From August 16-19, Grey County joined municipal leaders from across Ontario at the 2026 Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference, participating in four days of meetings, workshops, panel discussions and advocacy efforts focused on issues affecting communities locally and across the province.
The annual conference brings together thousands of elected officials, municipal staff, and provincial leaders to discuss common challenges and opportunities facing Ontario municipalities. For Grey County, the conference provided a valuable opportunity to advance local priorities, learn from municipal partners, and contribute to conversations on issues such as affordability, housing and homelessness, infrastructure, healthcare and childcare.
“The AMO Conference is one of the most important opportunities of the year for municipalities to join together and advocate for our communities,” said Grey County Warden Andrea Matrosovs. “Many of the challenges we see locally are being experienced across Ontario, and it was valuable to connect with other leaders to discuss potential solutions and opportunities for collaboration.”
Grey County participated in two delegations with provincial ministers during the conference.
The first meeting was with the Honourable Nolan Quinn, Minister of Colleges and Universities, Research Excellence and Security, to discuss the value of Georgian College’s Owen Sound campus and its role supporting regional economic development, skilled trades training, workforce development, and Ontario’s clean energy future. In the meeting, County representatives also encouraged greater collaboration among ministries when considering investments in rural post-secondary programs.
A second delegation meeting was held with the Honourable Paul Calandra, Minister of Education, where Grey County advocated for additional fully funded licensed childcare spaces and learned about ongoing provincial and federal discussions relating to the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care program. County representatives were informed the Province is reviewing current childcare fee subsidy income thresholds.
Through the conference, municipal leaders highlighted growing pressures related to housing and homelessness, healthcare, childcare, long-term care, and infrastructure. A recurring theme was AMO’s call for a new fiscal framework that would provide municipalities with more reliable and sustainable funding to support essential services and infrastructure. Municipal infrastructure was a focus of conference discussions, as Ontario municipalities are collectively responsible for approximately 80% of all public infrastructure costs in the province.
“One of the strongest messages I heard throughout the conference was the need for stronger provincial-municipal partnerships and funding models that reflect the responsibilities municipalities carry today,” said Warden Matrosovs. “We’re being asked to do more than ever before. Sustainable funding will be essential to ensuring municipalities can keep providing the services and infrastructure our residents, businesses, and visitors rely on.”
Warden Matrosovs and County staff also participated in meetings and events hosted by the Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus, advocating for infrastructure investments, housing and homelessness supports, rural transit and funding programs that better align with rural service delivery needs.
Other conference discussions explored healthy democracies and civic engagement, women in leadership, development charges, governance considerations related to artificial intelligence and data centres, and strengthening relationships between AMO and the Anishinabek Nation.
