THUNDER BAY – The 2020 AMO Conference was held online this year due to COVID-19.
Mayor Bill Mauro and Councillor Brian McKinnon, Chair – Intergovernmental Affairs Committee, along with Councillor Kristen Oliver and City Manager Norm Gale, brought forward 12 community issues to lobby for action and/or funding for Thunder Bay at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario’s 2020 AMO Conference Aug. 17 to 19.
“AMO is an important opportunity for us to meet with Ministries and advocate for our community’s needs,” said Mayor Bill Mauro. “We were fortunate to have secured some important virtual meetings to discuss critical community issues, and we used it as an opportunity to make Thunder Bay’s issues and priorities front and centre.”
The Thunder Bay delegation secured meetings with:
- Economic Development and Job Creation, Minister Vic Fedeli
- Ministry of Health, Minister Christine Elliot
- Ministry of Transportation, Minister Caroline Mulroney
- Ministry of Children Community and Social Services, Minister Todd Smith
- Ministry of the Attorney General, Attorney General Doug Downey
- Ministry of Infrastructure, PA Stephen Crawford
- Ministry of the Solicitor General, Solicitor General Sylvia Jones
Priority topics covered included:
- Bombardier
- Crisis Centre
- Non-Urgent Patient Transport
- RegenMed
- Thunder Bay Expressway
- Shelter House
- Provincial Offences Act
- Joint and Several Liability
- Multi –Sport
- Multi-purpose Correctional Facility
- Next Gen 911
- Police Services Funding
Ontario’s largest municipal conference brings together municipal, provincial and federal officials to work collectively to overcome municipal challenges and plan for the future – despite the challenges brought on by COVID-19.
Keynote presenters included Ontario Premier Doug Ford and key ministers, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath (Leader of the Official Opposition), new Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca, Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner, and AMO President Jamie McGarvey.
The AMO Conference has become one of the largest municipal conferences in Canada, attracting over 2000 municipal leaders. The Conference provides the opportunity for Municipalities to meet directly with Ontario Ministries on community specific issues.
