Waterloo Region – The Region of Waterloo is advancing key infrastructure priorities, housing and homelessness supports, and the need for a new municipal funding framework, through meetings with Provincial and Federal Cabinet Ministers in Ottawa.  

Today, Regional Chair and Chair of the Mayors and Regional Chairs of Ontario, Karen Redman, is co-leading a meeting with Ontario’s Big City Mayors where the group is joined by the Federal Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities of Canada, the Hon. Sean Fraser, and the Provincial Ministers of Municipal Affairs and Housing and Infrastructure, the Hon. Paul Calandra and Hon. Kinga Surma.  

Chair Redman highlighted the need for sustainable, dedicated funding for both Ontario’s upper-tier and lower-tier municipalities as we partner to tackle housing challenges and build the infrastructure needed to support new homes.  

“As the service system manager for housing and homelessness supports and the level of government responsible for the critical infrastructure to support housing development, these candid conversations are key to advancing the needs of those in Waterloo Region,” said Regional Chair Karen Redman. “We know that many of the challenges and the opportunities will take alignment from all levels of government. I am pleased to be with my colleagues to work together on creative solutions as we work to become one-million ready.”  

A delegation of Regional Councillors will be in Ottawa for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario’s (AMO) annual conference, August 19-21, 2024.  

Further meetings with Ministers will take place as the Region of Waterloo seeks commitments on a new fiscal framework, support for the Plan to End Chronic Homelessness, a Rural Transit Strategy, and funding for mental health supports, intimate partner violence and gender-based violence prevention initiatives.  

“The fiscal pressures municipalities are facing cannot be understated. We are operating with an outdated funding model while facing unprecedented growth,” said Region of Waterloo Councilor and Administration and Finance Chair Michael Harris, “This year, our projected tax rate increase was at 13 per-cent. Property tax-payers cannot continue to shoulder the growing cost of service demands while programs with province-wide objectives are funded at the local level. We need a new deal as we face over $190-million in costs for services that historically have been delivered by upper levels of government.”  

The Association of Municipalities of Ontario Annual Conference is taking place August 18-21, 2024.  

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