Mayor Carter advances key priorities at AMO 2026

This week, Oshawa Mayor Dan Carter attended the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Annual Conference alongside elected officials and municipal leaders from across the province to advance key priorities that support Oshawa’s continued growth, strengthen the region’s long-term prosperity, and contribute to a more competitive and resilient Ontario.

Throughout the conference, Mayor Carter highlighted Oshawa’s role as a growing economic, innovation and investment hub, and our unique position as a city with the talent, infrastructure, resources and capacity to help drive Ontario’s future growth and competitiveness. He showcased Oshawa’s Defence and Innovation Corridor, strategically located near post-secondary institutions, the Oshawa Executive Airport, and major transportation networks. The corridor is home to a strong concentration of advanced manufacturing, aerospace, defence, research and technology assets, creating opportunities for investment, job creation and innovation.

Mayor Carter highlighted the City’s innovative partnerships and emphasized Oshawa’s readiness to partner with the province and all levels of government to address shared challenges and advance solutions that benefit residents, businesses and communities across Ontario.

Through a series of delegation meetings with provincial ministers, deputy ministers and parliamentary assistants, Mayor Carter advanced three key priority areas:

Partnering with the Province to Accelerate Housing and Infrastructure

Mayor Carter met with Amarjot Sandhu, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Infrastructure, to discuss the investments needed to support Oshawa’s continued growth and help achieve Ontario’s housing and economic development objectives.

During the meeting, he reaffirmed the City’s commitment to collaborating with the province to advance shared housing, infrastructure and economic development priorities.

Mayor Carter highlighted Oshawa’s consistent support for provincial housing goals through strategic infrastructure investments, competitive development charges, streamlined development approval processes, and targeted development charge exemptions that have been in place for more than a decade.

While these initiatives have supported sustainable growth, he noted that the continued pace of growth is placing increasing pressure on municipal infrastructure. He advocated for enhanced provincial funding to support both growth-related and state-of-good-repair infrastructure projects, as well as for the modernization and streamlining of provincial infrastructure funding programs.

Establishing a Permanent Family Physician Medical Campus

Mayor Carter joined leaders from Queen’s University and Lakeridge Health in a meeting with Deborah Richardson, Deputy Minister of Health, to advocate for provincial investment in a permanent family physician medical campus in Durham Region to help address Ontario’s shortage of family physicians.

He highlighted the innovative partnership among the City of Oshawa, Queen’s University, Lakeridge Health and the Region of Durham to establish a standalone Queen’s-Lakeridge Health Family Medicine MD and Postgraduate Family Medicine Campus in downtown Oshawa within a former health care hub.

The permanent campus would create a dedicated centre for family medicine education and training, helping to attract, train and retain physicians and other health-care professionals while improving access to primary care.

Mayor Carter advocated for provincial investment to help secure the long-term future of the Queen’s-Lakeridge Health Family Medicine MD Program and establish the permanent campus, noting its strong alignment with Ontario’s vision of a connected, people-first health-care system.

Establishing a Dedicated Mental Health and Addictions Emergency Department

Mayor Carter also participated in the Region of Durham’s delegation meeting with The Honourable Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, and John Jordan, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Long-Term Care.

During the meeting, delegates emphasized the critical need for a dedicated Mental Health and Addictions Emergency Department at Lakeridge Health to respond to growing demand, improve patient outcomes and relieve pressure on overcrowded emergency departments.

Mayor Carter underscored the importance of ensuring individuals experiencing mental health or addictions challenges receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time. He reaffirmed his commitment to advocating for compassionate, recovery-focused solutions that provide timely access to supports and create pathways for long-term well-being and success.

Quote:

“AMO provided an important opportunity to strengthen relationships with provincial leaders and partners while advancing priorities that matter to our residents. The City of Oshawa remains committed to partnering with all levels of government to secure opportunities that support growth, strengthen infrastructure, enhance health-care services and improve quality of life across Oshawa and Durham Region.”