Advocacy Updates
What’s New
Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) Statement on Federal Government’s 2023 Fall Economic Statement
November 21, 2023 Today the federal government released their 2023 Fall Economic Statement. Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) were pleased to see the creation of new programs that will fund the building of new rental units and...
Doug Ford asked 50 municipalities to build housing to get cash. Were they set up to fail?
By Diana Zlomislic Investigative Reporter
Toronto Star
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Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) Statement on Ontario’s 2023 Fall Economic Statement
November 2, 2023 Burlington, ON - Today the province released their 2023 Fall Economic Statement. Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) were pleased to see the creation of new programs that address support for much needed municipal...
OBCM Statement on Upcoming Ontario Fall Economic Statement 2023
OBCM Statement on Upcoming Ontario Fall Economic Statement 2023 October 27, 2023 Ontario’s Big City Mayors are looking forward to the release of the 2023 Fall Economic Statement by Minister of Finance, Peter Bethlenfalvy next...
Ontario mayors say provincial housing fund rules unfairly penalize them
Allison Jones · The Canadian Press
CBC News…
Ontario’s Big City Mayors Meet to Discuss Important Issues Facing Ontario’s Largest Cities
Ontario’s Big City Mayors Meet to Discuss Important Issues Facing Ontario’s Largest Cities October 24, 2023 WHITBY, ON - Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) met Friday to discuss key issues facing Ontario’s largest cities. At the...
Ontario’s Big City Mayors Meet with Regional Chairs and Provincial Ministers at Association of Municipalities of Ontario Conference
LONDON, ON - Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) and the Mayors and Regional Chairs of Ontario (MARCO) met on Sunday to kick off the AMO Conference in London. The meeting focused on issues impacting Ontario’s biggest cities and...
Ontario’s Big City Mayors Statement on Premier Doug Ford’s Announcement of the Building Faster Fund
LONDON, ON - Today Premier Doug 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....
Ontario to expand ‘strong mayor’ powers to smaller cities, launches $1.2B home-building incentive fund
Ryan Patrick Jones · CBC News
The Ontario government will extend so-called “strong mayor” powers to almost two dozen smaller cities and is launching a $1.2 billion fund to reward municipalities that meet provincially-mandated …
The PLACE Centre Releases Housing Report in Collaboration with Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM)
Today the PLACE Centre at Smart Prosperity Institute released the housing report, Working Together to Build 1.5 Million Homes in collaboration with Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM). This report outlines the role of...
Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) Statement on the Province’s Announcement on Municipal Audits
Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) welcomes the province’s announcement today that they have secured Ernst & Young LLP as the third party auditor for the audits of the City of Toronto, Peel Region, Mississauga, Caledon,...
Ontario launches audits of 6 municipalities to look at how housing law will affect budgets
CBC News
3rd-party audits expected to measure impact to changes in development fees….
Ontario’s largest cities renew call for better funding of municipal challenges
by Sean Meyer, Municipal World
Canada has long been seen as a haven for refugees from across the globe. Unfortunately, that safe harbour is being threatened due to a lack of funding for the very municipalities being called upon…
Ontario Big City Mayors from Oshawa to Oakville say Ottawa needs to fully fund refugee support
By Glenn Hendry
A group representing Ontario’s 29 largest cities – including all five of Durham Region’s urban lakeshore communities and another seven cities from Mississauga to St. Catharines – say Ottawa has to step u…
Ontario’s Big City Mayors Statement on Lack of Municipal Capacity to Support Newcomers to Canada
The Canadian government is failing to fully fund the municipal front line that Canada relies on to welcome and settle newcomers, including those needing urgent support such as refugees and asylum-seekers fleeing conflict in...
OBCM in the news
Ontario launches audits of 6 municipalities to look at how housing law will affect budgets
3rd party audits expected to measure impact to changes in development fees
CBC News Posted: July 26, 2023
‘Let us figure out how it works’: Mayors of Ontario’s biggest cities aren’t willing to give up local control over housing decisions
Ontario's Big City Mayors are meeting in Kitchener this week.
The Kitchener Record
Posted: April 20, 2023
Ontario big city mayors to discuss concerns over province's new housing bill
Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) will meet on Friday as tensions rise between the mayor of the province’s largest city and Premier Doug Ford over the financial impacts of a new housing bill.
Kitchener-Waterloo: Window to restore relationship with municipalities 'is closing', say Big City Mayors
In a public letter addressed to the chair of Ontario's Big City Mayors (OBCM) Cam Guthrie, the Ford government says it will be launching a third-party audit of select municipalities across the province.
Opiod's Harm to Ontario's Big Cities
Cam Guthrie, Mayor of Guelph and Chair of Ontario's Big City Mayors, discusses the toll of the opiod crisis across the province