2024 Budget

Policy Update • March 19, 2024

Ontario’s provincial and municipal governments share a commitment to making Ontario a leading jurisdiction in innovation, productivity, and social and economic opportunity. AMO’s proposed Social and Economic Prosperity Review would create a provincial-municipal forum to explore new and innovative ways to deliver and finance the services and infrastructure that people and businesses rely on most.

In addition to AMO’s proposed Social and Economic Prosperity Review, AMO highlighted for Ministers a number of other critical areas ahead of Budget 2024:

Ministry of Infrastructure: highlighting investment needs for both growth-related infrastructure and for continued funding levels through programs that address maintenance backlog for existing infrastructure.
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing: ensuring that housing in Ontario is affordable for low-income residents and that those experiencing homelessness can be housed with the supports they need.
Ministry of Health: emphasizing growing challenges in accessing health care, the need for investments in public health service delivery, municipal representation for planning and governance on Ontario Health Teams, stronger support of mental health and addictions, leadership from the provincial government in increasing supply of supportive housing and expanding health support for unhoused Ontarians beyond Toronto.
Ministry of Community and Social Services: emphasizing the impact that social assistance transformation can have across the province, including specific investments in social assistance to support low-income and vulnerable individuals.
Ministry of Long-Term Care: calling on the province for long-term, predictable funding to support aging communities as well as a provincial, sector-wide health human resources strategy to improve access to health services.
Ministry of Finance: commenting on recent signals regarding limiting investment opportunities of public pension plans.