Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon residents need COVID recovery money, Peel tells Province
Published August 19, 2021 at 5:10 pm
A Peel delegation told the provincial government this week that COVID-19 “has shaken Peel’s economy” and that Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon residents need a huge influx of cash to fund a wide array of crucial projects and services.
Led by Caledon Councillor Jennifer Innis, who also serves as Peel’s chair of government relations, the Region of Peel delegation met with Ontario Cabinet Ministers, other government officials and industry stakeholders at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario’s (AMO) virtual conference, held Monday through Wednesday.
The AMO represents nearly all of Ontario’s 444 municipalities, and holds these conferences annually.
Innis said Peel, “as always, led a robust advocacy platform focused on investing in our future.”
She said help is desperately needed as Peel recovers from effects of the pandemic over the past year-and-a-half.
“We’re calling for an integrated approach for a smooth recovery,” said Innis.
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She said Peel’s delegation focused on a lengthy list of key areas as they met with provincial government officials.
Infrastructure funding to build and maintain Peel’s infrastructure, which is “essential to enhancing the quality of life enjoyed by residents,” is badly needed, Peel told Queen’s Park.
Specifically, Peel needs cash to deal with its affordable housing crisis. The wait list for affordable units is more than 22,000, an all-time high. Additional efforts to prevent homelessness are also in need of funding, Peel officials say.
Other areas of need in Peel raised at the AMO conference include: long-term care; mental health; early years and child care; sustainable and integrated transportation (for greener ways to travel, and reduce traffic congestion); environment and climate change; and efforts to end human sex trafficking.
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