For Simcoe-Grey MPP Brian Saunderson, it’s an interesting experience this week at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference, to move from the municipal side of the table to the provincial side.
The AMO Conference wrapped up Aug. 21 in Ottawa, after three days of delegations between municipalities and provincial ministers, with municipalities asking for funds, legislation changes or assistance on a variety of topics from the province. As Saunderson is parliamentary assistant to both Attorney General and Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte MPP Doug Downey and Vic Fedeli, minister of economic development, trade and job creation, he had a full plate of meetings this week.
But it wasn’t so long ago that Saunderson served as deputy mayor and then mayor of Collingwood, so he’s also familiar with the experience of delegating to ministers at the conference in the past.
“There are days when you’ll pick an issue and you’d like to be on the other side of the table. The municipalities are statutory creatures of the province so we have a direct link with them,” Saunderson said in an interview at the conference.
“They are, by far, our biggest constituents. The value of coming down here is taking the temperature of our municipalities,” he said.
Saunderson said there’s no shortage of issues to be addressed between municipalities and the province, but notes that many of the issues are becoming more acute.
“They’re getting worse. The dollars and implications of fixing it are so much bigger now,” he said.
Of the estimated 700 delegations that took place across the three-day conference, Saunderson said he sat in on 12 delegations on Monday through the Attorney General’s office.
A key justice issue he said he heard repeatedly from municipalities was the need for reform of the Landlord and Tenant Board and issues with the provincial offences system.
“We’re talking about where-the-rubber-meets-the-road judicial issues and some higher-level policy stuff,” said Saunderson. “With the housing crisis, we need to encourage rentals. We need to fix the landlord and tenant board.”
On Tuesday, Saunderson switched sides of the table, and mostly participated in delegations alongside municipalities in the Simcoe-Grey riding, including Collingwood, and two delegations from the South Georgian Bay Mayors and CAOs Forum, to lend support to their area-specific concerns.
“It’s a very effective group because when you have six mayors at the table from two different counties, the ministers take more notice,” he said.
Saunderson was mayor of Collingwood when the forum was formed in 2021.
“It’s nice to see it continue,” he said.
