Premier Wynne addresses more than 1,500 municipal leaders in London

LONDON, ON, Aug. 19, 2014 /CNW/ - The Association of Municipalities of Ontario's 2014 AMO Conference continued in London today as Premier Kathleen Wynne addressed delegates and more than 15 Ontario Government Ministers and Parliamentary Assistants faced direct questions from the conference floor.

Delegates are concerned about the combined fiscal impact that Ontario Government decisions are currently having on municipal budgets. Key concerns included the need for closer partnerships between levels of government, long-term fiscal planning, and policies that help municipalities to manage costs.

"Ontario's municipalities sought and received a renewed commitment with the provincial government to address the collective challenges faced by our communities," said AMO President Russ Powers. "I am hopeful that Premier Wynne wants to strengthen the municipal-provincial relationship and move toward solving shared problems. We need to turn that goodwill into practical processes and results." 

Premier Wynne talked about the need to work together keep building a healthy, growing economy and a balanced budget. She also spoke about the need for bold investments in infrastructure.

"AMO has worked hard to build a respectful, productive relationship with the Ontario Government over the past 10 years," said AMO President Russ Powers. "We're concerned that long-standing problems, such as the need to reign in emergency service costs and fix municipal liability, are not being addressed."

Conference highlights for Wednesday, August 20 include:

9:30 a.m. – Predicting the weather – where is the science at? David Philips, Senior climatologist with Environment Canada discusses short and long term weather patterns.
10:15 a.m. – Practicalities of dealing with weather: prevention, preparation and recovery.
11:15 a.m. – Incoming AMO President Gary McNamara.
11:25 a.m. – Closing Remarks.  

This year's program features close to 50 plenary sessions and workshops with more than 60 speakers. The broad scope of the conference reflects the wide range of programs and services delivered by Ontario's municipalities.

Reporters and delegates can build a personalized conference itinerary and access key conference information through AMOmobile - the Association's free mobile app.

AMO is a non-profit organization representing almost all of Ontario's 444 municipal governments.  AMO supports and enhances strong and effective municipal government in Ontario and promotes the value of municipal government as a vital and essential component of Ontario and Canada's political system.

SOURCE: Association of Municipalities of Ontario

Brian Lambie, AMO Media Contact, 416-729-5425, [email protected]; Follow AMO on Twitter: @AMOPolicy, #AMO2014