Advocating for a Strong Halton

Make an informed decision: Halton’s priority issues

Working together, Halton Region and the Federal Government have taken some key steps forward, however there is much more to be done. A collaborative partnership with the Federal Government remains critical as we continue to work together to advance the following priority issues impacting the Halton community:

Delivering critical infrastructure to support housing

Providing housing for those with the greatest need

Responding to the threat of U.S. trade tariffs

Delivering critical infrastructure to support housing

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) has estimated that 5.8 million new homes would be required across the country by 2030 to restore affordability for Canadians.

In Halton, our Local Municipalities have endorsed housing targets totaling 92,500 units to support the delivery of 1.5 million new homes across Ontario by 2031. To support the Local Municipalities in achieving their targets, Halton Region is proactively planning for, financing, and delivering the more than $5.2 billion of water, wastewater and roads infrastructure that is needed to support the acceleration of growth to build these homes.

Our collective and continued success is dependent on the expansion of infrastructure funding programs and strong partnerships with the development community and the Provincial and Federal Governments. Infrastructure funding programs such as the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund (CHIF) are welcomed tools to support municipalities in the delivery of critical housing-enabling infrastructure. However, municipal eligibility requirements for CHIF funding pose challenges for many municipalities.

The Federal Government can support the continued successful delivery of critical housing-enabling infrastructure in Halton by:

• Working together with the Provincial Government to expand infrastructure funding programs such as the CHIF and reviewing eligibility requirements for Regional Governments.
• Working with the Region and Provincial Government to explore alternative sources of funding to deliver new water, wastewater and road infrastructure and support the necessary maintenance and repair of existing assets to support growth in Halton.
• Taking action with FCM to develop a New Municipal Growth Framework to ensure municipalities can continue to deliver critical housing-enabling infrastructure and address priority community needs.

Providing housing for those with the greatest need

High market rental costs and the growing mental health and addictions crisis are significantly increasing the demand for homelessness services and supports, including emergency shelter. Municipal governments, including Halton, are often the first point of contact for people facing struggles with mental health and addictions, many of whom require intensive supports, and experience challenges with securing and maintaining stable housing.

The demand for homelessness supports and service across Halton continues to exceed available supply. The Region’s emergency shelter system is currently operating at 140% capacity, and there is a significant demand for assisted housing for individuals and families unable to afford market rent. All 5,404 existing assisted housing units in the Region are fully occupied, and 8,048 households are on the wait list. At the current rate, only 9% of Halton’s existing waitlist will be housed each year.

This data points to a clear call for increased, long-term and predictable funding from the Federal Government to meet demand and make long-term strategic investments in homelessness prevention and supportive housing.

The Region currently has 548 shovel-ready assisted and supportive housing units (PDF file) in its portfolio of housing development opportunities. This means they are fully zoned and serviced, and ready for Federal and Provincial investment to get construction started. These new units are critical in preventing higher emergency shelter use, street homelessness and encampments.

The Federal Government can support Halton in providing housing for those with the greatest need by:

• Partnering with Halton Region by investing in our shovel-ready assisted and supportive housing properties. This will get them built as fast as possible to meet increasing demand.
• Providing increased, long-term and predictable capital and operating funding to support the Region in providing housing and supports for individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
• Increasing coordination across all three levels of government to address the homelessness, mental health and addictions crises.

Responding to the threat of U.S. trade tariffs

Halton Region has been preparing for the implementation of tariffs and trade disruption imposed by the United States. Tariffs and any Canadian counter-tariff measures will have significant local, regional, and national economic impacts.

Halton supports a coordinated response to U.S. tariffs across all levels of government. On February 19, 2025, Halton Regional Council endorsed a resolution outlining that the Region stands together with our Federal and Provincial partners and supports the measures put in place to respond to the threat of U.S. tariffs. Municipalities are on the front lines of communities and Halton’s resolution underscored that municipalities must play a crucial role on Team Canada to protect Canadian and local economies.

As Halton is proactively responding to the threat of U.S. tariffs, the Region is working to plan and mitigate against potential impacts. The implementation of tariffs is anticipated to lead to economic instability and increased costs for essential goods and services. Tariff impacts may also potentially include negative impacts on the implementation of essential infrastructure projects through cost increases or supply chain issues for key products such as steel.

