WHEREAS municipal public works departments from across the Province of Ontario provide invaluable services to our communities ensuring the health and safety of all residents;
AND WHEREAS if it was not for our municipal public works employees from across the Province of Ontario maintaining our public roads systems, our communities would not be able to function as emergency personnel could not respond to calls, school buses could not get our children to school, residents would not be able to get to work, school or appointments and many more basic functions would not be able to happen;
AND WHEREAS municipal public works departments are already feeling the impacts of a labour shortage, which will only be exacerbated over the next three to five years, which will cause levels of service municipalities are able to provide to ensure the health and safety of our residents to decrease;
AND WHEREAS there is currently no provincial-wide course that properly trains potential municipal public works employees, specifically relating to municipal heavy equipment;
THEREFORE IT BE RESOLVED THAT the Municipality of Thames Centre supports the work of the Association of Ontario Road Supervisors to develop a Municipal Equipment Operator Course to address this issue;
AND THAT the Municipality of Thames Centre calls on the Province of Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Training, Immigration and Skilled Trades to fully fund the Municipal Equipment Operator Course in 2024 through the Skills Development Fund;
AND THAT a copy of this resolution be sent to the Minister of Labour, Training, Immigration and Skilled Trades David Piccinni, the Municipality of Thames Centre's Member of Provincial Parliament Rob Flack, and the Association of Ontario Road Supervisors.