Tag: Association of Municipalities of Ontario

WELLINGTON COUNTY POLITICAST #524 – Ich bein eine Fergusonian (feat. Diane Ballantyne)

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Centre Wellington is the largest municipality inside the county, and it includes Elora and Fergus. In the literal and figurative middle of Wellington, representing it around the council table, unsurprisingly, is a two-person job. From this vantage point, they must have a unique view of relations between the city and county, and one of those councillors has an even bigger vantage point then that? Continue reading “WELLINGTON COUNTY POLITICAST #524 – Ich bein eine Fergusonian (feat. Diane Ballantyne)” →

AMO Speeches from Party Leaders Sound Like Campaign Kick-Off

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This week is the annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference, a chance for staff and council members from Ontario’s 444 municipal governments to meet with their federal and provincial counterparts. But if there was a theme on Monday, it was provincial party leaders making a case for doing more for cities by forming the next government, and adding more fuel to the fire that a snap fall election is coming! Continue reading “AMO Speeches from Party Leaders Sound Like Campaign Kick-Off” →

This Week at Council: Strategic Plan Updated Further, and So Was Transit!

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April ended with a very busy trifecta of meetings including a very heavy focus on transit matters. Before that though, council had another workshop to discuss the update to the Strategic Plan for the last time before a finished draft comes back in a few months. As for transit, council made some updates and heard all about those future plans, and other matters of transportation, at a separate workshop. Continue reading “This Week at Council: Strategic Plan Updated Further, and So Was Transit!” →

LIVE BLOG: Regular City Council Meeting for April 25, 2023

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Right after the workshop meeting this week, another city council meeting!!! You can click here for the amended agenda from City Hall, and you can click here for the Politico preview. For the complete blow-by-blow of today’s council meeting, you can follow along on Twitter, or follow the tweets below. You can also watch the City’s own live-stream of the meeting here. Continue reading “LIVE BLOG: Regular City Council Meeting for April 25, 2023” →

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the Regular Meeting on April 25?

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The regular council meeting for April, marks a return to regular order, at least in terms of council’s usual start time. Welcome back, night owls! In terms of content, council will revisit some of their Committee of the Whole decisions, plus they will look at making some new committee appointments and then potentially offer some local support to a province-wide call for an ally in Ontario municipal governance.  Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the Regular Meeting on April 25?” →

Emergency Council Meeting to Discuss Impact of Bill 23

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You may have heard about the Government of Ontario’s Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act. Literally introduced the day after the October 24 municipal election, the legislation proposes to change significant portions of municipal planning policy to, in theory, increase the development of housing units. With the first round of feedback about the legislation coming due, the new Guelph city council will assemble to have their say. Continue reading “Emergency Council Meeting to Discuss Impact of Bill 23” →

Competing Vision for Cities on Day Two of the AMO Conference

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Day two of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference brought two big speakers with some different ideas about the needs of cities. In one slot was the man currently serving in the post of the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and in the other was the man who’s currently the only elected opposition leader in the Ontario legislature, and they offered very different visions indeed. Continue reading “Competing Vision for Cities on Day Two of the AMO Conference” →

Upbeat Ford Addresses AMO and Ontario Mayors at Annual Conference

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They tell you to open with a joke, and that’s what Premier Doug Ford did as one of the first speakers at this year’s Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference in Ottawa on Monday. Ford made light of his viral encounter with a bee at a media availability on Friday, and then dug into substance by assuring Ontario’s municipal leaders that the challenges they’re facing are manageable. Continue reading “Upbeat Ford Addresses AMO and Ontario Mayors at Annual Conference” →

Schreiner Tells AMO Conference That Greens Have Got Their Back

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On the last day of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario’s annual conference, Guelph MPP and Mike Schreiner got his chance to assume the virtual stage and talk to the delegates. Schreiner’s focus was that Greens aren’t just the people that municipalities should turn to for environmental issues, but that they have a plan for housing and other areas necessary for the post-pandemic recovery. Continue reading “Schreiner Tells AMO Conference That Greens Have Got Their Back” →

Ford Kicks Off AMO Touting Ontario as COVID Success Story

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This week is the annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference, which typically takes place live and in-person in Ottawa, but for the second year in a row the whole thing is being held virtually. As usual, the Premier of Ontario kicked things off with a speech, and Doug Ford began AMO 2021 on a positive note touting Ontario’s success overcoming COVID-19 thanks to strong provincial/municipal relations. Continue reading “Ford Kicks Off AMO Touting Ontario as COVID Success Story” →