City of Waterloo advocates for local priorities at annual AMO conference
City of Waterloo Councillors and senior staff, led by Mayor Dorothy McCabe, were in Ottawa this week for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference meeting with provincial Ministers and representatives to advocate for Waterloo’s top priorities including the new hospital, housing infrastructure and economic growth opportunities.
City representatives, along with a Waterloo Region Health Network (WRHN) representative, met with the Hon. Sylvia Jones, Minister of Health, to discuss the new acute care hospital to be located in Waterloo. The delegation emphasized work that has already been done by the formation of WRHN, and the support of the community for this significant project. Continued support from the province is imperative to ensure the delivery of quality care that will meet the needs of the growing and aging population.
City of Waterloo delegations also met with representatives from the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade to highlight the investment opportunities that the new hospital presents.
“There is great opportunity to align this project with leading-edge health technology and Canadian-focused procurement practices. There is significant opportunity to showcase Ontario-made health technologies, and a chance for Waterloo to establish ourselves as a leader in health technology innovation. With the right investment, the hospital project can become a cornerstone of Ontario’s healthcare strategy and a model for economic resilience across Canada,” said City of Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe.
“This initiative offers a strategic response to ongoing tariffs by enabling the domestic design, testing, and manufacturing of critical health tech solutions - reducing reliance on imported healthcare technologies, stabilizing supply chains, and creating Canadian-controlled intellectual property that is less vulnerable to international trade volatility,” said Mayor McCabe.
A prominent theme at AMO was the need for dedicated funding for housing related infrastructure. The City delegation also emphasized the need to reserve electricity supply on the local grid for future critical public infrastructure, such as the new hospital, noting that local distribution companies need the ability to properly plan for sustainable growth. Sustainable, forward thinking is needed now to plan for the future of Ontario’s electricity grid and other housing supportive infrastructure so that municipalities can continue to meet the demands of our growing population without restricting housing growth.
Mayor McCabe, who also sits on Region of Waterloo council, is a board member of AMO and chair of AMO's Large Urban Caucus, also attended the joint Ontario’s Big City Mayors/Mayors and Regional Chairs of Ontario meeting, representing Waterloo’s perspective on issues facing all Ontario municipalities. Issues such as renovictions, the rising cost of policing, paramedic safety, and ensuring civility in our democratic process were discussed.
In their other meetings with provincial representatives, the City of Waterloo team continued to advocate for an increase to the Heads and Beds Levy that compensates municipalities for services provided to post-secondary institutions, as well as pressing for provincial action on renters’ rights protections and renoviction by-laws through the Residential Tenancies Act. They also requested provincial support for two-way all-day GO Train services and for high-performance sport infrastructure in Waterloo Region.
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Media contact:
Stacey Abbott
Communications Manager, City of Waterloo
Stacey.Abbott@waterloo.ca