AMO Update

Spring 2026

Overview

• Leadership Team
• Strategic Priorities
• Policy
• Signature Initiatives

Leadership Team

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Lindsay Jones

Executive Director ljones@amo.on.ca

Karen Nesbitt

Director, Policy & Government Relations knesbitt@amo.on.ca

Christina Pavone

Director, Business Services cpavone@amo.on.ca

Afshin Majidi

Director of Finance & Operations amajidi@amo.on.ca

Petra Wofbeiss

Director, Director of Membership Centre

pwolfbeiss@amo.on.ca

2025 & 2026 Strategic Objectives

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Unified Advocacy

Influencing provincial policy for our sector

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Member Value

Creating growth through strategic partnerships

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Service Innovation

Boosting capacity and reducing municipal costs

Impactful Learning

High-quality education and annual conferences

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Targeted Engagement

Planned communications for all stakeholders

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Strong Governance

Excellence in organizational management

Policy

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Context

• International political and economic landscape continues to be uncertain.
• Canadian politics has entered a period of new stability with the first federal majority since 2019.
• Federal agenda continues to be focused outside Canada’s borders – on foreign affairs, international trade diversification, and defence.
• Some focus on domestic economic innovation and affordability issues, but generally federal priorities are not focused on the issues municipalities are most concerned about.
• Provincial government now in second year of its mandate.
• Focused on delivering on major party priorities and potentially contentious changes before re-focusing on the next election. Currently, limited opposition at Queen’s Park
• Municipal elections coming this fall.
• Member focus on elections, then transition for new councils
• First election with strong mayor powers and appointed Regional Chairs

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AMO’s 2026 Pre-Budget Submission focuses on three key themes, central to long-term municipal fiscal sustainability.

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AMO has been advocating strongly for provincial action on municipal priorities that impact communities in every corner of Ontario.

Priority 1 - Long-term infrastructure funding for housing and the economy

Municipalities continue to fund 80% of infrastructure costs

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• Federal and provincial infrastructure transfers haven’t kept pace
• Development charges can’t be replaced by property tax hikes
• All municipalities need access to funding to support growth and aging assets

Funding Sources for Municipal Infrastructure (Ontario)

Key AMO Infrastructure Advocacy

• Development Charges (DCs): AMO and OHBA joint advocacy highlighted need for a sustainable DC framework to support municipal infrastructure.
• Federal/Provincial infrastructure funding with DC reduction component must embed principles of fairness, municipal fiscal sustainability and simplicity. Importantly, no municipalities should be excluded or penalized for lack of DCs, low DCs, or already having reduced DCs.
• Provincial Infrastructure Funding: In 2025, the province announced an additional $2 billion in municipal infrastructure funding to support growth across the province.
• Advancing the Evidence Base: AMO has commissioned new infrastructure research to sharpen our funding advocacy.
• Special Economic Zones (SEZs): AMO has conditionally supported SEZs granted they uphold important environmental and Indigenous commitments and include local municipal engagement and support.

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Priority 2 - Fully fund health and social services that are provincial responsibilities

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• Match provincial long-term care funding with provincial long-term care standards
• Fund public health at a 25/75 cost share ratio
• Fund and centralize physician recruitment

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Municipalities subsidized provincial responsibilities by $5.4 B in 2024

Key AMO Health Advocacy

• Access to Health: AMO has long advocated for a coordinated strategy to improve access to health.
• The province has now earmarked more than $3B for the Primary Care Action Plan with the goal of connecting every Ontarian to a primary care provider.
• Physician Recruitment: Municipalities are increasingly investing in local physician recruitment. This advocacy issue was supported by the Auditor General in a call for a provincially-coordinated physician recruitment strategy.
• The province has committed to a new public health funding formula.

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AMO’s 2026 Pre-Budget Submission focuses on three key themes, central to long-term municipal fiscal sustainability.

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AMO research with NOSDA and OMSSA revealed:

• 85,000 homeless Ontarians in 2026
• 8% year-over-year growth
• Provincial number could grow to 300,000 in next decade without action

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Priority 3 - Fund and fix systems for homelessness

By 2025, municipalities account for roughly half of all combined housing and homelessness funding

AMO has called for a $11B over ten years to end chronic homelessness, by boosting the supply of supportive, transitional and community housing and increasing prevention programs.

