For Immediate Release
April 14th, 2016
Mayor Crombie, Ontario Mayors, Meet with Prime Minister Trudeau
Ottawa – Prime Minister Trudeau understands that to move Canada forward, we must invest in cities and reimagine the relationship between our municipalities and other levels of government, Mayor Crombie said today.
Mayor Crombie made the comments while in the nation’s capital for meetings with colleagues from the Large Urban Mayors’ Caucus of Ontario (LUMCO). LUMCO represents 67% of Ontario’s population. Currently there are 27 big city mayors with populations of over 100,000 residents in Ontario.
Mayor Crombie and LUMCO mayors met with Prime Minister Trudeau and Trinity-Spadina MP, Adam Vaughan, Parliamentary Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs. Discussions focused principally on the funding commitments made in the federal government’s recent Budget 2016.
LUMCO mayors also met with Finance Minister Bill Morneau; Infrastructure and Communities Minister Amarjeet Sohi; Transportation Minister Marc Garneau; and Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development.
Mayor Crombie described the Trudeau government’s first budget as “a bold plan that will position Canada’s municipalities to grow, prosper and secure important funding to invest in transit, infrastructure and ignite economic development,” adding that “Budget 2016 presents an opportunity to make both short and long-term investments.”
In particular, Mayor Crombie highlighted the Trudeau government’s commitment to invest $120 billion in infrastructure over the next ten years, adding that “serious, smart, dedicated and long-term funding for local priorities will grow our national economy.”
The Trudeau government has said its $120 billion commitment will be implemented in two phases, with Phase 1 providing $11.9 billion in immediate investments in the next five years and Phase 2 providing $108.1 billion in investments that will be developed and implemented in the next ten years.
In response to the implementation of the funding, LUMCO passed a resolution:
- That Phase 1 implementation include straightforward funding mechanisms, similar to the permanent and indexed federal Gas Tax Fund, and streamlined approval processes to make funding available for municipalities as soon as possible; and
- That the Federal Government consult directly with municipalities for input into the implementation of Phase 2 funding.
Mayor Crombie concluded “I believe when we work to achieve real results for the people of Mississauga, our nation’s sixth largest city, all of Canada is better positioned to grow, prosper and succeed.”
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