Acting as Niagara’s voice to Queen’s Park, Niagara Region is headed to Toronto next week to advocate for strengthened partnership with the Provincial government on a number of key priorities.
Dubbed “Niagara Week”, from May 15 – 17 Niagara’s delegation will participate in a series of conversations with cabinet ministers and senior provincial staff in the hopes of gaining provincial support for four key initiatives that will benefit the entire region.
Niagara’s four priorities are focused on addressing the need to build more homes and respond to the demand for more municipal services that comes with population growth. Specifically, the Region is focusing on the following areas:
- “Unlocking” Niagara’s economic potential through joint funding for the South Niagara Falls Wastewater Treatment Plant
- Co-investment in Niagara’s plan to build more affordable and attainable homes across the region
- Reimbursement for the local property tax dollars that were used to mitigate ambulance offload delays at local hospitals and the need for more primary care
- One-time financial support to accelerate shared service and modernization initiatives between Niagara’s municipalities
After being on hiatus for more than a decade, Regional Council decided that now is the time to relaunch its “Niagara Week” advocacy efforts. This year’s event has been branded as “Growing Better, Together”, a theme which speaks directly to the need to respond to the region’s growing population, and our desire to build upon Niagara’s pre-existing partnerships with the provincial government.
Previous “Niagara Week” efforts have contributed to successful partnership with the Provincial government on the following projects:
- Commitment for daily GO train service to Niagara
- Funding for the Niagara-on-the-Lake water/wastewater treatment plant
- Funding for the Burgoyne Bridge replacement project
- Funding for highway redevelopment and construction, especially along Highway 406
As “creatures of the Province”, municipalities across Ontario are dependent on their close partnerships with Queen’s Park. Strategic advocacy efforts like “Niagara Week” play an important role in ensuring that Niagara’s priorities are top of mind among decision makers in Toronto.