Key AMO Homelessness Advocacy

• 85,000 homeless Ontarians - AMO data, in collaboration with OMSSA and NOSDA, has become the definitive source for homelessness data in the media and among partners.
• HART Hubs – 29 integrated Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Hubs are now open across the province.
• AMO will continue advocating for evaluation of this model and rapid scaling should it be delivering results.
• National Housing Strategy – Secured commitment from federal and provincial governments to renegotiate the National Housing Strategy beyond 2028.
• Build Canada Homes - $1B national for supportive and transitional housing, AMO advocating for federal/provincial cooperation to unlock estimated $60M per year in operating funding.

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AMO’s 2026 Pre-Budget Submission focuses on three key themes, central to long-term municipal fiscal sustainability.

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This is more than a governance issue.

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AMO represents nearly 40% active OMERS members.

Municipalities fund OMERS.

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We have a vested interest in having a role in ensuring plan decisions are made in the long-term interests of the plan.

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Municipalities will pay for poor plan decisions.

OMERS Pension Transition

• Recent provincial amendments to the OMERS Act, 2026 could erode municipal control over the pension plan that we pay for.
• Nearly 100 municipalities have passed resolutions supporting AMO's advocacy on this issue. Your collective voice has strengthened AMO’s position to influence a new model.
• AMO continues to actively represent the interests of the municipal sector and the best long-term interests of the OMERS plan.
• Please stay engaged as collective municipal voice may be needed again.

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Other AMO Advocacy Priorities

• Conservation Authorities – The province took steps in the right direction adjusting governance to improve local say and providing more system funding.
• Trade and Tariffs – AMO established municipalities as key partners in province’s economic response.
• AMO established resources to quantify the impact of tariffs on construction costs and municipal balance sheets.
• Generational energy investments fueling our economy require formal municipal approval.
• Leveraging municipal buying power, the province expanded the Buy Ontario Act to include municipal fleet and construction procurement.
• Municipal Governance – The province has committed to passing new Code of Conduct legislation (Bill 9) before this October’s elections.
• The provincial government continues to make changes that impact local democracy without engaging the municipal sector or public. AMO will continue to stand behind the importance of local say in local decisions.

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Signature Initiatives

Healthy Democracy Project

• Promotes the value and importance of municipal governments in Ontario's political system, including the importance of diversity of leadership and perspectives.
• Focused on providing supports to our members on some of the biggest challenges facing your leadership including: incivility and harassment, improving understanding of and engagement in municipal government and providing practical tools and resources to support you in these areas.
• In lead up to 2026 elections we released supports and resources including:
• Candidate resources and workshops for people seeking election or re-election with specific sessions for underrepresented, youth, and Urban Indigenous communities.
• AMO’s If You Believe. They Believe. campaign to equip candidates and voters with the motivation and tools to participate in local elections.
• AMO’s Leading with Respect Handguides developed in collaboration with Workforce Development Project to provide practical tools to help councils and staff manage conflict and foster a culture of civility.
• More to come – resources to increase youth engagement and voter turnout.

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Municipal Workforce Development Project

Purpose

• To develop resources and initiatives that support municipal employee recruitment and retention while positioning Ontario's municipal sector as a place to build a meaningful and lasting career.

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Approach

• Guided by a Project Charter and an Advisory Group with deep knowledge of the challenges related to municipal employee recruitment and retention, the Project is committed to ensuring municipalities have the human resources to deliver the essential services and infrastructure Ontarians rely on, now and into the future.

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AMO’s Indigenous Reconciliation Action Plan

• The plan outlines how AMO will:
• Advance reconciliation for the organization, and
• Support municipalities to improve relationships with Indigenous peoples and governments.
• Directed by our Board and guided by AMO’s Indigenous Advisory Council.

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Scan here to view the Plan

New Council Education

• Recognizing the dramatic changes in municipal leadership, AMO has taken a new and sophisticated approach to supporting newly elected municipal officials and governance in Ontario.
• Our partnership with the Institute on Governance (IOG) includes a comprehensive, hands- on approach. Meaning, not just listening but participating, thinking and working through real issues.
• Subject matter experts to teach and deliver on:
• Governance, leadership culture and legal foundations
• Municipal finance, asset management and sustainable decision making
• Land use planning, development approvals and growth management
• Communications, community engagement strategic leadership and intergovernmental relations
• We will test and revise based on engagement and feedback.
• We will be going out early to engage your municipality following the election as an opportunity to influence positive, good and strong governance for the coming 4 years.

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