Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) — First Day Plenary Remarks
Check against delivery
The speaking remarks were delivered bilingually, with portions in English and others French. To request a full English or French version, please contact lg@ontario.ca.
Bonjour! Good morning! Bozhoo! Kwe Kwe (koué)!
Je suis ravie d’être avec vous aujourd’hui.
Votre engagement envers vos communautés est inspirant. Chaque jour, vous contribuez à bâtir des municipalités dynamiques, accueillantes et résilientes, et votre leadership est essentiel à la vitalité de notre province.
I would like to begin by recognizing the leaders and staff whose communities have been affected by forest fires, as well as those whose municipalities have hosted evacuated residents.
Thank you for the tireless work you have done around the clock to keep people safe and make sure they have shelter.
Thank you as well to the leaders and staff in Niagara who have been working to help residents affected by the historic flooding in the region.
Today, we all stand in solidarity with you.
L’Ontario est fort quand il est solidaire.
Merci pour votre dévouement exceptionnel.
Merci d’offrir soutien et refuge aux collectivités les plus durement touchées par les feux de forêts et les inondations.
Mayor Sutcliffe, thank you for welcoming us here to Ottawa. And happy two hundredth anniversary to this wonderful city—my city! Today, we “celebrate together”!
Congratulations, as well, to Mayor Josh Morgan and everyone from London, Ontario – on your bicentennial!
Also, this year, we mark the twentieth anniversary of the passing of the 2006 Budget Measures Act, which extended municipal terms from three to four years. And because twenty is divisible by four … we have elections coming up very soon.
It is an exciting time … a time that puts a spotlight on our democratic system.
I would like to commend AMO for the ongoing work of the Healthy Democracy Project to promote civility, and to encourage greater and wider participation in elections.
I would also like to mention another, newer, initiative: Here in Ottawa, in April, Cooperation Canada and Resilient Societies hosted the inaugural Civic Space Summit.
C’est plus de 300 personnes qui ont réfléchi ensemble aux conditions essentielles qui permettent à une société de s’épanouir. Elles ont partagé leurs perspectives avec un objectif commun : renforcer nos démocraties.
The participants, from around the world, shared their perspectives on something that is key to the health of our democracy.
It’s not in every country that people can gather openly to exchange ideas, challenge one another respectfully, and imagine a better future together.
Civic space makes this possible.
For me, one of the most important things that came out of the summit was the idea that we, as a society, and also as individuals, have a responsibility to foster, create, use, and maintain spaces where people can share diverse perspectives.
L’espace civique est un incontournable – un haut lieu où naissent les idées et où se développent la confiance, le dialogue et le sentiment d’appartenance.
C’est aussi un espace où les désaccords peuvent devenir des occasions d’apprentissage et de collaboration.
Civic space can be fostered by physical space—for instance, at the Hub in Chapleau.
This former Anglican Church has been reimagined as a beautiful coffee shop offering fitness spaces, programs for children, a marketplace for artisans, and supports for women.
At the Hub, people come together to have important discussions about their community and make plans for the future—just as they do in other places around Ontario, such as the Centre Pauline-Charron in Ottawa and the MWG Youth & Family Wellness Camp in Kenora.
And civic space can be brought about by digital space, such as online forums and discussion groups that promote connection and build community resilience.
Here in Ontario, we pride ourselves on our diversity. But we must find more effective ways to harness the many perspectives and sets of experience we have among us … and to use them to bring about a truly inclusive and forward-thinking society.
Nous avons de la chance, ici en Ontario !
Des personnes de tous horizons contribuent au bien commun. Cette diversité est une grande force. Lorsqu’elle s’exprime dans un esprit de respect mutuel, elle devient un levier de progrès sociétal.
I hope that the conversations you will be having over the next few days will spark ideas for more places and opportunities for even more meaningful conversations and interactions … between and among the people who live in Ontario’s 444 municipalities.
I look forward to seeing some of you at the women’s networking session this afternoon, where we will discuss the role of civic space. In the meantime, I wish you all an enjoyable and fruitful conference!
Que votre conférence soit des plus inspirantes!
Merci. Thank you. Chi miigwetch.
