County of Renfrew presenting eight delegations at AMO Conference

RELEASE DATE:

August 18, 2023

County of Renfrew presenting eight delegations at AMO Conference

LONDON – The County of Renfrew is preparing for eight delegation meetings during the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference in London, Ontario next week.

The annual conference, taking place from August 20-23, 2023, is the top educational forum for municipal leaders across the province. Aside from having dozens of speakers, sessions and workshops to choose from, Renfrew County elected officials and members of the senior leadership team will attend delegation meetings before provincial ministries to discuss issues that directly impact service delivery and quality of life in Renfrew County – County Road Growth Pressures, Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care, Flood Hazard Mapping and Modelling, the Paramedic Shortage in Ontario, Case Mix Index Funding Model for long-term care homes, Provincial Offences Court revenue shortfalls and lack of judicial resources, the upcoming Employment Services Transformation, and health unit mitigation funding.

“The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference is a great opportunity for the County and other municipalities to learn from the experiences of others,” said Renfrew County Warden Peter Emon. “These targeted meetings and presentations allow the government and ministers to hear about the challenges associated with the need for sustainable funding or brought on by provincial policy.”

He noted the County of Renfrew will be bringing issues of importance with regards to Paramedics, long-term care, infrastructure funding, funding of the Renfrew County and District Heath Unit, in addition to meeting with the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry and the Minister of Colleges and Universities.

“Our members who belong to Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus, ROMA and AMO will share our concerns in those meetings and delegations as well,” Warden Emon noted.

As the largest geographical municipality in Ontario, Renfrew County has 1,600 lane kilometres of County-owned roadways and infrastructure, including 252 large culverts and bridges. Maintaining this public infrastructure is becoming increasingly difficult, especially following the recent inflationary pressures. 

The County will ask the Ministry of Education for additional child-care spaces to meet the demands created by this growth and discuss funding opportunities for County Road 51 (Petawawa Boulevard) with the Ministry of Transportation. Other delegation meetings will include presentations on proposing educational changes to address the paramedic shortage in Ontario, requesting updated flood mapping for major rivers and tributaries in the region and addressing a reduction in funding for the Ontario Works program, which significantly impacts the services provided to clients in the County of Renfrew. The Province has made operational decisions with respect to the funding of judicial resources, and to local health units, and meetings will be held to discuss how these changes will impact local funding allocations.

AMO is a non-profit organization representing almost all of Ontario’s 444 municipal governments. AMO supports and enhances strong and effective municipal government in Ontario and promotes the values of municipal government as a vital and essential component of Ontario and Canada’s political system.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Craig Kelley              Chief Administrative Officer/Clerk                    613-735-7288