#TeamKitchener joins Ontario municipalities to discuss urgent priorities this week

Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic, together with council and staff delegates from Kitchener, joined big city mayors and municipal leaders from across the province in London this week to discuss urgent municipal priorities, including homelessness and housing affordability, infrastructure, economic development, and transportation during the annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, along with key cabinet ministers and opposition leaders provided remarks, and hundreds of smaller delegations were held to discuss important issues such as housing, mental health and transportation.

Vrbanovic, councillors and key City staff met with Ministers and opposition leaders, including Ministers Clark, Dunlop, Fedeli, Lecce, Mulroney and Surma, to discuss these priorities.

“Housing affordability, mental health supports, and Highway 7 expansion are just a few of the issues affecting everyone, directly or indirectly, in our community,” Vrbanovic said. “No single municipality can tackle these challenges alone, so I’m pleased to come together with our government partners to discuss the very real hurdles municipalities are facing and work together to find solutions.”

There are also reasons for celebration, Vrbanovic added, as he highlighted a collaborative initiative to expand the Conestoga College School of Creative Industries in Downtown Kitchener. Leading-edge programs such as animation, game design and video production will attract new talent and support the success of established, start-up and scaling companies within the city. Team Kitchener also advocated for investments in Waterloo Region Economic Development Corporation and the new SDG Idea Factory which is home to the Waterloo Region Small Business Centre and other partners.

On Monday, Premier Ford announced the Building Faster Fund, a three-year, $1.2 billion program that provides significant new funding based on performance against provincial housing targets for municipalities.

“Kitchener is committed to reaching our housing goals and we are well-positioned to meet our provincial targets thanks to the proactive work we have done and our strong collaboration with partners,” said Mayor Berry Vrbanovic. “We are committed to work with the province to ensure targets are related to areas within municipal control and ensure that all partners – including all orders of government, the private sector, not-for-profit, and educational institutions – come to the table to find solutions.”

-30-

For more information, please contact:

Bethany Rowland
Director of Corporate Communications & Marketing
City of Kitchener
bethany.rowland@kitchener.ca

Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) is comprised of mayors of Ontario cities with populations of 100,000 or more. OBCM provides a voice for big city mayors in policy debates that impact Ontario cities. Through policy development, advocacy, discussion and partnerships, Ontario’s Big City Mayors support strong and effective cities.