City of Kingston Report to Council Report Number 20-053

To: Mayor and Members of Council From: Lanie Hurdle, Chief Administrative Officer Resource Staff: Holly Wilson, Manager of Intergovernmental Relations Date of Meeting: February 18, 2020 Subject: Quarterly Government Relations Update & Health Care Modernization

Executive Summary:

Since the provincial Conservative government was elected in 2018, there continues to be a wide range of legislative changes and provincial consultation on a number of municipal programs and services. These quarterly government relations reports are intended to provide Council with an overview on some of the more significant changes happening provincially, how City staff are participating in consultations and what, if any, impact there is to the City as a result. Although this report focuses primarily on provincial changes, future government relations reports will also include relevant information on federal issues as well. Updates in this report include:

 Bill 108 – More Homes More Choice Legislation  The Community Benefit Charges Consultation and Implementation  Building Code Changes  Producer Responsibility for Ontario’s Waste Diversion Programs: o Municipal Hazardous and Special Waste Program Changes o Blue Box Program Changes  Ontario’s Healthcare Transformation – Formation of Ontario Health Teams, Consultations on the Public Health and Emergency Health Services  Ministry of Transportation E-scooter Pilot  Ontario Poverty Reduction Strategy Consultation  Social Assistance Updates  Social Housing – Canada Ontario Housing Benefit Program  Provincial Associations Priorities and Advocacy Report to Council Report Number 20-053

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This report specifically contains a recommendation on health care modernization as the provincial government has started its consultation as it relates to the modernization of public health and emergency health services. City staff have been in communication with KFL&A Public Health and Ontario Health Team and will be participating in upcoming health care modernization consultation sessions.

Recommendation:

That Kingston City Council support the efforts of the Eastern Ontario Mayors Caucus in encouraging the Ontario government to focus on a patient/resident centric approach in the creation of the Ontario Family Health Teams and any potential changes to public health and emergency health services; and

That this patient/resident centric approach be focused on the alignment of service area boundaries where appropriate for the Ontario Health Team, public health units and emergency health services; and

That any new provincial health care modernization include a fair funding model and appropriate municipal representation be established to support these critical services.

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Authorizing Signatures:

Lanie Hurdle, Chief Administrative Officer

Consultation with the following Members of the Corporate Management Team:

Paige Agnew, Commissioner, Community Services

Peter Huigenbos, Commissioner, Business, Environment & Projects Not required

Brad Joyce, Acting Commissioner, Corporate Services Not required

Jim Keech, President & CEO, Utilities Kingston Not required

Desirée Kennedy, Chief Financial Officer & City Treasurer

Sheila Kidd, Commissioner, Transportation & Public Works Report to Council Report Number 20-053

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Options/Discussion:

Since the provincial Conservative government was elected in 2018, there have been several legislative changes and government led consultations on a variety of municipal issues of significance. This report is a means to keep Council informed on the various reviews, policy and legislative changes and any relevant municipal impact.

In an effort to provide Council with the most up-to-date provincial developments, this report also incorporates information from several municipal associations and groups including: the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), the Association of Municipal Clerks and Treasurers and the Municipal Finance Officers Association (MFOA), the Large Urban Mayors Caucus of Ontario (LUMCO) and the Eastern Ontario Mayor’s Caucus (EOMC) among others. The following are the most recent provincial government updates:

Bill 108, More Homes More Choice Act Update Bill 108 received Royal Assent on June 6, 2019. The Bill amends 13 different statutes that impact municipalities and land use planning processes. When Bill 108 and associated regulations come into force, they will affect the planning and financial tools to support new development in Kingston.

Bill 108 also changes how development applications are reviewed by the City and at the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT). As part of Bill 108, the City has recently participated in consultations related to the:

 Provincial Policy Statement Review ( Report Number 19-251)

 The Review of Development Charges and Community Benefits Charge ( Report Number 19-156)

Changes to the Development Charges Act, made by the More Homes, More Choice Act, and relevant amendments to Ontario Regulation 82/98 (General) under the Development Charges Act, came into effect on January 1, 2020. Builders are able to defer payments over a period of five (5) years through six (6) annual installments for rental housing and institutional developments and over twenty (20) years through twenty-one (21) annual installments for non- profit housing developments.

As of January 1, 2020, development charge rates for a development proceeding by a Site Plan or Zoning By-Law Amendment planning application will be based on the rates in effect at the time the application is submitted to the City. Changes to Ontario Regulation 82/98 means that the rate would continue to be frozen for two years after planning approvals have been received.

