Back to SearchRENFREW COUNTY: For the first time in five years, the County of Renfrew hosted wardens and chief administrative officers from municipalities across Eastern Ontario.
The Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus is comprised of 13 members from across rural Eastern Ontario, including 11 regional county municipalities and two single-tier municipalities. The caucus met at the County Administration Building May 13 and the day before members of the group toured various parts of the county which were highlighted through special events. The opening day culminated with a dinner at Garrison Petawawa, which was attended by Col. John Vass, Commander 4 CDSG; Chief Warrant Officer Jack Durnford, Formation Sergeant Major 4 CDSG and Lt.-Col. Enno Kerckhoff, acting commander 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (2 CMBG) and commanding officer of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, who provided updates on Garrison operations.
Renfrew County Warden Debbie Robinson is the chairwoman of the EOWC, which works to advance priorities on behalf of the 103 municipalities and the 750,000 residents across rural Eastern Ontario.
She was thrilled to host her Eastern Ontario colleagues.
“Having the opportunity to showcase the County of Renfrew is one of the benefits of being the chair of the EOWC,” Robinson said. “I would say the members of caucus were very impressed by our County and having members of Garrison Petawawa at our dinner to share what the Garrison does and its impact on our County locally was very much appreciated.
“I suspect some of the EOWC wardens, mayors and CAOs will be visiting us again to enjoy the many tourism attractions we have to offer,” the warden added.
At the meeting Robin Jones, chairwoman of the Rural Ontario Municipal Board (ROMA) board, appeared virtually to make a presentation on ROMA’s work on affordable and attainable housing.
The Eastern Ontario housing crisis is a critical issue facing all EOWC member municipalities. Housing has also been identified as a primary determinant of health, and advancing this issue assists with other identified priorities including Ontario Health Team structure and governance, and the human resources shortage in health care.
In preparation for the EOWC’s meetings with provincial representatives at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference, to be held in Ottawa this August, chief administrative officers from the EOWC are organizing a two-day Housing Summit that will take place in June 2022. The goal of the summit is to bring together economic development and planning staff from across the region to better understand the housing crisis in Eastern Ontario and to identify the unique challenges to current legislation and funding programs.
Recommendations from the Housing Summit will inform advocacy for the AMO conference. The EOWC prides itself on finding innovative solutions to issues facing Eastern Ontario residents and working with provincial the provincial government in partnerships that benefit rural Ontario.
The EOWC meets monthly to discuss areas of concern and importance to all member municipalities, with a goal of speaking with one voice, to ensure its views are heard and considered by federal and provincial policy makers and business leaders.
For more information, please contact:
Paul Moreau, Chief Administrative Officer/Clerk 613-735-7288
Tina Peplinskie, Media Relations/Social Media Coordinator 613-735-7288
The County of Renfrew hosted the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus meeting on May 13. Taking part in the meeting were (front from left) Robert Crate, Northumberland County; Marg Isbester, Lennox and Addington County; Steve Ferguson, Prince Edward County; Debbie Robinson, Renfrew County; Liz Danielsen, Haliburton County; Roger Haley, Leeds and Grenville County; Dennis Doyle, Frontenac County and (back from left) Andy Lethem, City of Kawartha Lakes; Rick Phillips, Hastings County; Carma Williams, United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry and John Fenik, Lanark County. Missing were J. Murray Jones, Peterborough County and Daniel Lafleur, United Counties of Prescott and Russell.
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