Acting Regional Chair Tom Insinna, members of Regional Council and senior staff all met with provincial decision-makers at the 2026 Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference in Ottawa last week. The conference ran from Aug. 16-19.
The Region issued a statement highlighting the major priorities that were discussed with provincial Cabinet ministers during the conference.
According to a news release, Niagara’s delegation met with eight members of the Premier Doug Ford’s Cabinet to discuss regional priorities. One major item of focus for the Region was to cut red tape and speed up provincial approvals to ensure work begins as quickly as possible on the new South Niagara Wastewater Treatment Plant once funding is in place. Construction on the new facility is slated to begin next summer. If approved, it will be the largest infrastructure project in Niagara Region’s history and could unlock over 30,000 new housing units in its first phase alone.
Delegates also discussed Niagara Region’s strategy to build 25 new highly supportive housing units in Niagara, as a means of recognizing the complex needs of Niagara’s most vulnerable residents. The specific proposal includes a plan to provide wraparound housing services to keep those residents housed, safe, and healthy, which the Region argues would save millions in hospital and policing costs.
Insinna also represented Niagara Region at the joint meeting of the Mayors and Regional Chairs of Ontario, as well as the Ontario Big City Mayors’ Caucus to discuss major priorities and issues facing large communities throughout Ontario.
Both Insinna and Chief Administrative Officer Ron Tripp issued statements regarding their time at the AMO Conference.
“Our province’s greatest challenges can only be solved by all levels of government working together, and the productive conversations at this year’s AMO conference are the first step in that process,” said Insinna. “I would like to thank the Province of Ontario for hearing and understanding the issues that matter most to Niagara, and for working with us to deliver results for the people of Niagara.”
Tripp, like Insinna, highlighted the importance of getting face-time with Ontario’s major decision makers.
“The annual AMO conference is an important opportunity for the Region to get face-time with Provincial decision-makers,” said Tripp. “These meetings allow us to share the unique challenges and opportunities inherent to Regional government, and to open up new lines of dialogue on key projects that are vital to the social and economic future of our region and our province.”
Jay Goldberg is the Canadian Affairs Manager at the Consumer Choice Center. He previously served as the Ontario Director at the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and a policy fellow at the Munk School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. Jay holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Toronto.