The province has said that municipalities may incur additional costs as a result of these requirements, and for that reason, the legislation provides authority for municipalities to charge interest to cover costs associated with payment deferrals and a rate freeze. The government has also made a housekeeping amendment that revises the index to which development charges may be linked in development charge by-laws. Report to Council Report Number 20-053

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In Report Number 20-072, staff have provided further details on amendments to the Development Charges Act including recommendations for charging interest.

Community Benefits Charge (CBC) Update Bill 138, the Plan to Build Ontario Together Act, 2019, received Royal Assent on December 10, 2019 and enacted three additional changes related to DC’s and CBC’s. These changes are outlined in Schedules 10 and 31 of the bill.

Report Number 19-156 outlined some of the proposed changes related to the Community Benefit Charge. The City has expressed concern to the province on the development of the CBC calculation and the implementation.

City staff will continue to participate in consultations and the implementation of policies related to Bill 108. In particular, staff are interested in participating in the consultation on the CBC formula development and transition. At the time of this report, no further consultation has been announced. The province had originally told municipalities the CBC formula consultation would occur before the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) review; however, that has changed with the province now indicating there are complexities to be worked out before that consultation can get underway.

Ontario Building Code Changes On September 24, 2019, the Honourable Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, announced a public consultation on potential changes to the delivery of building code services and released a discussion paper: Transforming and Modernizing the Delivery of Ontario’s Building Code Services. Subsequently, in a letter sent to mayors on December 19th, the Minister referenced the creation of a proposed new administrative authority to deliver a suite of enhanced and new user-driven services.

The new proposed administrative authority would have the ability to quickly scale and deliver services more nimbly, provide resources to enable a more consistent approach to building code interpretation and application, and deliver streamlined services across Ontario. Details on how the proposed administrative authority would be funded will be guided by further consultation with municipalities and other building stakeholders. The government’s objective is to have the enhanced and new services provided by the administrative authority paid for through a combination of user fees and regulatory charges associated with service delivery in the new model. No new tax is proposed.

Although the government has said no new tax is being proposed, the creation of a new administrative authority seems to suggest the province is pushing toward the industry self-regulating. City staff have participated in one consultation session and are monitoring this closely as more information is announced.

Producer Responsibility for Ontario’s Waste Diversion Programs In 2016, the Ontario government passed the Waste Free Ontario Act, 2016 that includes the Waste Diversion Transition Act and the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act. The primary outcomes of the new legislation are to increase diversion of wastes from landfill, reduce Report to Council Report Number 20-053

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Page 6 of 15 litter and make producers (the companies that design, create and market products and packaging) responsible for managing and paying for the full life-cycle of their products to make recycling easier and more accessible across the province.

Shortly after the provincial election in 2018, the new Conservative government released their Made in Ontario Environment Plan in November 2018, and since then, the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks has continued the government’s commitment to transition Ontario’s waste diversion programs to producer responsibility under the timeline below:

Transition Timelines Ontario’s existing waste diversion programs are transitioning to a producer responsibility model. To ensure a seamless transition, regulations that make producers fully responsible for the materials managed under these programs will come into effect the same day each of the current programs end. These programs include:

1. Municipal Hazardous or Special Waste Program recycles or properly disposes of paint, antifreeze, batteries, fertilizers and other hazardous or special materials. Battery materials will transition to the producer responsibility model on July 1, 2020 and the remaining program materials will transition on July 1, 2021.

2. Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Program reuses or recycles electronic equipment like computers, televisions and stereos. It will transition to the producer responsibility model on January 1, 2021.

3. Blue Box Program recycles printed paper and packaging (plastics, paper, glass, aluminum, steel). The first group of municipalities or First Nations will transfer responsibility of their Blue Box programs to producers on January 1, 2023. By December 31, 2025, producers will be fully responsible for providing Blue Box services province- wide.

4. The Ontario Deposit Return Program for beverage and alcohol containers. This is already the responsibility of producers so there is requirement to transition this program.

5. The Used Tires Program ceased operation on December 31, 2018. It has been replaced by the Tire Collection Network, a new regulatory framework, which makes tire producers responsible for creating an accessible, convenient and free tire collection network across the province.

