Municipal Leaders Support ‘Solve the Crisis’ Campaign to Address Homelessness and Mental Health

There is a homelessness and mental health crisis happening on streets across our communities, small and big, rural and urban. Municipalities continue to step up, but do not have the tools, expertise or capacity to fully address the intersectional and complex issues around housing, homelessness, health care, and social services.  

We appreciate the actions that both the Federal and Ontario Governments have taken to-date including Ontario’s Roadmap to Wellness, the creation of the Homelessness Prevention Program, and investing in youth wellness hubs. But we need to do more to ‘Solve the Crisis’ together as government partners, and we need to act swiftly.

As municipalities continue to raise, the rising number of homeless encampments and the human toll of the opioid crisis are a symptom of deeper system failures that hurt Ontario’s overall social and economic prosperity. The WOWC, EOMC, and EOWC will be sending a letter to Premier Ford to further underscore the need for a Social and Economic Prosperity Review. We need a municipal fiscal relationship that supports the foundations of a strong economy, sustainable communities and quality of life that reflects modern day and front-line realities.  Organizations and Ontarians can join the call to support the ‘Solve the Crisis’ campaign by visiting www.solvethecrisis.ca.

Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County advocate for seamless health care to support most vulnerable

Kawartha Lakes Mayor Doug Elmslie, Councillors Tracy Richardson and Pat Warren and CAO Ron Taylor are attending the AMO Conference to advocate for local priorities. During the conference, a joint delegation with the County of Haliburton took place August 20 with the Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, the Hon. Michael Tibollo. The delegation was attended by Mayor Elmslie, CAO Ron Taylor, Liz Danielson, Warden, County of Haliburton and CAO Gary Dyke. It focused on a new integrated funding approach that allows municipalities to be designated Health Service Providers and given the opportunity to enter into service accountability agreements to directly access critical mental health and addiction funding.

“By integrating these services, we would create a truly multidisciplinary team dedicated to supporting our most vulnerable community members. This ensures the right level of care is provided at the right time, by the right provider, and at the right cost. We've already seen success through the Community Paramedicine program and the recent Community Outreach Service. This new approach promises better health, better care, and better value for our citizens," commented Mayor Elmslie.

“As Chair of the WOWC, I see the impacts first-hand around the homelessness and mental health crisis. Municipalities have been working tirelessly on the front-lines to address complex issues. We want to build safe, health communities and the only way to do so is to work together. Let’s step up and ‘Solve the Crisis’ together.” – WOWC Chair, Glen McNeil, Warden of Huron County

“This is something we (the Eastern Ontario Mayors’ Caucus) have been pursuing, over the last year: the need for substantial investment by both the Government of Ontario and the Government of Canada, to deal with this unprecedented humanitarian crisis that all municipalities are now facing.” – EOMC Chair, Jeff Leal, Mayor of the City of Peterborough

About our organizations

Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus

The Western Ontario Wardens Caucus Inc. (WOWC) serves as a unified voice for the 15 upper and single tier municipalities in Southwestern Ontario, advocating for their collective interest. Through collaborative efforts, WOWC works to address the unique challenges faced by rural and small urban communities, playing a pivotal role in shaping policies and initiatives that positively impact the region’s 1.6 million residents.

Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus

The Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus Inc. (EOWC) is a non-profit organization advocating for 103 small urban and rural municipalities across Eastern Ontario. The EOWC covers an area of 50,000 square kilometres, serving 800,000 residents. For more than 20 years, the EOWC has gained support by speaking with a united voice to champion regional municipal priorities and work with the government, businesses, non-profit organizations, Indigenous leaders, the media, and the public.

The Eastern Ontario Mayors’ Caucus

The Eastern Ontario Mayor’s Caucus (EOMC) is comprised of ten Eastern Ontario municipalities that advocate for the region’s needs and priorities, especially in the areas of health care, infrastructure, and economic development. The caucus works collaboratively with other levels of government, health care providers, community organizations, and interest holders to address the challenges and opportunities facing Eastern Ontario.

Ontario Big City Mayors

Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) is an organization that includes mayors of 29 single and lower-tier cities with a population of 100,000 or more, who collectively represent nearly 70 percent of Ontario’s population. OBCM advocates for issues and policies important to Ontario’s largest cities.

Media Contact

Chair, OBCM
Marianne Mead Ward
chair@obcm.ca

Executive Director, OBCM
Michelle Baker
michelle@obcm.ca

Chair, WOWC
Glen McNeil
gmcneil@huroncounty.ca

Chair, EOMC
Jeff Leal
jleal@peterborough.ca

Chair, EOWC
Peter Emon
info@eowc.org

Photo caption: Associate Minister Tibolo with delegates Mayor Elmslie, Warden Danielson and MPP Laurie Scott.

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