Municipalities across Ontario are asking the province to appoint a minister to tackle homelessness as municipal leaders sound an alarm on the growing housing, mental health and addictions needs of their communities.
The request comes as the Association of Municipalities of Ontario kicks off the organization’s annual conference in Ottawa this week.
“Have this minister strike an action table, bring together all of the experts in the field who have been willing and providing policy recommendations for many years, and develop a made-in-Ontario action plan,” said Marianne Meed Ward, mayor of Burlington
The municipal leaders say their budgets are strained because of rising costs associated with homelessness, mental health and addictions, estimating municipalities spent $4 billion in 2023 on health and social services, both of which are provincial responsibilities.
The Trillium, a news outlet focused on Queen’s Park, recently reported that documents obtained via a freedom-of-information request show the province’s “unofficial estimate” for homelessness is about 234,000 people.
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