The county will not be hosting a hospitality suite at this month’s AMO (Association of Municipalities of Ontario) conference set for Aug. 18 to 22 at the Ottawa convention centre.
Warden Chris White, an AMO director, said the county has no plans to rent a hospitality suite at the convention, which draws hundreds of municipal politicians and staff from across the province.
The county will instead have a meeting room for local politicians attending the convention.
White said a group of mayors from Wellington, Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo Region will meet with provincial transportation minister Glen Murray to discuss a regional transportation plan common to the municipalities, which will include the Morriston bypass and Highway 7 expansion from Kitchener to Guelph. Both have been on the books for years, but have yet to receive the go ahead from the province.
The idea of the meeting, said White, is to get the province to “support our transportation plan with provincial support.” He will also be meeting with Ontario’s opposition party leaders, Conservative Tim Hudak and NDP leader Andrea Horwath.
At last year’s AMO convention, the county had some 20 politicians and staff. The cost to the county was about $30,000.
The warden said he expects the same contingent of staff and elected politicians will attend this year’s convention. It’s an opportunity to meet with provincial ministers and for staff to offer input and learn from seminars presented at AMO.
“It’s really hard to meet with ministers outside these conferences,” White said.
The warden is also hoping to get some clarification on recent remarks by Premier Kathleen Wynne on what role municipalities will play in determining approvals of wind energy projects.
The provincial government has given final approvals of turbine projects under the Green Energy Act. However, Wynne has indicated municipalities should have more power on final decisions on turbine projects.
White said several amendments to the act have been brought forward and need clarification.
“Does that mean we can say no?” White asked about the amendments. “We need black and white rules.”
It costs $615 per registrant for the convention. Overnight accommodation is about $225 per night. Delegates can also charge mileage if they drive their own vehicles at 53 cents a kilometer. The cost to fly to Ottawa last year was set at $300 per person out of Toronto and $430 per person out of Waterloo.
White considers the AMO conference to be one of the conferences “that matter.”
