‘Same level of prioritization:’ Voices advocate for the region at AMO Conference
Posted Aug 19, 2025 07:04:25 AM.
Last Updated Aug 19, 2025 11:14:48 AM.
A major focus on provincial progress is ongoing in Ottawa as the annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference continues this week, with plenty of local voices from Waterloo Region hoping to have their voices heard on various key issues.
It’s a meeting of close to 2,500 various delegates, ranging from Big City Mayors and municipal figureheads, to provincial delegates and Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford.
The meeting began on Sunday, Aug. 17, and is scheduled to run through to Wednesday, Aug. 20.
The AMO Conference features various speakers discussing key issues seen throughout the province, as well as open house discussions on homelessness, the environment, housing, transportation, and more.
Representatives from across Waterloo Region, including Regional Chair Karen Redman, Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe, and Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic, each came in with their own priorities on what they’d like to see accomplished in the province.
“Municipalities are planning for more than $250 billion in capital spending over the next decade in terms of fixing aging infrastructure, adapting to climate change, as well as investments for economic growth,” Vrbanovic said. “That’s really going to require partnerships with all three orders of government.”
Shared issues throughout the region have primarily focused on housing, with Redman bringing attention to the needed infrastructure across Ontario to meet the province’s ongoing growth.
“Houses need infrastructure; toilets that flush, roads that connect, and transit that moves people,” Redman said. “The Region of Waterloo is known for getting things done. However, without this foundation, communities can’t further grow to meet our housing needs.”
It comes as, during the AMO Conference on Monday, the premier announced a $1.6 billion investment towards the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program (MHIP), now being increased to a total of $4 billion.
“We’re making record investments in housing and infrastructure so we can keep workers on the job and help families across the province find a home that meets their needs and their budgets,” Ford said. “Working with our municipal partners, we’re going to keep lowering costs, investing in infrastructure, and cutting red tape so we can keep the dream of homeownership alive in Ontario.”
While it will still be an application-based program, Vrbanovic said it’s a welcome addition that he hopes the City of Kitchener will be able to make the most of.
He continued to state that the continued growth of Kitchener and the entirety of Waterloo Region needs to be tackled in various ways, as multiple areas could bring its own problems without the proper focus.
Clip from Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic on the format of the discussions, along with the potential of raising local concerns.
“Whether it’s growth that might happen as a result of AI and data centers and so on. Whether it’s growth that might happen as a result of new manufacturing, or just energy demands that might happen as the community continues to grow with new people and housing in the future,” Kitchener’s mayor said.
One of the key issues at the heart of the conference is that of the harsh economic climate, particularly around the U.S. and its ongoing tariffs. Vrbanovic said the talks have been productive in that regard, further stating the importance of a ‘Canada-first’ approach to progress.
“There continues to be a significant lack of answers and stability from our neighbours to the South,” Vrbanovic mentioned. “That’s what they’re committed to tackling, both in terms of encouraging investment and economic development in Ontario, building relationships with trading partners around the world other than the United States.”
While much of the talk at the AMO Conference has been focused on general issues throughout the province, Vrbanovic did state that he was going in with a few different local priorities. That includes two-way, all-day GO transit as well as the ongoing and costly Highway 7 project.
“We are advocating that this project be prioritized by the provincial government in the same manner as things like the Bradford Bypass and some of the other priority projects in Ontario have been identified, and that’s really what we’re advocating so that it gets that same level of prioritization.”
The talks are set to continue throughout the day, officially wrapping up in Ottawa late Wednesday morning.
