SDG COUNTIES, Ontario - The Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) - representing 103 rural and small-urban municipalities - participated in the 2026 Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference, held in the City of Ottawa, championing regional municipal priorities.
“The AMO Conference continues to be a vital platform for ensuring municipal voices are heard and reflected in provincial decision-making,” said Chair Bonnie Clark. “We are proud to represent the interests of our 103 municipalities and work collaboratively with our provincial partners to advance solutions that support our communities.”
As municipal infrastructure is a top priority for the EOWC, the caucus welcomes and thanks the Ontario Government and Canada Governments’ $1 billion investment to support housing development and strengthen communities. The funding will help rural municipalities address infrastructure needs, expand housing opportunities, and support sustainable growth.
“This $1 billion investment is welcome news for rural communities across eastern Ontario. Building more homes requires the infrastructure to support them, and investments in roads, bridges and water systems will help municipalities unlock housing growth while renewing the infrastructure that existing residents rely on,” said Chair Bonnie Clark. “We are pleased to see our Ontario and Canada government partners working together to support infrastructure in rural communities.”
The EOWC kicked off the conference on Sunday, August 16, leading a joint meeting with the Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (WOWC). Together, the two regional organizations discussed common opportunities and challenges affecting their combine 220 rural and small-urban municipalities across Ontario.
The EOWC and WOWC were honoured to welcome remarks from the Honourable Rob Flack, Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and Steve Pinsonneault, Parliamentary Assistant to the Ontario Minister of Rural Affairs.
A key outcome of the meeting was a unified resolution calling that the Province of Ontario consider allowing municipalities to keep the 1.76% of the non-refundable HST rebate.
“The EOWC and WOWC are proud to stand together in support of this initiative," said Chair Bonnie Clark. "This modest change would return approximately $13 million to upper and single tier municipalities in eastern Ontario alone. This would provide local governments with additional resources to invest in critical infrastructure and help address Ontario's estimated $200 billion infrastructure deficit."
To support this advocacy effort, the EOWC has shared the HST resolution on their website and developed a template letter of support for municipalities and partners. These resources are available on the EOWC website to assist municipalities and stakeholders in demonstrating their support for the initiative.
Productive Meetings with Government and Sector Leaders
Throughout the conference, the EOWC engaged in focused meetings with federal and provincial government leaders, opposition parties, and sector partners, including:
- The Honourable Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing
- The Honourable Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation, and Trade
- The Honourable Tom McCarthy, Acting Minister of Infrastructure
- The Honourable Lisa Thompson, Minister of Rural Affairs
- The Honourable Steve Clark, Government House Leader, Ontario
- Parliamentary Assistant Dave Smith, Ministry of Finance
- Parliamentary Assistant John Joardan, Ministry of Health
- Premier’s Office (Ottawa Regional Office), Scott Phelan
- Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP)
- Ontario Green Party
- Tim Tierney, President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities
- Hydro One
The EOWC would like to extend their sincere thanks to eastern Ontario regional Members of Provincial Parliament, Steve Clark, Stéphane Sarrazin, Nolan Quinn and Ric Bresee, for joining the EOWC’s AMO 2026 delegation meeting and help advocate for the residents of eastern Ontario.
At this year’s AMO conference, the EOWC focused on municipal infrastructure and health care, advocating for the following recommendations:
- Reinvesting the 1.76% non-refundable provincial HST portion directly back into municipal infrastructure;
- Establishing a province-wide standardized asset assessment system to support smarter infrastructure planning and investment decisions;
- Advancing the Eastern Ontario Transformation Action Plan to drive economic competitiveness, workforce development, and regional growth;
- Embedding clinicians within dispatch centres to conduct real-time secondary triage of incoming calls, enabling lower-acuity patients to be redirected to appropriate alternative care providers and reducing unnecessary emergency department visits and paramedic dispatches.
- Integrate community paramedicine as a permanent component of the health care system and ensure funding continues in the long-term.
The EOWC’s Chair, Bonnie Clark, has been appointed as the County Caucus Chair on AMO’s Board of Directors, joining AMO’s Executive Leadership Team to represent Counties’ voices in meetings with the Ontario Government.
The EOWC’s 2026 AMO Advocacy Briefing Package, outlining regional advocacy, data, and recommendations, is available at www.eowc.org.