Doug Ford is putting Northern Municipalities
backs against the wall
November 22, 2024
Hockey is truly one of my passions. Hockey has long been and always will be Canada’s sport. With the whistling speed of the puck hurling toward the net and the flashing blades as the players rocket up and down the ice, what could be more exciting? I willingly admit to being loyal to a fault of a particular team that has experienced a drought that has lasted longer than the years I have breathed. But that, too, is part of the game’s magic.
I readily justify my loyalty, even in tough times, arguing that a team’s success does not depend just on the sum total of a roster’s overall talent. A myriad of factors come into play. The Harold Ballard bad years prove that a team can only perform if given the tools, skilled teammates and support from the top management, coaches, players and even trainers.
It occurs to me that understanding the above perhaps explains my passion for politics as well.
Let’s begin with a quick review of lesson #1 in Civics 101. In Canada, there are three tiers of Government.
- The Federal Government or Government of Canada
- Provincial Government – ours being Ontario
- Municipal Government
In these times, all levels of government are facing some pretty staggering challenges. Looking from the inside out, politics is not a pretty game to be playing these days. But I can’t help but take special notice of the problems municipal governments are having as they desperately strive to deliver on the needs of their citizens. As I see it, Ontario municipal governments are going through rough times that conjure memories of the Ballard bad years. They are not receiving the leadership, funding or support they need at the top (i.e. the Province). Like hockey players, municipal leaders’ performance is directly impacted by the decisions that come down from above. And in Ontario’s case, I say the Province has been absent from the table for a long time. Now, it is catching up to us.
In the November 19, 2019, issue of Policy Options, Associate Professor Kristin R. Good of Dalhousie University explained that municipalities are actually part and parcel of provincial jurisdiction and hold constitutional significance. “Municipal acts and city charters decentralize power and embody the same constitutional values that underpin Canada’s federal structure and democracy.”
Professor Good is right. Municipal governments are not a weak underling of provincial governments. They manage critical infrastructure, services, and security at local levels, which the provinces do not operate. But in Ontario, Queen’s Park is putting more problems on municipalities and washing their hands of offering any help.
It is important to note that this lack of support is not limited to just larger urban centres. Smaller rural and Northern communities are also suffering from this lack of support. Premier Ballard – I mean Premier Ford – effectively tells municipal leaders, Here are the rules. Here is what we want you to do. Now, find the money and get the job done.
Case in point, Northern municipalities have been scrambling to fund OPP service contract renewals with impossible fee increases of up to 26 percent tacked on. For months, I have heard from municipal leaders in Algoma-Manitoulin that they were virtually out of options. All they can do is either impose colossal tax increases on citizens of at least 5 or 6 percent or cut existing services to the bone. Many northern communities lack the corporate or business tax base to cushion the blow. Northern Ontario families are already struggling with inflation and other necessary costs. They certainly can’t afford tax increases, too.
Healthcare, for example, is the province’s responsibility. Yet municipalities have had to get into the game because of dire shortages of doctors here in the North. Hospital emergency department doors have had to close so many times in recent years that citizens are suffering. And people who need access to a family physician have been languishing as they wait years to get onto a family physician’s roster. Municipalities have had to step up to the plate across the province, especially here in the North. People are literally suffering. The provincial government has been turning its back on local municipalities for years.
So, what are local governments to do? Their hands are tied, having to choose which need is more critical to their community: healthcare or police services. Ask yourself, if you were in their shoes, which would you say is the priority?
The answer, of course, is both are equally important. No one should have to choose. What kind of provincial leadership would sit back and allow this to happen? Obviously, a government led by Doug Ford would do this.
Northern Ontario municipal governments are experiencing the same issues. The Northern Ontario Large Uban Mayors group recently met to prepare for upcoming provincial and federal advocacy meetings. The November 9 issue of the Sault Star reported;
“The Northern mayors – from the Sault, Sudbury, North Bay, Timmins and Thunder Bay – share the same issues in their community, addictions and mental health crisis, physician shortages and housing shortages.
“All have one thing in common: municipalities are facing issues and attempting to find solutions that are out of their jurisdiction and mandate. Despite repeated requests, letter writing campaigns, contact with provincial and federal members of Parliament and lobby efforts, the issues persist.”
The Star went on to report that the consensus was that “Northern Ontario is treated as the poor sister of the north, the mayors also find themselves competing against each other for limited funding dollars.” The mayors have heard that there will be funding for the Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub. But they also understand that only 9 communities in Ontario will receive such funding. Don’t forget the Star recently reported that the Sault had the highest number of deaths in the province from opioid overdose. As I wrote in a recent NFTP column, it’s a massive problem across Algoma-Manitoulin, one in which the Premier responded to my questions with lip service and cynicism.
In early November of this year, Ontario mayors sent a letter to Premier Ford asking him to help them deal with homeless encampment issues. Instead of listening earnestly and engaging in meaningful discussion, the Premier chose to inflame the issue by saying, “I have an idea…; why don’t the big city mayors actually put in writing that they want the province to change the homeless program, make sure that we move the homeless along, and why don’t they put in (to) use the notwithstanding clause, or something like that…. Let’s see if they have the backbone to do it.”
The antagonizing comment only served to spark dissension and division among the mayors’ group instead of helpful dialogue.
The government of Ontario is not coming to the table to help when Ontarians need it most. The Premier is preoccupied with the whispering corporate supporters with deep pockets, like those who don’t like sharing city streets with cyclists.
Consider the damage Harold Ballard’s leadership brought on for the Maple Leafs; a 52-year Stanley Cup drought. The Ford government is following Harold Ballard’s lead to disaster. Ontarians need a Premier and government that doesn’t avoid problems by downloading them onto others who are ill-equipped to handle issues beyond their jurisdiction. We need a premier who leads a government that puts its citizens’ needs, health, welfare, security and prosperity first.
As always, I invite you to contact my office about these issues or any other provincial matters. You can reach my constituency office by email at mmantha-co@ola.org or call Toll-free 1-800-831-1899.
Michael Mantha MPP
Algoma-Manitoulin
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