Mayor Dan Carter attends AMO and advocates for local issues

This week, Oshawa Mayor Dan Carter joined Mayors and senior leadership from hundreds of municipalities across Ontario at the Association of Municipalities (AMO) annual conference to raise awareness of significant challenges Oshawa is facing.

Speakers and delegations from the Ontario Government included: Hon. Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario; Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy, Minister of Finance; Hon. Paul Calandra, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing; Hon. Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure; Hon. Sylvia Jones, Minister of Health; and, Hon. Michael Tibollo, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.

Mayor Carter had discussions with the speakers and delegates and spoke with provincial government representatives and leaders, and Mayors from other municipalities and organizations.

At AMO, Mayor Carter’s underlying message was the need for all levels of government to work together to find solutions to challenges and issues that municipalities are facing.

As Oshawa’s mayor, he raised awareness of and called for action on four key issues:

Addressing a national humanitarian crisis

Mayor Carter echoed the messaging of Ontario’s Big City Mayors that the health and homelessness issue in this province and country has become a humanitarian crisis on our streets.

Mayor Carter spoke to how the City of Oshawa has done everything it can to be part of the solution, but that municipalities, including Oshawa, do not have the resources or expertise to tackle this crisis alone. He explained that the City continues to be an active partner with the Region of Durham and that we are working together with the Region and other organizations to address these challenges.

He highlighted key actions that the City has undertaken to be part of the solution, including allocating funding, resources and staffing. Examples of the City’s actions to support residents and businesses include:

• support for our Downtown Business community through additional lighting, security, addressing graffiti and garbage removal
• daily sidewalk and road cleaning in the downtown
• daily cleanup of street facing business entrances in the downtown
• aid to private property owners with the removal of drug paraphernalia
• introduced new opportunities for downtown businesses to apply for the Community Improvement Plan grant for security and safety items

• implemented beautification improvements in the downtown
• proactive parks patrol and cleaning of trails and parks across the city
• increased patrol 24/7 in the downtown by Municipal Law Enforcement Officers and Corporate Security Officers
• Oshawa Fire’s new specialized Rapid Response Unit combined with 20 additional firefighters to support quick and efficient response to overdose calls

As examples of Regional initiatives the City has helped to advance, the Mayor spoke of the new Durham Region Street Outreach Program (24/7), the mobile Primary Care Outreach Program that is available 7 days a week, and the Mental Health Outreach Program.

Funding treatment programs and wraparound supports

Mayor Carter joined his municipal colleagues in stressing that there are not enough treatment facilities, treatment beds, or practitioners available for those who need help. He spoke of the critical need for recovery-based solutions and 24/7 urgent care centres to provide the right care at the right time which will relieve pressure on emergency departments and first responders. He discussed that partnerships and wraparound supports and a continuum of care is imperative to helping address this crisis.

The Mayor called for the Provincial and Federal governments to allocate significant funding, resources and tools to address the complex issues of mental health and addictions in communities.

During his discussions at AMO, he spoke of his request for $40 million in provincial funding for mental health and addictions for Oshawa and the need for agencies and governments to work together to focus on recovery programs and a continuum of integrated care with wraparound supports.

Housing

Mayor Carter reiterated the need for more funding to fill the gap in the housing continuum and provide a range of supportive housing and housing options in our community.

He shared that the City is committed to working collaboratively with all levels of government and partners to address the current housing crisis and to ensure more housing is affordable to more people.

He discussed that although the City is not responsible for building homes, it provides incentives to developers along with a responsive and streamlined development process.

As local examples of how we are partnering with the Region, the Mayor discussed the Region’s work to revitalize community housing in two housing communities in Oshawa with over 500 units combined, as well as the Region’s plans to redevelop the former Ritson Public School to include mixed-use, sustainably-built housing along with community programs.

Fiscal reforms

Mayor Carter also spoke of the significant financial pressures facing the City related to the maintenance, repair and replacement of critical infrastructure. He explained that like other municipalities, infrastructure requirements together with high inflation are impacting the sustainability of City finances and resident affordability.

He advocated for fiscal reforms to look at how municipalities pay for capital and operating expenses and the need for modernized and new fiscal tools to manage infrastructure.

Quote

“At this year’s AMO conference, I am pleased to share that there was much discussion on the pressing issues that Oshawa and other big cities face, including the homelessness crisis and the need for more housing options and for fiscal reforms for municipalities. I look forward to continuing these conversations and working with all levels of government to find solutions.”