Mayor Newman believed there was a need for local governments to have greater control over issues like transportation, housing, pollution, and approval for local projects. Local government, he said, is how most people engage with the political process and a greater partnership between municipalities and the provinces was necessary. He requested a joint provincial-municipal conference to create a partnership. This conference was the precursor to the first Tri-Level Conference in 1972 with representatives from federal, provincial, and municipal governments.

In July 1970, Mayor Newman was named as municipal representative at a Canada-wide conference of Provincial Ministers, one of the first times a municipal official was invited to such an event. He was later selected by the Ontario Municipal Association (OMA) as a delegate to a meeting of the Provincial Ministers of Municipal Affairs in Winnipeg in August 1970.

He consistently expressed his view that no action should be taken bilaterally by the federal and provincial governments that would affect the municipalities without them having an opportunity to comment. The more Mayor Newman spoke about the role of the municipality the more well-known he was in Canadian political circles. He was featured in newspapers and magazines and was widely expected to become Ontario’s premier.

He was elected Vice-President of the OMA in August 1970. In June 1971, he was elected Vice-President of the Canadian Federation of Mayors and Municipalities and President the following year. As President, he was the representative of Canadian municipalities at the first Tri-Level Conference and co-chair of the planning committee.

In the months leading up to the Tri-Level Conference, Mayor Newman travelled around Canada giving speeches on the importance of strong municipal governments. To the Oshawa and District Real Estate Board, he shared, “if we are to preserve the democratic process in this country we must drastically strengthen local government and if we are to strengthen local government we must provide for its constitutional recognition as a level of government in Canada.” He took this message to the Tri-Level Conference.

The first ever national Tri-Level Conference was held in Toronto from November 20-21, 1972. Delegates from all three levels of government attended in an attempt to flesh out the details of greater partnerships with the municipalities. Mayor Newman had been working towards this conference for many years and when it was over he felt the municipalities had established themselves as a political force.

Successive Tri-Level Conferences were held in the following years but they gradually declined in attendance and usefulness. The Municipal Liaison Committee (MLC), on which Mayor Newman served as chair, replaced the need for the Tri-Level. The influence of the MLC meant that municipalities in Ontario saw increases in funding, planning responsibilities, and unconditional grants.

The years 1970-1973 were some of the busiest for Mayor Newman. His impact on and support for local government was felt across the country. Quite simply, he put Whitby on the map.