Halton Representatives Call on Federal and Provincial Governments for Immediate Funding for Cities and Towns

COVID-19
Written By

Today my fellow Halton Mayors, Halton Regional Chair, and I released a statement calling on the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario to provide immediate additional funding for cities and towns as we continue to deal with COVID-19. Local Oakville-North Burlington MP Pam Damoff and Milton MP Adam van Koeverden signed on in support as well.Municipal revenues have been devastated as a result of this pandemic, with lost revenue in key areas like transit and recreation programs, property tax deferrals, and lost fee-based services that cannot take place due to the closure of our city halls.Additional health and safety expenses related to our emergency response have arisen and will continue to grow as we reopen, and costs continue for the ongoing delivery of essential services despite reductions we have all made in staffing and non-essential spending.Municipalities are not legally permitted to run deficits, and in these challenging financial times with so many of our residents facing lost jobs and our local businesses facing lost revenues, we will not look to pass these costs on to our struggling taxpayers.Monday's announcement by Prime Minister Trudeau to provide accelerated delivery of federal gas tax funding is a start, but more is needed to enable us to continue to serve and strengthen our communities as we move forward together.Read the full statement here: Joint Statement from Halton Region's Elected Representatives June 3.—PLEASE NOTE: To stay updated on what the City of Burlington is doing regarding COVID-19, please visit the dedicated pages burlington.ca/coronavirus (and subscribe) and bit.ly/mayormeedwardCOVID19updates, and our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page — bit.ly/COVID19BurlingtonFAQ that are updated as new information becomes available.A Burlington COVID-19 Task Force has been created to help support our community through this unprecedented emergency — updates will be provided at burlington.ca/COVID19taskforce.To report an incident of non-compliance with provincial emergency orders, please contact the Halton Regional Police Service COVID-19 Hotline: 905-825-4722.We’ve also created a dedicated page to feature the local organizations and businesses that have inspired us during the COVID-19 pandemic by taking action to support our community in new and creative ways — head to bit.ly/covidwallofinspiration.HELPFUL RESOURCES & RELATED LINKS:

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