Back to Search
Burlington, Ont. — Aug. 15, 2025 — City of Burlington’s Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, some councillors and staff will attend the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) 2025 Annual General Meeting and Conference next week in Ottawa. From Aug. 17 to 20, 2025, the Mayor will lead a delegation from the City to advocate for Burlington’s priorities with government officials including cabinet ministers, MPPs and industry stakeholders.Key discussion topics will include:
-
traffic delays on the Burlington Skyway Bridge
-
the Mohawk College expansion in Burlington
-
expanded electricity infrastructure in Burlington to support growth around Major Transit Station Areas (MTSAs)
-
establishing provincial policies to support Burlington’s Community Planning Permit System (CPPS)
-
Provincial land designations to protect Mount Nemo
-
Provincial support to advocate for financial coordination between all three levels of government
Burlington representatives will advocate for housing affordability; protecting local green spaces; providing predictable infrastructure and transit funding to municipalities; local economic growth and skills development.
Individual meetings are scheduled with cabinet ministers and representatives from the Ministries of:
-
Municipal Affairs and Housing
-
Finance
-
Transportation
-
Natural Resources
-
Energy and Mines
-
Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security
The Burlington delegation accompanying Mayor Marianne Meed Ward includes Ward 3 Councillor Rory Nisan; Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman; Ward 6 Councillor Angelo Bentivegna; CAO Curt Benson; Head of Corporate Affairs, Leah Bortolotti and Corporate Strategic Leads of Government Relations, Jayson Doll and Paul Szachlewicz to engage in strategic discussions with members of the provincial government and other key municipal stakeholders.
As Chair of Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM), Mayor Meed Ward will also lead OBCM’s joint meeting with MARCO and hold discussions with cabinet ministers and senior provincial officials in that role.
Quote
Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward
“AMO 2025 is a vital platform to ensure Burlington’s priorities are front and centre with provincial decision-makers.We are actively advocating for the priorities that matter most to our community—from reducing traffic congestion on the Skyway Bridge to ensuring the infrastructure is in place to support future growth. This is a critical opportunity to work directly with provincial leaders and reinforce the need for coordinated support across all levels of government.”
Background
The delegation has prepared recommendations on key priorities for Burlington at the provincial level:
Burlington Skyway Bridge - The City of Burlington recommends that the Ministry of Transportation improve coordination and traffic mitigation tactics during temporary planned lane closures on the Burlington Skyway Bridge to minimize spillover impacts during necessary maintenance through enhanced collaboration with municipal council and staff.
Mohawk College expansion - The City of Burlington recommends that the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security engage in dialogue with Mohawk College and the municipality to strategically participate in the planning process for this transformative investment to advance skills development and grow Ontario’s economy.
Electricity Infrastructure - To ensure the successful development of its MTSAs towards achieving the province’s goal of building 1.5 million homes by 2031, the City of Burlington respectfully requests that the Minister of Energy and Mines engage in conversations with City staff about the actions and investments required to support Burlington and its development partners in unlocking further housing potential through electricity infrastructure.
Address housing affordability and homelessness
-
The PMTSA elements of OPA are sheltered from appeal by the Planning Act however, the enabling policies for the CPPS are not similarly sheltered. To facilitate the implementation of a CPPS, the City requests that the Minister approve OPA 2, and in accordance with Section 70.2.2(1) of the Planning Act, order the City to prepare a CPP Bylaw for theCity’s three MTSAs.
-
The City of Burlington recommends that the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing should alter funding eligibility based on housing approvals rather than housing starts, which are a lagging indicator as well as out of municipal control.
-
The City of Burlington recommends that the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing address disparities in data reporting and collection to ensure that municipalities and stakeholders are equipped to succeed in building more homes faster.
-
The City of Burlington recommends that the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing engage in conversations with AMO and the municipal sector about the actions and investments required to prevent, reduce and ultimately end homelessness, starting with encampments and chronic homelessness.
Protecting local green spaces - The City of Burlington requests that the province redesignate the lands at Mount Nemo as Escarpment Natural and Escarpment Protection to ensure the long-term viability of our local ecosystems.
Strengthening the Municipal-Provincial Fiscal Relationship to Protect Our Communities
-
The City of Burlington recommends that the Minister of Finance meet with Ontario’s municipal sector to discuss ways to modernize the municipal-provincial fiscal arrangement and to commit to collaborate in coordinated advocacy to the federal government to further support these objectives.
-
The City of Burlington recommends that the provincial government work directly with municipalities to inform priorities under the newly announced $5B Building Ontario Fund to maximize job creation, leverage existing investments, and advance joint municipal-provincial infrastructure priorities, and to communicate how these funds will be allocated in a timely manner to promote municipal preparedness.
Quick Facts
Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO)
AMO is a non-profit organization representingmost of Ontario’s municipal governments. AMO supports and enhances strong and effective municipal government in Ontario and promotes the value of municipal government as a vital and essential component of Ontario and Canada’s political systems. Each year, Burlington leads a delegation to the conference and arranges meetings with key ministries and Members of Cabinet, and opposition party leaders to discuss and advocate for the City’s top priorities.
Ontario’s Big City Mayors
Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) is a non-partisan organization that includes mayors of 29 single and lower-tier cities with a population of 100,000 or more, who collectively representnearly 70 percent of Ontario’s population. OBCM advocates for issues and policies important to Ontario’s largest cities.
Links and Resources
Burlington is a city where people, nature and business thrive. Sign up to learn more about Burlington at burlington.ca/subscribe and follow @CityBurlington on social media.
-30-
Media contact:
City of Burlington Corporate Communications
communications@burlington.ca
Subscribe