Niagara’s NDP MPPs call for new deal at AMO to tackle the housing and homelessness crisis in Niagara Region

NIAGARA REGION –In the wake of alarming new reports about the scope of people experiencing homelessness in Ontario, Niagara NDP MPPs Jennie Stevens (St. Catharines), Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls), and Jeff Burch (Niagara Centre) are urging Ford to adopt the Ontario Big City Mayors (OBCM) recommendations for a new provincial and municipal deal.

“Ontario’s Big City Mayors recently said what we all know is true - cities need help for those struggling with homelessness, mental health, and addiction across the province. It's long overdue that Doug Ford and his politicians reverse the trend of downloading costs onto municipalities and establish a renewed partnership with cities.

Our municipalities deserve respect, and our constituents deserve the support they need. We must make this our top priority at next week’s Association of Ontario Municipalities (AMO) Conference. The Ontario government must commit to working collaboratively with municipalities, small businesses, and frontline workers to tackle the intertwined crises of homelessness and mental health.

Following decades of cost downloading from successive provincial governments, towns and cities - rural and urban - have largely been left to manage this deteriorating humanitarian situation alone. But solutions are not beyond reach. As this government has demonstrated in its new deal with the City of Toronto, a supportive municipal-provincial partnership can help share the burden of municipalities and will have a verifiable impact on the wellbeing of communities like Niagara.

A quarter of a million people experiencing homelessness is the highest number in Ontario’s history, but we have the best front-line and mental health workers ready to make a difference. We can give them the immediate resources they need.

Next week we will be working alongside the rest of the province at AMO and encouraging the Ontario government to step up and provide the necessary support to our municipalities, small businesses, and front-line workers to address this critical issue. We can make a difference”.