Commission on the Reform of Ontario's Public Services

Chapter 19: Liability Management
For this work to be meaningful, a range of tough issues needs to be tabled, debated
and resolved through new or amended policies and programs. Examples include exploring:
� If municipalities are using the range of revenue, financing and organizational tools
available to them effectively;
� How a one-window approach to asset management (where one plan satisfies a range
of provincial requirements) could be implemented;
� If the way the province has been funding municipal infrastructure is yielding the best
possible outcomes;
� If “stable and predictable” funding (as the municipal sector calls for) is a good solution
or if it will perpetuate the problem;
� What role the private sector should play in all aspects of municipal infrastructure
(with “no role” not being a viable approach);
� How grants can be used as an incentive to achieve financial sustainability; and
� If small/economically disadvantaged communities should receive entitlement funding
for infrastructure.
This is an opportune time to take stock of the current approach to municipal infrastructure,
make any needed policy improvements, and develop a plan that will be in the phases
of implementation when the time comes for new rounds of infrastructure funding programs.
Even if the process takes a few years, it will help ensure that whatever funding and policies
are developed along the way address the most pressing priorities — priorities identified
through robust asset management plans. It will also allow the province to negotiate more
strongly with the federal government on municipal infrastructure priorities and ensure the
most critical needs are being addressed
Pan/Parapan American (Pan Am) Games
In the summer of 2015, Toronto and the Golden Horseshoe region will host the 2015
Pan/Parapan American Games. The budget for hosting the Games is about $1.4 billion,
and the province is providing $500 million.
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