County of Renfrew leads powerful day of action at Queen’s Park

Making up the County of Renfrew delegation for the Queen’s Park Advocacy Day on November 20 were (from left) Gwen Dombroski, Manager of Legislative Services/Clerk; Andrea Patrick, Director of Community Services; Jason Davis, Director of Development and Property; County Councillor Michael Donohue; Taylor Hanrath, Manager of Capital Works; County Councillor Anne Giardini; Dean Quade, Acting Director of Long-Term Care; Warden Peter Emon; Lee Perkins, Director of Public Works and Engineering; Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MPP Billy Denault; County Councillors Glenn Doncaster and Jennifer Murphy; Ivan Burton, Chief Administrative Officer Township of Whitewater Region; Craig Kelly, County of Renfrew Chief Administrative Officer; County Councillor Neil Nicholson; Sarah Selle, Mental Health Services Director, Pembroke Regional Hospital and Melissa Marquardt, Manager of Economic Development. 

RELEASE DATE:

November 24, 2025

On Wednesday November 20, the County of Renfrew delegation gathered at Queen’s Park in Toronto for “County of Renfrew Day”, a full day of advocacy meetings with multiple provincial ministries to advance the rural priorities of our region.

Guided by our advocacy framework on the County’s website, which emphasizes infrastructure investment, healthcare access, housing, economic development and rural voices, the delegation made significant movement on several files. The contingent met with more than 16 Ontario Ministers, or Parliamentary Assistants.

Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MPP Billy Denault was instrumental in coordinating the meetings with his provincial colleagues and was engaged in the discussions throughout the day.

Key Outcomes from the Day

• Meetings were held with the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Ministry of Transportation, where the importance of the Highway 417 twinning extension and Highway 17 corridor were affirmed and next steps identified to modernize several key intersections for safety and traffic flow.
• Discussions with the Ministry of Health (Including Mental Health and Addictions) centred on expanding Community Paramedicine supports and improving healthcare service access across our rural municipalities, including expansion of the Mesa and HART Hub (Homeless and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hub) initiatives.
• A productive session with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing helped clarify funding paths and regulatory supports for seniors’ supportive housing and municipal modernization in the County.

• The Ministry of Energy and Mines, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, and the Ministry of Red Tape Reduction committed to exploring how the County’s resource-based and rural economic development opportunities can be better unlocked.
• A good session with the Ministry of Forestry on the importance of supporting the proposed regional forestry biomass projects.
• A conversation with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming of Ontario about supporting tourism marketing and tourism infrastructure needs in the Ottawa Valley.

While at Queen’s Park on November 20, the County of Renfrew delegation met with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing to discuss seniors supportive housing and municipal modernization. Taking part in the meeting (from left) were Chief Administrative Office Craig Kelley; County Councillor Jennifer Murphy; the Honourable Graydon Smith, Associate Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing; Renfrew County Warden Peter Emon; MPP Matthew Rae, Parliamentary Assistant to the Mister of Municipal Affairs and Housing; County Councillor Anne Giardini; MPP Billy Denault, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming; County Councillor Glenn Doncaster; Director of Community Services Andrea Patrick and Director of Development and Property Jason Davis. 

These conversations were informed by our advocacy list which sets out strategic ministerial touch points across multiple issue-areas. The briefing documents can be found on our website at https://bit.ly/CORAdvocacy.

“These meetings at Queen’s Park reflect exactly what the County of Renfrew is about: making strong, collaborative arguments for our rural communities, staying creative in our solutions and inclusive in our engagement,” said Warden Peter Emon. “We travelled to Toronto to bring our voice, our ideas and our energy, and we left with tangible commitments and a clear path ahead for our region.”

Why This Matters

As a predominantly rural region, the County of Renfrew must ensure that provincial policy, funding and regulatory frameworks reflect the realities of communities beyond the urban core. Our advocacy approach is rooted in collaboration, innovation and being inclusive, recognizing that infrastructure, housing, jobs and healthcare are deeply interconnected. The day at Queen’s Park underscored that message and reinforced our commitment to being proactive partners with the Province.

Looking Forward

Following Queen’s Park Day, the County will:

• Work with ministries to develop detailed implementation plans for the highway corridors, housing projects and Community Paramedicine enhancements discussed.
• Bring back to County Council for consideration the next phase of the “Expand the Valley” initiative for Highway 17, and the complementary Highway 417 extension campaign.
• Mobilize stakeholder groups across our municipalities – from business owners to health providers to seniors’ advocates – to ensure the momentum continues locally.

• Publish a summary of the meetings and commitments received and integrate them into our 2026-27 advocacy plan and budget framework.

About the County of Renfrew

The County of Renfrew is committed to cultivating a compassionate, collaborative, creative and inclusive environment – providing our community with meaningful support and innovative solutions. Our advocacy focuses on securing funding, influencing policy and addressing key issues such as infrastructure investment, healthcare access, housing and economic development.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Craig Kelley                          Chief Administrative Officer                               613-735-7288

Tina Peplinskie                    Media Relations Coordinator                             613-735-7288                 

While at Queen’s Park on November 20, the County of Renfrew delegation had a productive meeting with the Ministry of Energy and Mines, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, and the Ministry of Red Tape Reduction to explore how the County’s resource-based and rural economic development opportunities can be better unlocked. Taking part in the meeting (from left) were Chief Administrative Officer Craig Kelley; County Councillors Michael Donohue, Glenn Doncaster and Jennifer Murphy; the Honourable Mike Harris, Minister of Natural Resources; Renfrew County Warden Peter Emon; the Honourable Andrea Khanjin, Minister of Red Tape Reduction; MPP Billy Denault, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming; the Honourable Stephen Lecce, Minister of Energy and Mines; County Councillors Neil Nicholson and Anne Giardini; Director of Development and Property Jason Davis and Ivan Burton, Chief Administrative Officer, Township of Whitewater Region.