Ontario Municipal Hazardous or Special Waste Update On April 12, 2018, the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) directed Stewardship Ontario to wind-up the Municipal Hazardous and Special Waste (MHSW) Program to enable the transition of hazardous or special waste to individual producer responsibility under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016. The operation of the existing MHSW program for all designated materials will cease on June 30, 2021, with the exception of single- use batteries which will cease on June 30, 2020. Report to Council Report Number 20-053

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As directed by the Minister, Stewardship Ontario submitted its wind-up plan to the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority on September 30, 2019. The wind-up plan was subsequently approved by Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA) in December 2019 and work will now commence to implement the approved plan.

During the transition period, producers are required to continue to meet reporting and payment obligations to municipalities without disruption, until the full wind-up is completed by June 30, 2021, and the full/individual producer responsibility model commences on July 1, 2021.

A regulation for individual producer responsibility for the MHSW program is expected to be released by the MECP soon, and that will provide staff with insight on how the future producer- led program will be operated and paid for, as well as, implications and opportunities for the City’s household hazardous waste depot.

Ontario Blue Box Update On August 15, 2019, the MECP issued direction letters to both the RPRA and Stewardship Ontario to begin to transition the management of Ontario’s Blue Box program to producers of plastic and other packaging. This will enable the transition of the designated materials collected under the program to individual producer responsibility under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016. During the transition, Stewardship Ontario will continue to operate the Blue Box Program without disruption.

The government is working to develop a policy and regulation to enable producer responsibility beginning in 2023. At the most recent Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) Conference, the Honourable Jeff Yurek, MECP, provided no new program details; however, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to moving toward 100% producer responsibility for Ontario’s Blue Box Program within the six year timeframe for implementation.

On January 17, 2020, Minister Yurek also indicated the government is now looking at reducing the powers provided to the RPRA that was put in place to enforce compliance for producer responsibility programs for Electronics, Hazardous Waste, Tires and Blue Box. This announcement appears to indicate the government is only talking about reduced powers for Electronics and Hazardous Waste, and the Minister's office said it will continue with "strict new recycling regulations, including higher diversion targets and new blue box standards”.

It is unclear how a change to the powers currently provided to the RPRA could impact the ability to enforce producer responsibilities in the future, after the responsibilities of the program are transferred to the producers.

The Director of Solid Waste services continues to stay engaged on this file, participating on the Blue Box Transition Working Group, organized by the Ontario MECP and the Extended Producer Responsibility Committee, coordinated by the Ontario Waste Management Association.

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Ontario Health Care Transformation Update Since taking office, the provincial government has embarked on the most significant shift in health care in the last 20 years, moving away from the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) model to a new continuum of care centered on patients. This shift involves several policy transformations announced in the 2019 Ontario budget that have now evolved over the last year. These include the formation of regional Ontario Health Teams (OHTs) across the province and the review of Ontario’s Public Health and Emergency Health Services.

Ontario Health Teams Formation (OHT) On February 26, 2019, the province announced Ontario’s long-term plan to restructure the delivery of health care services with the intent of redirecting funding from administration to direct patient care. This long-term plan involves the creation of 30 to 50 OHTs including providers and organizations clinically and fiscally accountable for delivering a coordinated continuum of care to a defined geographic population. Services considered as part of this new model include primary care, acute care, mental health and addictions services, long-term care, home care and community care.

On July 9, 2019 City staff provided a recommend report (Report Number 19-203) on the Ontario government’s plan to establish OHTs across the province. In the July report to Council, City staff recommended:

That Council direct staff to inform Kingston Health Sciences Centre that the City of Kingston is signing on as a partner to participate in the development of the full application of the South East Ontario Health Team; and

That Council assign the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), the Director of Long Term Care and the Director of Housing & Social Services, as required, to participate in the development and report back with information prior to the submission of the full application for the South East Ontario Health Team.

Since then, City staff have continued to remain connected to the development of the Frontenac, OHT (FL&A-OHT). On December 9, 2019, the government announced the first cohort of 24 OHTs across the province. Although Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC), together with partners from all health care sectors, had submitted an initial proposal as the South East OHT in the self-assessment phase, they were not selected to proceed with a full OHT application. The Ontario Ministry of Health encouraged KHSC and its partners from the central zone of the South East OHT application (those in Kingston and surrounding area), to work with neighbouring applicants in Rural Frontenac, Lennox and Addington and come together as one OHT in respect of their shared patient population. The groups came together and formed an ‘application steering committee’ to facilitate preparing an FL&A-OHT application by leveraging the work done during the self-assessment phase.

