Town of Lincoln Council and staff continuously advocate to upper levels of government to aid in implementing key programming and policy to support economic growth and prosperity throughout our municipality.
Through the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) and the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) annual conferences, staff and Members of Council bring forth a variety of initiatives and concerns that impact the Lincoln community. Our goal is to ensure that our priorities are heard and that upper levels of government are kept informed on Lincoln’s priorities.
See below for the latest programs, policies, and changes Town Council and staff have advocated for at the 2023 AMO Conference & 2024 ROMA Conference:
Niagara Irrigation Project
Niagara is home to thousands of acres of grape vines and fruit trees cared for by over 700 family farms. Water is not only essential to the region’s residents, but also crucial for growing high-quality fruit; however, consistently, and equally distributing water to farms across Niagara is a challenge. While local municipalities, Niagara Region, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, local growers, Agriculture and Agri-Food (AG) Canada and the Niagara Irrigation Steering Committee continue to work towards a solution, further research and support are required to ensure the most efficient and suitable irrigation system is identified. The Town and other Municipalities are meeting with the Province to request support for potential irrigation solutions, including funding for infrastructural studies as required.
Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC) Plan Area
As a rural community with limited industrial development potential, the Town’s true economic opportunity rests in our rural areas. While the Town is fully supportive of the Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC) and the Niagara Escarpment Plan (NEP), we do need flexibility and timeliness when it comes to development applications. A lot of the process is built into the way the NEP and its policies are structured. With On-farm Diversified Uses (OFDU), the NEC has been clear that even though OMAFRA has issued guidelines to provide some flexibility, due to the NEC’s policy framework, that same flexibility is not afforded on NEP lands. The Town asked the Ministry that when the Niagara Escarpment Plan (NEP) review occurs in 2025, they update policies, permissions, and allowances to better align with municipal needs.
Growth Related Infrastructure
The provincial government has set a target to build 1.5 million homes in Ontario by 2031. As a direct result of this plan, there is a need for municipalities to provide additional infrastructure to support the residents coming to each community. During the AMO 2024 meeting with the Ministry of Infrastructure, the Town’s delegation sought funding from the Province to support Lincoln’s potential community hub and affordable housing project at the former Beamsville District Secondary School site, and for financial assistance to support the redevelopment of Jordan Lions Park. Both community-focused projects require significant investment to come to fruition. Investments by upper levels of government would decrease burden on the local taxpayer.
Enhanced Cybersecurity
The Town of Lincoln is supportive of the recent announcement of Ontario strengthening cyber security and protecting people online through ‘The Strengthening Cyber Security and Building Trust in the Public Sector Act, 2024’. However, to implement many of these new measures, the Town of Lincoln requires funding to support implementation, including service levels and staffing requirements. The Town of Lincoln is requesting additional funding to support new cyber security measures for Ontario Municipalities.
Multi-Year Funding to Support Long-Term Planning
Since COVID-19, Ontario has seen infrastructure prices and inflation increasing at unprecedented levels. At the same time, the total Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF) funding envelope has remained steady. Lincoln’s funding through the OMPF has been decreasing (39% from 2019 to 2024). While we can appreciate that this is in part due to positive indicators such as on the Municipal Fiscal Circumstances Index, it impacts the Town’s ability to provide services while our costs have been increasing. In addition, OMPF funding announcements have been received annually, in the fall preceding the funding year when budgets have been long under way. Multi-year funding allocations would allow the Town to anticipate funding changes and plan for the future. The Town met with the Ministry of Finance at AMO 2024 to request increased funding through the OMPF and provide multi-year allocations to municipalities that would better enable long-term planning.
Heritage Designation and Cultural Funding
On June 6, 2024, the Province approved an extension to the timeframe for reviewing legacy listed properties that has given municipalities until January 1, 2027, to issue a notice of intention to designate before these properties must be removed from the register. The extension also adjusts the start of the five-year prohibition on relisting those properties that were removed from the register under this provision accordingly. On March 25, 2024, Town of Lincoln Council passed a motion to extend the Bill 23 timelines regarding the removal of listed properties on the register for five years until January 1, 2030, to continue the efforts required to designate properties. An additional two years as provided by Bill 200 would give the Town more time to work on researching properties for ultimate designation. The Town's delegation met with the Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism at AMO 2024 to request that the Province further extend the process to designate heritage properties in order to allow the Town more time to research properties for designation, due to resourcing and financial pressures. The Town also requested additional funding through the Community Museum Operating Grant (CMOG) to support the growth and development of the Lincoln Museum & Cultural Centre’s cultural assets.