June 19, 1998

Moved by:Councillor Jack Layton - Toronto

Seconded by:Mayor Diane Hamre - Clarington

WHEREAS the GTA municipalities are prepared to work with the Provincial Government on an orderly transfer of social housing responsibilities; and

WHEREAS as information required by municipalities to allow them to evaluate and plan for said responsibilities has been repeatedly delayed in release and is still not available in appropriate detail; and

WHEREAS the housing reform process initiated by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing which all parties recognize should be allowed to try to reach conclusion for the benefit of both housing providers and funders, has been substantially delayed; but

WHEREAS the work of the Social Housing Committee is proceeding and should hear the position of the GTA Mayors and Regional Chairs Committee; and

WHEREAS the Province has made announcements with respect to supportive housing which require an immediate response;

THEREFORE be it resolved that the Premier of Ontario be requested to rescind and defer all bills to municipalities for social housing and agree to start billing on January 1, 1999, permitting consultation and negotiation to proceed in a meaningful way, and subject to the passage of legislation providing for the transfer of social housing program oversight responsibilities to municipalities;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the GTA Mayors and Regional Chairs Committee endorse a response to the letter of April 8, 1998, from the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing with respect to social housing, as per the letter to the Committee of May 4, 1998, from Keith Ward; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the GTA Mayors and Regional Chairs Committee authorize Keith Ward to make a presentation to the Social Housing Committee and to prepare a written submission for the signature of the Chair, confining said submissions to positions already adopted by the GTA Mayors and Regional Chairs Committee; including points raised in his letter to the Committee of June 5, 1998;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Ministers of Health, Community and Social Services, and Municipal Affairs and Housing be requested to consult with municipalities on the definition of supportive housing and the specific projects to be covered by that definition prior to a final determination of projects to be re-assigned; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the GTA Mayors and Regional Chairs Committee endorse a letter to the Minister Responsible for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation advising that there should be no impediment to federal consent to the transfer of program oversight responsibilities from the provincial to the municipal level, commensurate with new municipal financial obligations; noting that the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada "is not attempting to block the signing of a Social Housing Agreement in Ontario", but is instead legitimately concerned about a broad agreement encompassing co-ops with federal operating agreements; and further calling for a clear and immediate separation of agreement issues so that a transfer to municipalities of strictly provincially administered agreements can occur.