It is extremely important for the transfer to be well planned and well managed so that tenants are not disrupted. As you know, our government's objective is to ensure there is affordable housing for people in our communities that is efficient, well-managed, accountable and responsive. Subject to approval by the Legislature, we remain determined to transfer an improved and more cost-effective social housing system to municipalities, and to do so in an orderly fashion. We believe social housing is a service that is best administered at the local level.
Local governments are closest to the people they serve and they know the needs of their communities.
Transferring the administration of social housing to the municipal level would provide the opportunity to integrate some aspects of program delivery with other social services such as Ontario Works and child care. This, in turn, would pave the way for better services for individuals and lower costs for taxpayers. We want you to have the flexibility to streamline administrative arrangements and serve clients more effectively so that you can meet community needs in the most effective way and provide the best possible value for your taxpayers' dollars. They would also have significant flexibility to decide whether to integrate the administration of social housing with that of other social programs such as Ontario Works and child care. As I indicated at the AMO conference, subject to the approval of the Legislature, we intend to proceed in two stages.