Ontario’s Big City Mayors coming to Chatham-Kent

Chatham-Kent will host Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) during a meeting in June, municipal officials say.

Article content

This event will bring together mayors from across the province to discuss critical matters. Invited to attend are mayors from cities such as Toronto, Ottawa, London and Windsor.

Article content

More details will be provided as the meeting draws closer, officials added.

OBCM acts as a voice for mayors on provincial policy matters that impact cities. This meeting serves as an opportunity to voice Chatham-Kent’s concerns around ongoing and emerging issues such as housing and infrastructure, provincial-municipal funding, and addressing the homelessness crisis.

“As Chatham-Kent continues to grow, the topics being discussed around the OBCM table, things that big cities across Ontario experience, are more and more relevant to our community,” Mayor Darrin Canniff said in a release.

Article content

“Through OBCM, we’re at the table with distinguished mayors from large cities across the province participating in discussions about matters that are critical to the continued success of our community.”

OBCM is made up of mayors from 29 municipalities with populations exceeding 100,000. The organization represents mayors from 70 per cent of Ontario’s population.

Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward is the current chair, while London Mayor Josh Morgan is the vice chair.

The organization’s goals include:

• Forging relationships with the federal and provincial governments, municipal organizations including the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, and other stakeholders.
• Meeting with government ministers and representatives to voice the perspective of big cities and work to achieve shared goals.
• Taking public positions on key issues and opportunities that affect big cities.
• Sharing information, research and resources among members and with other governments and organizations.
• Participating in government policy consultation processes.

Article content