During this time of economic uncertainty and evolving U.S. trade policy, it is critical that the Federal and Provincial Governments help stimulate and stabilize Canadian and local economies. This must include increasing funding for infrastructure and housing, working to remove trade barriers between provinces, as well as removing any barriers that prevent municipalities in selecting Canadian companies.

The Federal Government can support Halton Region in responding to the impacts of U.S. trade tariffs by:

• Ensuring municipalities are part of the coordinated Team Canada approach to leverage local expertise and ensure the economic and local impacts of communities are protected.
• Removing any barriers to municipalities preferring Canadian companies for capital projects and goods and services, including taking action to remove trade barriers between provinces.
• Ensuring municipalities remain “whole” to respond to existing priority community issues and the local impacts of U.S. tariffs and Canadian countermeasures.
• Increasing investments for infrastructure and housing to stimulate and stabilize Canadian and local economies.

Addressing climate change and supporting resilient communities

The Region, its residents and businesses continue to be impacted by severe weather events such as floods, high winds, tornadoes, ice storms and extreme heat and cold days. These events pose serious risks to the Region’s infrastructure including watermains and wastewater pumping stations and threaten the health, safety and quality of life of residents.

In July 2024, Halton Region experienced five consecutive intense rainfall events, resulting in 100 to 220 mm of total rainfall in isolated areas throughout the region contributing to 1,897 basement flooding incidents. Of the reported flooding, roughly 54 per cent were related to the stormwater-induced wastewater system surcharges, with the remainder being directly flooded by stormwater.

As outlined by FCM (external link), municipalities build and maintain 60% of the core public infrastructure that supports communities including water, wastewater and roads. Long- term predictable sources of funding are required from the Provincial and Federal Governments to invest in climate action, including aging infrastructure and adaptation measures for communities.

The Federal Government can help address climate change and support a resilient Halton community by:

• Providing long-term, sustainable funding for municipal climate adaptation efforts to support resilient communities.
• Expanding federal funding programs such as the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund.

Federation of Canadian Municipalities election campaign

Halton Region supports the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) (external link) federal election campaign, "Stronger Together: Local Strength, National Prosperity" (external PDF). The campaign highlights the importance of investing in communities to create national prosperity. FCM is calling on all federal parties to endorse the importance of a National Prosperity Partnership where all levels of government come together to build a stronger future for all Canadians by ensuring municipalities can:

• support local economic growth and resilience
• invest in infrastructure renewal including water, wastewater and roads
• achieve housing affordability
• end homelessness with local solutions
• keep communities safe
• build climate resilient communities
• support thriving rural, remote and northern communities

FCM’s campaign highlights that municipalities are essential to economic success. They must be at the table as partners alongside provinces, territories and the Federal Government – we are “Stronger Together.” It’s time for a long-term approach to invest in communities. FCM’s call for a modern National Prosperity Partnership, including a new municipal fiscal framework, will ensure municipalities can build a stronger, more resilient Canada.

Find out who is running as a candidate in your area

Candidates have been identified as listed on Federal party websites, they will be updated and confirmed as they are formally registered with Elections Canada. Learn more about the Federal election, find your riding and voting locations (external link).

Your vote matters. Everyone is encouraged to vote!

Priority issues for the Provincial Government

Working together, Halton Region and the Provincial Government have taken some key steps forward, however there is much more to be done. A collaborative partnership with the Provincial Government remains critical as we continue to work together to advance the following priority issues impacting the Halton community.

Read our Provincial pre-budget submission (PDF file) for more information on our priority issues and how we can work with the Province to address them.

Halton's programs and services

• Business services
• Children’s services
• Emergency planning
• Financial assistance
• Housing services
• Infrastructure and construction
• Paramedic services
• Public health programs and services
• Services for seniors
• Waste management
• Wastewater treatment
• Water purification
• Regional roads and transportation

Get the facts

• Halton Region serves more than 656,000 residents across the City of Burlington, the Town of Halton Hills, Town of Milton, and the Town of Oakville.
• Halton is one of the fastest growing communities in Canada expected to grow to a population of over 1.1 million by 2051.
• With a growth rate of 8.8% between 2016 and 2021, Halton has seen the highest rate of growth across all upper- and single-tier municipalities in the GTHA.
• The Region is an effective upper-tier government responsible for delivering essential programs and services for the community, including providing high-quality drinking water, building housing-enabling infrastructure, delivering homelessness supports, operating long-term care homes, and administering public health and paramedic services.
• Welcome to Halton Region YouTube video