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GTAH Mayors and Regional Chairs
Co-Chairs: Regional Chair Roger Anderson, Region of Durham
Mayor John Tory, City of Toronto
October 6, 2015
The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada
Mr. Thomas Mulcair, MP, Leader of the NDP
Mr. Justin Trudeau, MP, Leader of the Liberal Party
Ms. Elizabeth May, MP, Leader of the Green Party
Mr. Gilles Duceppe, MP, Leader of the Bloc Québécois
Dear Federal Party Leaders:
We are writing you today as the leaders of the municipal governments of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. Over the past years we have separately and collectively expressed our profound concern over the infrastructure deficit in our region and our need for a fiscal partnership with the federal government to help eliminate this deficit. With a federal election approaching, we feel it’s appropriate and necessary to put our collective position on this matter forward and to seek a clear, unequivocal commitment from yourself and your party.
All of our communities have benefitted from the Federal Gas Tax initiative as amended to date. It provides certain, predictable long-term funding and allows local government significant discretion in how it is spent. Unfortunately, it is not sufficient to deal with our and the country’s needs. Other applicant-based infrastructure funds are generally unpredictable and are not long-term and sustainable. In some cases, these program processes have results that do not align with local governments’ priorities. In all cases, a process based upon project by project applications is the enemy of good fiscal planning to achieve efficiencies for the taxpayer.
All leaders at all levels of government want our economy to be strong and growing with the highest possible employment and productivity. The most significant contribution that local government can make is to ensure our towns and cities have advanced and wellmaintained infrastructure that can efficiently move people, goods and information. Strong infrastructure is a magnet for international investment that, in today’s world, can and will go almost anywhere. The economy that can move its information, goods, services and people efficiently to market is the economy that can best meet the economic growth needs of its people. If we want the Canadian economy to grow significantly, we need to significantly increase our infrastructure’s capacity to move goods, services and people.
Additionally, lack of adequate federal funding for social housing represents not only a compelling social concern, but an economic one as well. Investments in housing are effective at stimulating economic growth and employment. For instance, it is estimated that each $1.00 increase in residential building construction investment generates an increase in overall GDP of $1.52 as the investment continues to cycle through the economy. To put it simply, investing in social housing is a true engine of growth.
Our municipal governments need a federal government that is a strong and reliable partner. We need long-term, sustainable, predictable and reliable federal funding which flows year in and year out and will allow us to eliminate our infrastructure deficit within a generation. We are pleased the topic is being discussed during the campaign and look forward to hearing the specific details of your party’s plans. We are of course willing to meet with you and fully detail our request at any mutually convenient time.
We are signing this letter on behalf of the Mayors and Chairs of all of the municipalities listed on the front page who collectively represent some six million people resident in this region.
Yours truly,
Original signed by Original signed by
Roger Anderson Regional Chair and CEO Region of Durham
John Tory Mayor City of Toronto
The cities and regions are involved:
Ajax
Aurora
Brampton
Brock
Burlington
Caledon
Clarington
Durham
East
Gwillimbury
Georgina
Halton
Halton Hills
Hamilton
King
Markham
Milton
Mississauga
Newmarket
Oakville
Oshawa
Peel
Pickering
Richmond Hill
Scugog
Toronto
Uxbridge
Vaughan
Whitby
WhitchurchStouffville
York |
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