On January 20, 2020, the FL&A-OHT provided a Progress Report to the Ontario Ministry of Health on the work that has taken place to form the new FL&A-OHT. They expect to hear the Ministry’s decision in March on whether the group will be invited to submit a full OHT application in the second wave of applications. Report to Council Report Number 20-053

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Currently, the Ministry of Health is moving forward with three large transformative pieces of work in health care – formation of OHTs and consultation on changes to Ontario’s Public Health units and Emergency Health Services. City staff are concerned that these pieces of work do not appear to be integrated in an obvious way. If OHTs are truly intended to represent a patient/resident-centric approach that provides a full and coordinated continuum of care, that public health and emergency services must be part of that continuum of care and be integral partners of OHTs. Therefore, City staff believe that the future administration and delivery of public health and emergency services must be considered within the evolving landscape of OHTs and that boundaries of service delivery should align.

Public Health Consultation In the Ontario 2019 budget, the government announced plans to restructure public health moving from 35 public health units to 10 across the province with the goal of finding $200M in efficiencies. This announcement generated concerns from several communities and public health agencies across the province. As a result, on October 20, 2019, the government announced a renewed consultation and appointed Jim Pine, the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for Hastings County to lead the consultation and advise the Minister of Health.

There have been five consultation sessions held to date in Thunder Bay, Peterborough, Peel Region, North Bay and London. Nine more consultations are planned for Kenora, York, Waterloo, Ottawa, Kingston, , Hamilton, Windsor and Timmins. To date, the government has received 225 submissions for the public health consultation. Below is a summary of some of what the government is hearing on changes to public health. This information was presented at a high level during the 2020 ROMA conference.

 Capacity issues across the province;  ‘Don’t fix what isn’t broken’, build upon well-established partnerships;  An openness to consider amalgamations where it makes sense;  One size fits all may not make sense;  Consider geographic and population differences in any restructuring;  Municipalities want to continue to play a role;  The need for more research and information sharing across the province;  Formalize public health in health care transformation and the OHTs; and  Concerns about cost-sharing, funding should be predictable.

Emergency Health Services (EHS) EHS is a catchall term the province is using to describe municipal paramedic services or emergency medical services (EMS) and the provincial Ornge service. In the 2019 budget, the government announced plans to streamline ambulance dispatch services by integrating Ontario’s 59 emergency health operators (52 EHS, 6 First Nations, and Ornge) and 22 provincial dispatch communication centres. The intent was to move 52 ambulance services to 10 through restructuring.

This generated concerns from several communities and emergency service agencies across the province. As a result, the government committed to more consultation with stakeholders. The Report to Council Report Number 20-053

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Page 10 of 15 consultations for EHS have been combined with Public Health consultations. To date, the government has received 200 submissions. Below is a summary of what the government is hearing on EHS. This information was presented at a high level during the ROMA 2020 conference.

 Modernize the dispatch system – outdated technology, incompatible systems;  Municipal governments want to be partners;  The need for more integrated care – diverting patients from emergency rooms;  Increase hospital capacity to reduce offload delays;  Allow first responders to have better access to patient records;  Expand community paramedicine; and  Provide more mental health supports for front line workers.

With this renewed consultation in both Public Health and EHS, the Minister of Health has indicated that ‘status quo is not an option’ and municipalities, agencies and groups have an opportunity to bring forward ideas on how best to improve service delivery. Mr. Pine has also indicated the government does not have a predetermined outcome and that they view this consultation as a ‘reset’ to discuss possible changes within the system.

In terms of next steps, the government is continuing consultations across the province until early March. A local consultation was scheduled for February 5th in Frontenac County; however, it was cancelled due to the evolving situation with the Coronavirus.

Mr. Pine has indicated there will not be an official report to the Minister; however, he is providing updates and information to the Ministry as the consultations occur. The AMO is currently working on full technical responses to both the public health and EHS consultations and these will be circulated to municipalities in February for information.

As noted above, the City will continue to stay engaged in these consultations and where possible, encourage the FL&A-OHT, KFL&A Public Health and our local ambulatory care service to consider aligning the service boundaries to best meet the needs of patients and residents.

Provincial Social Services Update In December 2019, the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services launched Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy assessment and consultations to inform the development of a new five-year strategy, as mandated by the Poverty Reduction Act, 2009. The launch of the consultation was made public on December 16th through a news release and letters issued to key stakeholders and Indigenous partners.

