- Lack of doctors and access to primary healthcare can impede the growth of a community.
- Owen Sound as regional hub requires access to existing provincial incentives that its neighbouring municipalities receive.
- Funding models for nurse practitioners in health team would expand access to much needed primary care.
Intergovernmental Relations Action Plan
Intergovernmental relations are critical to advance and secure the City's funding, policy and legislative priorities. All City divisions engage in a range of informal intergovernmental activities, and this work will be enriched through the strategic approach of the Intergovernmental Relations Action Plan.
2024-2025 Intergovernmental Relations Action Plan 2022-2023 Intergovernmental Relations Action Plan
Advocacy Priorities
The Citizen Satisfaction Survey findings identified that some of the most important issues facing Owen Sound today require a concerted, community-wide response and are not the sole purview of one organization or level of government.
It is most effective for municipalities to speak with a united voice on many issues. When advantageous, Owen Sound partners with other municipalities to advance a common agenda with the other levels of government. The City partners with multiple associations to support common priorities, including:
- Rural Ontario Municipal Association Advocacy | Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA)
- Association for the Municipalities of Ontario Advocacy | AMO
- Association of Municipal Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario Advocacy & Policy | AMCTO
- Western Ontario Warden’s Caucus https://wowc.ca/priorities/
The City's advocacy priorities are:
- Municipal budgets are spread too thin and are being hijacked by the cost of insurance, the declining power of the
tax dollar and the limited ability to raise revenues. - The annual increases to the City’s insurance premiums have been one of the most significant constraints in limiting
yearly tax increases over the past four years. - The timeline for the awarding of grants from MTO needs to align with the Municipal budget process and the provision of longer timelines to complete construction work.
- There is a need for sustainable funding to offset the actual cost of providing court security. Currently, the funding model being deployed only covers approximately 50% of the municipality’s
burden for providing court security.
Core Activities
Advocacy and Coordination:
- While Owen Sound has its own unique character, challenges and needs, it competes with many other small population centres for the attention and resources of senior levels of government.
- Small municipalities across Ontario and Canada share common concerns. On some of these issues, it is most effective for municipalities to speak with a united voice. The City of Owen Sound primarily works with two municipal advocacy organizations: the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO).
Relationship Support and Development:
- Coordinate and facilitate relationships and partnerships with other orders of government, municipalities and municipal organizations, and key external stakeholders.
- Support efforts to address intergovernmental, regional, inter-municipal and other external stakeholder priorities and issues.
Research and Analysis:
- Monitor and analyze trends and issues that are intergovernmental or inter-municipal in nature and are of interest to the City, the region, neighbouring municipalities and partner
municipal organizations. - Review federal and provincial policy, and legislative and program changes as they relate to the City, region, municipalities in general or other key external stakeholders.
- Communicate and foster an understanding of intergovernmental and inter-municipal issues and trends (including major policy changes and milestones) across the corporation
Contact Us
808 2nd Avenue East,
Owen Sound, ON
N4K 2H4
Phone: 519-376-1440
Email us
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