E-scooter safety, infrastructure support on Mayor’s list at AMO conference

September 3, 2026 · 0 Comments

Mayor Tom Mrakas made the case for further regulations on e-scooter safety and more consistent, predictable infrastructure funding at August’s Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference in Ottawa.

Held between August 22 and August 27, the annual conference is an opportunity for municipal leaders to connect with each other, with representatives of the Provincial government, and more – sharing ideas and letting upper-tier politicians about issues at the local level.

“One of the things at the top of my list going in were definitely talking to the Minister of Transportation in regards to e-scooters, e-bikes and how do we provide a safe avenue for those that want to use this as a mode of transportation – because it’s a good thing, but it needs to be done in a safe manner,” says Mayor Mrakas. “We need to make sure that we protect pedestrians and people within our communities. Whether it’s on our trails and in our parks as well, it’s an ongoing issue.”

Additional issues at the municipal level Mayor Mrakas says are solutions disposing of used tires, an issue which he highlighted on social media recently, infrastructure funding, and emergency preparedness in the face of weather that is becoming increasingly unpredictable.

On infrastructure funding, Mayor Mrakas said he underscored the point to Ontario Premier Doug Ford and the topic overall was a hot-button issue at the conference.

“[The Province] has provided $8.4 billion for municipalities to look at if they’re reducing development charges that they can receive for infrastructure, but that only helps certain municipalities that have the abilities to do that and some just don’t have the ability to do that, so we’re continually pushing for that.

“As we always say, we collect $0.09 to $0.11 out of every tax dollar, but we’re responsible for well over 60 per cent of the infrastructure. It is an unsustainable model and we don’t want to continually put the burden on residents through property tax. We need that predictable, stable funding, so that, to me, is always a big, big issue that needs to be dealt with at AMO and I hope the Province has heard loud [that] loud and clear.”

On emergency preparedness, he adds that recent unpredictable weather is causing “chaos” in communities and it’s a question of what the Province can do to help municipalities that are struggling to adjust to these realities.

“We’re seeing more and more…storms that seem to cause chaos in communities. We’re seeing it whether it is the fires up north or whether it’s right here in Aurora where we had that storm hit up the northwest quadrant of our Town [in July] and devastate a neighbourhood with fallen trees – essentially 30- and 40-year-old trees that were just being uprooted. How do we ensure that not only is the municipality prepared –and we do have our emergency preparedness routine and we go through exercises to make sure that we are prepared – but, at the same time, what’s the Province doing to make sure that they can help out municipalities? We’re seeing this more and more. We need to make sure that we’re all working together to make sure that our communities can get through such devastating storms.

“As far as the funding, predictable, sustainable funding long-term is a longer-term discussion. It’s always ongoing. I don’t see anything immediate that’s going to come. It’s not the sense that I got out of it. Obviously, they’ve talked about the funding that they’re providing for infrastructure in combination with the federal government, the $8.8 billion. But, as we can see, that’s only going to go so far. Toronto’s, I think, pulling $1.7 billion out of that. I think Peel put in for $2.5, billion, York Region has $1.6 billion in there. So, $8.8 billion is really not a lot to go around to a lot of municipalities when it comes to these infrastructure projects that we have. I think that’s something that will probably be discussed as they get back into the legislature and after the municipal elections on how they can really start to provide municipalities with that predictable, sustainable funding.”

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter