Owen Sound Mayor Leads Delegations with Provincial Ministries at 2023 AMO Conference

Last week, delegations from Owen Sound attended the Association of Municipalities Ontario (AMO) Annual General Meeting & Conference in London to meet with provincial ministries to discuss key issues affecting our region.  

The City’s delegation is comprised of Mayor Ian Boddy, Deputy Mayor Scott Greig, Councillors Marion Kopeke and Melanie Middlebro’, City Manager Tim Simmonds, and Fire Chief Phil Eagleson. Also attending the delegations with the City was local MPP Rick Byers who advocated on behalf of the City and will continue to advance these discussions at Queen’s Park.  

Provincial Representatives at the delegation meetings took place with: 

• Robin Martin, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health 
• The Honourable Doug Downey, Attorney General of Ontario 
• Matthew Rae, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing 

During the ministerial meetings, the issues Owen Sound’s delegation discussed included: 

• Designating Owen Sound as a “Community in Need” to enable access to provincial physician recruitment investment funding 
• Reviewing provincial allocation for Court Security costs and the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund  
• Requesting measures to address escalating municipal liability and insurance costs 
• Reviewing Owen Sound's governance structure to maximize cost-effectiveness and efficiency 

Owen Sound extended an invitation to other local municipalities to join the City in the Physician Recruitment delegation. The City was joined by: Grey County CAO Kim Wingrove, Grey County Warden Brian Milne, Chatsworth Mayor Scott Mackey, Chatsworth Deputy Mayor Terry McKay, Meaford Deputy Mayor Shirley Keaveney, Meaford Acting CAO Matt Smith, Georgian Bluffs Councillor Tobin Day, and Georgian Bluffs Councillor Cathy Moore Coburn. 

More than 2,000 participants from hundreds of municipalities and organizations from across Ontario took part in the 2023 AMO Conference which was hosted in London. This annual event is an opportunity for Ontario's municipal officials to work together on solutions to today's big challenges, to learn, and to create new opportunities that benefit our communities. This year’s conference brought municipal leaders together with the Ontario government following a year of important legislative changes, many intended to tackle the province's housing affordability crisis.  

For more information, please contact Tim Simmonds, City Manager at 519-376-4440 ext. 1210 or email tsimmonds@owensound.ca. 

Quote: 

"Our objective at the 2023 AMO conference was to discuss issues that are important to our community in Owen Sound and to engage in partnerships with key decision-makers. This is part of a broader plan to enhance the City’s government relations and to build strong relationships with our federal, provincial, and regional partners.” 

-Mayor Ian Boddy 

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Back row, left to right: Owen Sound Councillor Marion Koepke; Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Rick Byers, Owen Sound Mayor Ian Boddy, Owen Sound Councillor Melanie Middlebro’, and Owen Sound Deputy Mayor Scott Greig. 

Front row, left to right: Hon. Doug Downey, Attorney General and Matthew Rae, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. 

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