As candidates knock on doors and campaign signs appear, third-party advertisers have entered the fray, including the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO).
Representing 444 municipalities, AMO develops policy, advocates, hosts conferences, and engages with the province “to make municipal governments stronger and more effective.”
Recently, it has pushed for a new provincial-municipal fiscal framework. More than 170 municipalities have adopted an AMO resolution urging the province to commit to a “comprehensive social and economic prosperity review to promote the stability and sustainability of municipal finances across Ontario.”
Citing growth pressures, increased municipal spending on provincially mandated services, and the inability of property tax revenue to grow alongside inflation and the economy, the resolution states that “the province can, and should, invest more in the prosperity of communities.”
In a December letter, AMO president Robin Jones noted that the organization would advance its advocacy through Ontario’s 2025 pre-budget consultations. “While each municipality faces unique circumstances, many challenges stem from unsustainable fiscal arrangements,” she said.
“For over a year, AMO has been calling on the government to sit down with municipalities to update the fiscal arrangements that make Ontario’s communities safe, affordable, healthy and prosperous,” the resulting consultation submission states.
“To date, the province has ignored municipalities’ requests,” it adds. “The result is apparent in our communities, with implications for housing affordability, cost of living, and public safety. Communities across Ontario are struggling because of provincial decisions.”
With the election underway, AMO has launched its Vote Like Your Quality of Life Depends on It campaign and registered as a third-party advertiser to ensure compliance with the Election Finances Act.
“We need a provincial government that will partner with municipalities to strengthen our quality of life,” the campaign proclaims. For AMO, that necessitates provincial efforts to tackle the root causes of homelessness, invest in infrastructure to support growth, and end the use of billions in municipal funds “to do the province’s job.”
However, in a Jan. 29 letter to Jones and AMO executive director Brian Rosborough, Stouffville Mayor Iain Lovatt expressed disappointment and concern over what he perceives as partisan messaging in the campaign.
“By framing the campaign in a way that appears to target the current government’s ‘inaction,’ AMO risks alienating some of its membership and diminishing its credibility as a non-partisan organization,” he said.
“AMO and the province need to work together to advance our local priorities,” Lovatt added. “Polls suggest that the Conservatives will win another majority. Why risk the goodwill AMO has built over the years with a targeted attack on them?”
He urged AMO to “reconsider the messaging and approach” of its campaign or take it down entirely. “It is crucial that AMO maintains its non-partisan stance and focus on promoting civic engagement and voter participation in a manner that does not favour or target any particular political viewpoint.”
Lovatt shared the letter on X, tagging Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford and incumbent MPP Paul Calandra, among others.
In response, Rosborough defended the campaign as non-partisan, noting that the appearance of partisanship had been considered by the AMO board of directors since campaign strategizing began in August 2024.
“The discussion…recognized that the principal goal of a campaign is not to influence the decisions of individual voters but to influence the platforms of all parties…including taking on existing provincial policies that harm municipalities,” he said. “Some of those policies are historic, dating back decades. Other policies and the lack of response to crises are more recent.”
“We have been asked the question: Is it possible to have a non-partisan campaign when one party has been in power for six years? I believe it is,” Rosborough added. “The answer is avoiding criticism of any specific party and not suggesting who voters should or should not support.”
In Rosborough’s view, voters should consider all party platforms in the context of their own community and municipality.
“Every party has the opportunity to play the hero in this story. Every party has the opportunity to distinguish itself as the champion of safe, affordable, and prosperous communities that form the foundation of Ontario’s economy,” he explained. “Whichever party forms the next government will inherit a set of policies that have left municipalities with urgent challenges.”
At the 2025 Rural Ontario Municipalities Association conference in January, Rosborough reinforced AMO’s non-partisan stance.
“We need to remain scrupulously non-partisan, but we definitely need to bring the municipal voice into the conversation with messages that are loud and clear,” he said. “Nothing in our messaging assigns blame to any party or government for the massive challenges [facing municipalities].”
During his presentation, Rosborough noted that such non-partisan messaging does not require registration as a third-party election advertiser. The campaign does not technically qualify as political advertising, he said, but the organization registered out of an abundance of caution.
“In the event that someone decides to make a vexatious complaint, we are more than covered,” Rosborough concluded.
Mayor Lovatt reaffirmed his stance: “My concerns are shared by a number of other mayors in the region. They include Newmarket Mayor John Taylor, Aurora Mayor Tom Mrakas, Georgina Mayor Margaret Quirk, King Mayor Steve Pellegrini, Bradford West Gwillimbury Mayor James Leduc, and Uxbridge Mayor Dave Barton.”
“They have all shared similar opinions with me regarding the political and seemingly partisan nature of this campaign,” Lovatt said.
Randy Barba is a federally funded Local Journalism Initiative reporter at Bullet Point News Stouffville.