WINDSOR, ONT. -- Money from upper levels of government set the tone for the annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario Conference, which started Monday.

The annual meeting — usually hosted in a different city each year — is going ahead virtually in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It started Monday with some good news from the province.

Premier Doug Ford announced the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund will be fully funded again this year, which maintains about $500 million in funding for municipalities.

In the City of Windsor alone, it amounts to $23 million toward annual operating and capital expenses.

Municipalities also learned Monday how much they will receive through the federal safe restart agreement.

Windsor will receive $18.4 million and Essex County municipalities will split $4.4 million to assist with the safe restart of the economy over the next six to eight months.

The funding is intended to assist municipalities in delivering essential services that Canadians rely on every day.

“This funding demonstrates our government’s commitment to supporting our municipalities and the residents of Windsor-Tecumseh who depend on safe, reliable and sustainable public services be they public transit, community centres, public works or the day-to-day operations of City Hall,” says Irek Kusmierczyk, the Liberal MP for Windsor-Tecumseh.

County Warden and AMO Vice President Gary McNamara says the pandemic has exposed many vulnerabilities in long-term care, housing, public health and infrastructure, to name a few.

He tells CTV News it’s important for all levels of government to work as partners to keep society moving today and in the future.

“What is going to be the end deficit for long-term care facilities, which we’re responsible for? Public health, which we’re responsible for. EMS, which we’re responsible for?” asks McNamara. “They’re all running at a deficit. What the final budget’s going to be at the end of the fiscal year, those dollars are going to help us tremendously.”

The AMO conference runs until Wednesday. McNamara, who is the sitting vice president and was just acclaimed as a member of the county caucus, says Tuesday’s main focus will be on infrastructure — and possible stimulus plans from upper levels of government.