The County of Essex is calling on provincial candidates running for election on February 27 to commit to addressing priority issues identified by Essex County Council, which is comprised of the mayors and deputy mayors of the county’s seven local municipalities. Addressing these priorities is crucial to the quality of life of Essex County residents and the continued economic development of this diverse and growing region.

A Fair Share for Essex County

The County continues to grow, with a rate of population growth in the most recent census that surpassed the City of Windsor, but we continue to be bypassed when it comes to provincial funding for vital infrastructure projects necessary to promote commercial and industrial development and the construction of thousands of new homes.

The City of Windsor, for example, recently received additional funding for the Banwell Road corridor and other projects, but the County of Essex has received nothing for projects just a few kilometres to the east. The county’s infrastructure projects are as essential for moving people and goods in that fast-developing area of our region and are necessary to support economic growth and building more homes.

Our regional transportation system is deeply interconnected and fixes to intersections in Windsor will have significantly less impact if they are not matched by corresponding improvements in the County of Essex. Bottlenecks will simply move just outside the city limits and still affect the flow of traffic into and out of Windsor.

Social and Prosperity Review

Essex County, like all Ontario municipalities, is facing historic challenges that cannot be tackled with an inflexible and outdated funding model that places an oppressive inflationary burden on the backs of property taxpayers already struggling to make ends meet. Nor can Essex County and other Ontario municipalities continue to pay for services that should be delivered by the province – a subsidy to the provincial treasury that totals $4 billion every year.

Essex County’s population is surging at a historic rate, and we are doing everything we can to support the province’s goal of building 1.5 million homes by 2031. We are investing nearly $100 million in our road network in 2025, the bulk of that to build capacity to facilitate the construction of thousands of homes. Our local municipalities are likewise spending millions of dollars on water and wastewater infrastructure necessary for growth.

The story is the same across the province. Ontario’s municipalities are planning for $250 billion to $290 billion in capital expenditures over the next decade, with about $100 billion of that connected to growth. The ability of municipalities to fund that growth was severely impacted by Bill 23 in 2022, which created a $1-billion hole in municipal balance sheets.

The only options municipalities have for funding this necessary infrastructure, and maintaining existing assets, are drastic service reductions, user fees and property tax hikes.

Property taxpayers are also being asked to pay more for services that are traditionally considered areas of provincial responsibility, like health care, housing and social services.

In 2022, Ontario municipalities subsidized the provincial treasury by almost $4 billion annually, with almost one-third of municipal expenditures devoted to areas of provincial responsibility. The $12 billion municipalities received in provincial grants were offset by the $9.7 billion they spent on social services, the $3.3 billion they spent on health services and the $2.7 billion they spent on housing.

The demands for housing, health and social service supports has increased dramatically since then.

The provincial government must work with municipalities on a social and economic prosperity review with the mutually beneficial goal of establishing a fair and consistent funding formula that allows municipalities to accommodate growth free of the escalating burden of funding areas of provincial responsibility.

Housing and Social Supports

Essex County is facing incredible demands for both affordable housing and supportive housing for vulnerable individuals. The waiting list for affordable housing has ballooned into the thousands while our aging stock of affordable housing is deteriorating and needs to be renewed.

The County of Essex is calling on candidates to support an increase in operating funds for the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative and to support a comprehensive provincial response to the mental health and addictions crisis. Homelessness is no longer just a big-city problem. What’s required is a funding model that allows the county to take care of its most vulnerable residents.

As well, more mental health and wellness supports and investments in vital community paramedicine programs will work to alleviate pressures on the regional health-care system. Providing residents with the right care in the right place at the right time and embracing preventive care will help ensure no one is left behind and that many issues are addressed long before the emergency room.

New Hospital

Essex County is calling for continued provincial support for the construction of a new regional hospital to ensure it is built in a timely manner without placing any undue burden on the property taxpayers of the County of Essex and City of Windsor. By the end of 2025, the county will have set aside $57 million of the $100 million it has committed to fund the new hospital.

The state-of-the-art hospital will replace outdated infrastructure and improve health care in the region for generations to come. It’s essential the provincial government support the historic project through to its completion.

Threat of U.S. Tariffs

With the threat of U.S. tariffs looming large over the border region of Essex-Windsor and southwestern Ontario, local residents should consider which candidates and party would best be positioned to represent their interests and come through with timely support should costly tariffs become a reality.

U.S. tariffs will have an immediate and appreciable impact on Essex-Windsor, with the very real threat of job losses and shuttered factories. It’s imperative that local candidates and the parties they represent have a plan for standing strong that includes stimulus funding for municipal infrastructure and a willingness to enhance domestic trade by exploring the removal of interprovincial trade barriers.