Municipalities rev up campaign machine

Plus: New LTC regs, housing PAC ads, NDP slam PCs for misuse of public cash, battling Buy American

ABOVE THE FOLD

THE LOCAL CAMPAIGN MACHINE IS REVVING UP — With just over four months to go until Election Day (as scheduled), Ontario’s cities and towns laid out their campaign strategy and what they want to see from political parties of all stripes.

Top of mind for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario:

— A provincial-municipal fiscal framework that is “stable, sustainable and affordable for property taxpayers.” The last time the framework was reviewed was 2008, and AMO says it’s overdue for another makeover, noting that “as a result, municipalities save about $2 billion a year, which is reinvested in municipal infrastructure.”

— A “comprehensive and integrated response” to the environmental, social and economic impacts of climate change. That includes everything “from vulnerable permafrost and productive agricultural lands to small towns and big cities threatened by flooding and other weather conditions. Our infrastructure, ranging from energy distribution and safe drinking w…