Continued COVID-19 relief funding for municipalities important for strong recovery in 2022: GTHA Mayors and Chairs

HAMILTON, ON – Today, Mayors and Chairs from the 11 largest municipal governments across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area met to discuss the ongoing response to COVID-19 and the Omicron variant across the region.

The Mayors and Chairs remain absolutely committed to continuing to work with each other along with the Government of Ontario and the Government of Canada to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, to save lives and keep people safe.

This week, in-class learning resumes in schools across the GTHA. The Mayors and Chairs strongly support in-class learning and thank the province and the school boards for working to reopen schools. All the GTHA municipalities are committed to helping deliver ongoing vaccination efforts to help kids and education workers get vaccinated.

All municipalities have worked to ramp up third dose vaccination efforts in the face of the Omicron surge. We want to thank the millions of residents who have already stepped forward to get their booster dose and encourage all those who are eligible to get their third dose as soon as possible.

Along with the vaccination efforts, all GTHA municipalities have worked throughout this pandemic with the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario to protect services, invest in crucial areas that need it and to keep costs affordable for residents. Cooperation between all governments, especially as we confront the Omicron variant, and support for all municipalities must continue this year. The GTHA Mayors and Chairs are confident that support will continue but want to reiterate the importance of that support as we enter a new financial year for municipalities which cannot run a deficit, securing this funding will help make sure that the entire GTHA comes back stronger than ever.

Continued COVID-19 relief funding will protect frontline services and our ongoing recovery so that we can continue providing frontline, essential services