Media Room

June 2021

Ontario’s Big City Mayors call for action on ambitious mental health and addictions plan Jun 21, 2021

June 18, 2021 �“ Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) are joining mental health leaders and Chiefs of Police in calling for the decriminalization of controlled substances and the continued creation and funding of Mental Health Crisis Response Units. These units combine trained mental health

May 2021

Ontario’s Big City Mayors focus on improving mental health and addictions services May 29, 2021

May 28, 2021 �“ The Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) Mental Health Working Committee presented draft recommendations to support and complement the Province’s Road to Wellness plan which seeks to improve mental health and addictions services across Ontario. Committee co-chairs Mayor Marianne Meed Ward of Burlington and Mayor Darrin Canniff of Chatham-Kent have led discussions with the working committee over the past several weeks to develop actionable policies to fill service gaps, address wait times, and strengthen prevention efforts.

April 2021

Ontario’s Big City Mayors welcome investment priorities in the federal 2021 budget Apr 19, 2021

April 19, 2021 – The Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) caucus is pleased to see today’s federal budget focused on addressing large-scale policy priorities like housing affordability and childcare while also investing in municipal infrastructure priorities. Municipalities could not address these complex challenges without the ongoing support of the federal and provincial governments.

Ontario’s Big City Mayors encourage Ontarians to get vaccinated Apr 17, 2021

April 16, 2021 �“ With the number of COVID cases rising at an alarming rate, the Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) caucus is encouraging all Ontarians who are eligible to get vaccinated as soon as they are eligible. Additionally, the caucus is urging residents to stay home and refrain from travelling outside of their areas.

Ontario’s Big City Mayors support Province’s plan to expand vaccination rollout Apr 8, 2021

The OBCM caucus applauds the Provincial government’s decision to move to a more targeted vaccination strategy and take additional steps to ensure this lockdown is the last lockdown.

March 2021

Ontario’s Big City Mayors applaud Province for 2021 budget Mar 26, 2021

March 24, 2021 – The Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) caucus is pleased to see today’s provincial budget invest in Ontarians, Ontario businesses and Ontario municipalities. Provincial and federal support has been essential to ensuring Ontarians continue to receive the day-to-day services they rely on, as Ontario’s municipalities have faced significant losses in revenue since the beginning of the pandemic.

Ontario Government Supports Ontario Cities Mar 4, 2021

Ontario’s Big City Mayors welcome provincial relief to municipalities

February 2021

Ontario’s Big City Mayors address Ontario budget priorities, support vaccination roll-out Feb 19, 2021

Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) met to discuss updates on the COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Taskforce and continued municipal advocacy efforts through the provincial budgeting process.

January 2021

Ontario’s Big City Mayors start 2021 focusing on pandemic, worker protection and recovery efforts Jan 15, 2021

At its first meeting of the year this morning, Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) discussed municipal efforts to assist the provincially-led vaccination roll-out, to support the province-wide lockdown, and reduce employee health risks.

December 2020

Ontario’s Financial Accountability Officer identifies $2.4 billion gap in municipal budgets for 2021 Dec 11, 2020

Today, Ontario’s Financial Accountability Officer, Peter Weltman identified a $2.4 billion shortfall in funding needed to maintain current municipal service levels and tax rates. The report, titled An Overview of Municipal Budgets and an Estimate of the Financial Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic, offers a comprehensive analysis of how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted municipal budgets.