Posted on Monday, August 24, 2020
Pembroke: County of Renfrew representatives held very successful meetings with Provincial ministry representatives at the 2020 AMO Conference, held virtually August 17th to 19th.
On August 17th, Warden Debbie Robinson, Chairperson of Health Committee, Mayor Michael Donohue, Mr. Paul Moreau, Chief Administrative Officer, Ms. Shelley Sheedy, Director of Long-Term Care and Chief of Paramedics Michael Nolan were invited to meet virtually with the Minister of Long-Term Care Dr. Merrilee Fullerton at the 2020 AMO Conference. Minister Fullerton was joined by MPP John Yakabuski and her Chief of Staff. The County of Renfrew, in partnership with the City of Pembroke, owns and operates two LTC Homes - Bonnechere Manor and Miramichi Lodge, investing approximately $4 million per year in long-term care operations. Warden Robinson expressed her appreciation that Minister Fullerton has visited both Homes recently and applauded the Province for making long-term care a key priority - taking urgent action to protect our most vulnerable population during COVID-19.
Chairperson Donohue proposed several solutions for the Province to make LTC Homes a better place to live and work including the funding of a Nursing & Personal Care minimum standard of 4.0 hours of care/resident/day effective in 2020 to attract and retain Personal Support Workers. Warden Robinson highlighted Renfrew County’s Virtual Triage and Assessment Centre (VTAC) approach during the Pandemic and noted how it has evolved from a focus on testing to include treatment and care of persons with chronic diseases, particularly for those seniors who want to age at home and could do so with the primary care and community paramedic support currently coordinated by VTAC. Warden Robinson concluded the delegation by stating, “The County of Renfrew is committed to working with the Ontario Government to achieve its objectives during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic and strongly believes that these solutions can accomplish our shared goals of enhancing resident safety and quality of life in our long-term care homes”.
On August 19th, Warden Robinson and Development and Property Committee Chairperson Bob Sweet, accompanied by CAO Moreau and Craig Kelley, Director of Development and Property, met with MPP Stephen Crawford, Parliamentary Assistant to Laurie Scott, Minister of Infrastructure. County representatives brought the MPP up-to-date on two substantial infrastructure initiatives that are ongoing. The service delivery improvement project that is currently underway at the County Administration Building is a major renovation project that will house all of the County administration offices under one roof, to be completed early in the new year. The other project that was spoken to was the Algonquin Trail. County officials are still looking for funding opportunities in order to complete stonedusting of the entire length of the trail making it available for multi-use and a safer alternative for active transportation than bike lanes on highway 17.
Recently, the Federal Government launched the Resilience Fund, created to fuel infrastructure projects that focus on retrofits, renovations, and active transportation. The County of Renfrew is confident both of these projects are perfectly aligned for a future application. To date, the County of Renfrew has been unsuccessful with Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program funding and is hopeful that the Province recommends that these two projects be funded in whole or in part by this newly announced stream of funding.
Warden Robinson was confident that they made their case in a clear and concise fashion; “Parliamentary Assistant/MPP Crawford seemed very supportive of our efforts to apply for these two signature projects that will make the County an even more attractive place to call home. We are hopeful that he, along with Minister Yakabuski, will carry this message forward in the form of their support when the funding stream opens up.”
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference is the key event for local elected leaders to participate in municipal meetings with the provincial counterparts and learn about key trends and opportunities about municipal governance. This year’s conference was held virtually.
For more information, visit our website or call:
Paul Moreau Chief Administrative Officer/Clerk, County of Renfrew 613-735-7288
Michael Barber Media Relations/Grants Coordinator, County of Renfrew 613-735-7288
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