The Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus, including Hastings County Warden Bob Mullin, attended this year’s Rural Ontario Municipal Association Conference in Toronto to advocate for regional priorities.
Caucus chair and Peterborough County Warden Bonnie Clark said the conference is an essential forum to bring the rural voice into provincial decision-making.
During the conference, caucus members met with Rural Affairs Minister Lisa Thompson, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Rob Flack and Solicitor General Michael Kerzner, among others.
The caucus was joined by Hastings-Lennox and Addington MPP Ric Bresee in some meetings as well.
The caucus said some of the key priorities they brought to the table were supporting affordability, creating a regulated paramedic college and modernizing the OPP billing and Provincial Offenses Act fines model.
Co-ordinated action around homelessness was also a key priority, and the caucus said homelessness is growing fastest in northern and rural communities.
They have formally endorsed the Association of Municipalities of Ontario’s recent updated report and its recommendations on homelessness, including coordination between all levels of government to ensure dollars spent are having the biggest impact possible.
