Whitby Mayor Elizabeth Roy had two important requests going into the provincial budget announcement on Thursday, but the Doug Ford government did not address them. Roy expressed disappointment over what she sees as a lost “opportunity” to show a “stronger commitment to municipal sustainability and partnership.”
“Whitby is one of the fastest-growing municipalities in Canada, and we are facing significant challenges that were not addressed in this budget,” Roy stated. She pointed out funding gaps affecting Whitby’s ability to provide services affordably while managing existing infrastructure and developing new growth-related projects, along with the absence of progress on a promised new hospital for the town.
“Ontario municipalities face a $4 billion annual shortfall caused by provincial downloading, as well as a $1.5 billion annual burden from social housing costs being placed on municipalities,” she mentioned, describing the provincial-municipal funding system as “broken.”
The goal, according to CAO Matt Gaskell last week, is to establish a “predictable” revenue stream for municipalities that reflects the economic, social, and infrastructure demands tied to growth. “Partnerships at all levels of government are a critical part of the solution.”
Nearly two years after the province announced planning funding for a new hospital in Whitby, Roy is still waiting for concrete action from the province while the town continues collaborating with partners to secure land. Meanwhile, Lakeridge Health keeps advocating for capital commitment to advance the project.
“We are asking the province to prioritize this project and move forward on next steps including project timeline and land, and capital commitments … to bring this much-needed facility closer to reality.”
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