As part of the consultation, an online survey was launched on January 30th to inform the development of Ontario’s next Poverty Reduction Strategy. Written submissions are also currently being accepted. Staff are developing a response to the consultation, which will be presented at the March 24th Council meeting. Staff will continue to monitor the development of the Poverty Reduction Strategy and will provide information to Council as appropriate. Report to Council Report Number 20-053

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Earlier this year, the government also announced changes to Ontario Works (OW), Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and the Transition Child Benefit (TCB). After careful consideration, the government has said these programs will continue in their current form to all recipients in accordance with existing policies and regulations. Staff continue to monitor this program for any developments and will provide information to Council as appropriate.

Social Housing – Canada Ontario Housing Benefit Program On December 20, 2019, the City received confirmation of its allocation under the Canada- Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB) Program from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. The City’s allocation is $343,477 for 2020/2021 and $450,057 for 2021/2022. The program will provide a portable housing benefit directly to approximately 5,000 households across the Province in the first year of the program (2020-2021) with an estimated 40,000 households in the program by 2028. Portability provides recipients the freedom to choose where to live and make the housing choices that are best for them, whether in the private market or in community housing. Current recipients of the Provincial Portable Housing Benefit – Special Priority will transition to COHB.

Other key program design details, as shared by the Province, include:

 Assistance will be provided to households that are on, or eligible to be on, a social housing waiting list.

 Assistance will be prioritized to the following vulnerable household types: survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking, persons experiencing or at-risk of homelessness, Indigenous persons, seniors and people with disabilities.

 Priority will also be given to households that will no longer receive assistance as a result of expiring social housing operating agreements/mortgages and/or federal-provincial housing programs.

 Benefit calculation will be based on the difference between 80 per cent of average market rent and 30 per cent of monthly income (consistent with the benefit calculation for Ontario’s Portable Housing Benefit Framework and the Portable Housing Benefit – Special Priority Policy program).

 Social assistance recipients will have a separate maximum benefit calculation to avoid a reduction in social assistance entitlements.

 Households may receive first and last month’s rent assistance, if needed.

 Monthly benefit amounts may be adjusted in-year under select circumstances ( i.e. change in household composition, decrease of 20 per cent or more in household income).

The City of Kingston, as the Service Manager of housing and homelessness programs, will have a vital role to play in the set-up of the COHB. This includes identifying and selecting households to Report to Council Report Number 20-053

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Page 12 of 15 apply for the program and assisting households with the application process. The program is expected to be launched in April of 2020.

E-Scooter Pilot Update On November 27, 2019, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation announced its intent to introduce a new 5-year e-scooter pilot program. Effective January 1, 2020, the pilot program provides municipalities with the option to ‘opt-in’ through by-law amendments to allow electric kick- scooters (e-scooters) to operate within the municipal right-of-way.

Under the pilot, the province has set out the broad rules and requirements for e-scooters such as helmet requirements and a minimum age of 16 years old. It is up to individual municipalities to decide whether to pass by-laws to allow their use and determine where scooters can operate most safely in each unique environment.

Municipalities that choose to allow the use of e-scooters would be responsible for determining where e-scooters can operate by allowing or prohibiting them on municipal roads, sidewalks, multi-use pathways, walkways and park trails. Municipalities would also be responsible for determining how an e-scooters sharing systems would be licensed, regulated and managed within their jurisdictions.

The Ministry of Transportation expects that this pilot framework, in addition to continued discussions with municipalities, will provide the Ministry with meaningful evidence to determine whether a permanent framework is warranted. Following a safety evaluation of these vehicles, the Ministry will make a long-term decision on whether e-scooters are permanently allowed on roads in Ontario.

City staff have been monitoring the use and pilot implementation of e-scooters and will be preparing an information report for the Environment, Infrastructure & Transportation Policies Committee in Q1 2021. This report will outline the provincial pilot program details, the approach that other municipalities have taken in the initial pilot season and an outline of what would be involved to establish a pilot program for Kingston.

Provincial Associations and Conferences Updates AMO January Board Meeting On January 30th and 31st, Mayor Paterson attended the January AMO Board meeting in Toronto. This meeting was largely focused on getting input from the Board on AMO’s response to the provincial consultations around Public Health Units and emergency health services. Below is a general overview from the meeting as sent to municipalities from the AMO.

