Bruce County to advocate for region’s unique needs at 2024 AMO Conference

Bruce County warden Chris Peabody and council will be advocating on key issues impacting the region, at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference in Ottawa, from Aug. 18-21.

The annual conference is a key moment for municipalities to champion for their needs with provincial officials.

Peabody and council will discuss the following topics:
 

• Housing: The county is asking that the province allow it to establish a county-wide Affordable Housing Community Improvement Plan to better address housing affordability. Did you know: Dwelling values increased 76 per cent between 2016 and 2021, 17 per cent faster than the provincial average.
• Energy Host Communities: The county is asking the province to establish a framework for the engagement of energy host communities and provide capacity funding for meaningful municipal engagement. Did you know: Bruce County provides over 30 per cent of Ontario’s power.
• Poverty Reduction: The county is asking the government to recommit to the transformation of social assistance through program redesign and increased rates for Ontario Work clients. Did you know: A single individual living on Ontario Works receives a maximum benefit of less than $5.25 per hour, while a living wage in Bruce County is $22.75 per hour - one of the highest rates in Ontario, second only to the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
• Rural Health: The county is asking that rural municipalities be provided a mandatory voice in health-care governance to address physician recruitment, access to primary care, and emergency department closures. Did you know: Municipalities in Ontario contribute more than $481-million to funding long-term care, paramedics, and public health, yet only 10 per cent of municipalities indicate they are meaningfully engaged in health governance.
• Community Safety and Well-being: The county is asking for permanent funding for the Grey Bruce Community Safety and Well-being Plan, and the Situation Table for Acutely Elevated Risk (STAR Table). Did you know: The STAR Table had more than 25 interventions in 2023, saving police and paramedics more than $16,600 in just one of those interventions.
• Long-Term Care: The county is asking the province to address the erosion of funding for municipal long-term care, an area of provincial responsibility. Did you know: The cost to deliver long-term care has increased by 79 per cent since 2017, tripling the cost to the county tax levy.
• Infrastructure: The county is asking the province to provide access to infrastructure funding for municipalities that do not have housing targets but are seeing significant growth. Did you know: Saugeen Shores had more housing starts than Woodstock last year. Yet Woodstock can access infrastructure funding, and Saugeen Shores cannot.
• Transportation: The county is asking the province to provide permanent funding for the Owen Sound-Wiarton Transit route. Did you know: The Community Transit Grant for the Owen Sound-Wiarton route is ending in March, 2025. Without this support, the route cannot continue.

“We applaud the province’s investment in addressing the housing crisis in Ontario, the investments made in health care in Bruce and Grey counties, and the commitment to clean energy and new nuclear projects,” said Peabody.

“It is clear the province recognizes Bruce County as a region that can deliver for Ontario. None of this would be possible without our MPPs, Lisa Thompson (Huron-Bruce) and Rick Byers (Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound). We thank them for being tireless champions. AMO provides us an opportunity to continue the dialogue with the province regarding the needs of Bruce County.”

Bruce County is unique:
 

• The county, located within the traditional territory of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, consists primarily of rural communities with a collective population of less than 75,000. Nestled between Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, it is known for its natural heritage, and as a destination for all Ontarians.
• The county supplies 30 per cent of Ontario’s electricity, and the region is relied upon to contribute to the pressing electrification of Canadian society through major energy investments, including Bruce Power’s Major Component Replacement (the largest infrastructure project in Canada), and other large-scale initiatives under consideration such as 4,800 megawatts in new nuclear electricity generation, a nuclear waste Deep Geological Repository, a pumped storage facility, and a large-scale battery storage facility. Additionally, a significant proportion of the world’s supply of medical isotopes (used to sterilize equipment and treat cancer) are produced by Bruce Power, in our region.
• The county is expected to grow by more than 20,000 residents by 2045. Currently, 45 per cent of renters spend more than 30 per cent of their income on housing, and dwelling values have increased by 76 per cent between 2016 and 2021, 17 per cent faster than the provincial average, making housing affordability a challenge.
• The Stratford-Bruce Economic Region had an unemployment rate of 2.5 per cent in June, 2024, continuing a 10-year trend of having one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. Bruce County also has a living wage of $22.75 per hour, the second highest rate in Ontario, just below the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). These factors make it harder for local employers to attract and retain a great workforce.
• Bruce County receives the lowest provincial and federal funding among a group of six comparator upper-tier county governments. This impacts the county’s ability to deliver effective services.