Call it a red new deal.
Speaking to a crowd of hundreds of mayors, councillors and municipal staff, Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie will call for a new fiscal deal between Ontario and the province's municipalities Monday afternoon, per an advance copy of her speech obtained by The Trillium.
It's not the first time Crombie has advocated for a new funding arrangement. But she's looking to "plant her flag" on the issue at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) annual conference in Ottawa this week, according to a source close to Crombie.
"We’ll deliver a real review of the tools you need to deliver the services and build the communities your residents demand," Crombie's speech reads, going on to promise a "better financial model for municipalities that is long-term, sustainable and fiscally responsible."
"Because as a former mayor, believe me when I say: we need to better support our municipalities, to empower you with a new funding deal," she'll say. "We’ll deliver a new deal for cities and communities. You have my word."
It's sure to be an applause line, as funding is expected to be the number 1 issue at AMO this year. Cities and towns have been adamant that the property tax base can't — and was never meant to — address the health and social issues that have been downloaded by successive federal and provincial governments.
Homelessness and addiction problems in particular have exploded in recent years, overwhelming local budgets.
Crombie joins NDP Leader Marit Stiles and Green Leader Mike Schreiner in calling for a new deal. Stiles has been especially active of late, touring the province to make sure cities know where she stands.
None of the three have proposed how exactly the new funding arrangement would work — whether it's to be shaving off a slice of the HST for municipalities, allowing them to charge sales taxes of their own, or dedicating a separate annual fund — and what strings it could come with.
That's all to be negotiated — but in Crombie's case it won't include a new tax, the source said.
"You can't say, 'We're going to work with municipalities and then present them a fait accompli offer," they said.
Crombie to congratulate attendees on Greenbelt, pledge anti-harassment bill
In her speech, Crombie will also shout out AMO for its role in pressuring the Ford government to reverse course on the Greenbelt affair.
"Ford tried to ride out the scandal for weeks. But here at AMO, delegates stood up to him," her notes read. "You said loud and clear: this province values our natural environment! You said that we can build affordable housing in this province without selling off our Greenbelt to reward rich developers!"
At the time, AMO itself advocated (politely) for a "rethink" of the doomed plan. Some local leaders were less subtle.
And, again like Stiles and Schreiner, Crombie will promise a bill to allow councils to kick out members for harassment. Currently, the harshest penalty they can face is a suspension of pay for 90 days.
Liberal MPP Stephen Blais, a former Ottawa city councillor, has led the way on the file. His bill briefly appeared to have the Ford government's support, until it didn't. More than 150 municipalities have passed resolutions in support of the bill.
In January, Housing Minister Paul Calandra stressed the need to make the bill "airtight" at AMO's sister conference for rural municipalities. The government has balked at Blais' proposal to empower local integrity commissioners, arguing it could open the door to political abuse.
The Tories appear to have punted the issue to the fall at the earliest, as they reportedly await guidance from the integrity commissioner.