Underpinning AMOs public health response will be a business case that investments in public health make sense for a multitude of population health and public policy reasons and that a separate discussion on funding is needed. AMO holds that one size will not fit all and will propose alternatives to the government’s re-structuring proposal outlined in the 2019 Budget.

The AMO EMS response will be a call to first address all long-standing municipal asks before any discussion about structure. These asks include: accelerating dispatch improvements, Report to Council Report Number 20-053

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Page 13 of 15 reducing offload delays, addressing non-urgent inter-facility health transfers, expanding community paramedicine with full 100% provincial funding and fixing the funding model. The full written responses for both the Public Health and EHS consultations will be shared with AMO members in February.

AMO staff also provided an update on their upcoming climate change work. AMO’s 2020 Strategic Objectives includes the theme of “positioning municipal interests on the urgency of climate change.” AMO staff are actively compiling work done in other municipalities on climate change, as well as ideas for new work such as a proposal of a few short discussion papers that focus on municipal government needs and solutions. AMO staff are developing these ideas for future Board direction to share with members later in 2020.

Providing examples of what the City is doing is a great opportunity to showcase some of the City’s climate change initiatives. City staff will be providing AMO with an overview of some of these initiatives in reference to the strategic plan. These examples may provide practical information for other municipalities looking to make improvements in their communities.

Large Urban Mayor’s Caucus of Ontario (LUMCO) Update Ontario’s large Urban Mayors Caucus (municipalities with a population over 100,000) are taking steps to become more coordinated in their advocacy efforts with the federal and provincial governments. Recently, LUMCO retained Strategy Corp, a public affairs organization based in Toronto, to lead mayors and CAO’s through the development of priorities and rebranding.

These efforts are being led through the Chair’s office at the City of Guelph. The next LUMCO meeting is in February and the group will discuss their positions on public health and emergency health services as part of the provincial consultation.

The City of Kingston is hosting LUMCO Mayors and their CAO’s in the spring where the group will discuss their advocacy efforts heading into the AMO conference later in the summer. More information on these advocacy efforts will be provided to Council in the next quarterly government relations report.

Eastern Ontario Mayor’s Caucus (EOMC) Update Mayor Paterson and several members of the EOMC recently attended the 2020 ROMA conference in Toronto to meet with provincial representatives in a multi-ministerial delegation to the Ministers of Health and Municipal Affairs and Housing. Mayors discussed:

 Municipal concerns related to housing including changes proposed through Bill 108;

 Changes to public health and EHS and alignment with the OHT formation; and

 Concerns with flooding and anticipated high water levels.

During ROMA, Mayors also stressed the need for increased funding for mental health and addictions. Eastern Ontario communities are increasingly concerned about the lack of supportive housing and supports for individuals with mental health and addictions. Report to Council Report Number 20-053

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EOMC continues to work toward becoming a more coordinated municipal advocacy group in Eastern Ontario. The EOMC CAO’s are now starting to meet regularly to help develop research and briefing materials based on shared experiences. Mayor Paterson will also continue to Chair EOMC until the end of 2020. Additional information on EOMC advocacy will be provided in the next quarterly government relations report.

City of Kingston – Ontario 2020 Pre-Budget Submission City staff are currently in the process of working on a pre-budget submission for the Ontario 2020 budget consultations. This submission will be based on the City’s strategic plan priorities while reflecting provincial objectives where appropriate. An information report with the pre-budget submission will be provided to Council.

Mayor Paterson recently met with Stan Cho, the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Finance, while he was in Kingston for a budget consultation. In the meeting, the Mayor emphasized the need for consultation before implementation of initiatives that impact municipalities, the importance of working with the federal and provincial governments to unlock funding for affordable housing, and provincial support through regulatory changes to help ensure growth pays for growth.

Existing Policy/By-Law:

None

Notice Provisions:

None

Accessibility Considerations:

None

Financial Considerations:

None

Contacts:

Holly Wilson, Manager of Intergovernmental Relations 613-546-4291 extension 1402

Other City of Kingston Staff Consulted:

Paige Agnew, Commissioner, Community Services

Ian Semple, Director, Transportation Services

Heather Roberts, Director, Solid Waste Services Report to Council Report Number 20-053

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Ruth Noordegraaf, Director, Housing and Social Services

Lana Foulds, Director, Financial Services

Exhibits Attached:

None