County of Renfrew officials attend 2024 AMO Conference in Ottawa

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The County of Renfrew delegation met with Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions to discuss Mesa funding. Involved in the meeting (from left) were Parliamentary Assistant Natalie Pierre; Chief Michael Nolan, Director of Emergency Services; Renfrew County Warden Peter Emon; Associate Minister Michael Tibollo; Councillor Michael Donohue, Health Committee Chair; Councillor James Brose, Community Services Committee Chair and Andrea Patrick, Director of Community Services.

RELEASE DATE:

August 23, 2024

Representatives from the County of Renfrew met with several Members of Provincial Parliament during the 2024 Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference, advocating for funding towards programs to enrich the lives of Renfrew County residents.

The annual conference, held in Ottawa from August 18-21, 2024, is the top educational forum for municipal leaders and attracted 2,500 participants from hundreds of municipalities and organizations across Ontario.

Renfrew County Warden Peter Emon said the participation of County of Renfrew councillors at the AMO Conference is crucial in ensuring that the needs of the community are heard at the provincial level.

"We repeated our commitment to fostering meaningful collaborations and continued advocating for the strategic investments needed to support our community," he said. "County delegates spoke of working together with provincial and municipal partners to address our challenges and create opportunities that will continue to make the County of Renfrew a leader in Ontario."

Aside from having dozens of speakers, sessions and workshops to choose from, Renfrew County elected officials and senior staff attended five delegation meetings before provincial ministries to discuss issues that directly impact service delivery and quality of life in Renfrew County:

• Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions - Seeking additional program and capital funding for Mesa, the County's collaborative approach to compassionate care in the community to address homelessness, addictions and mental health challenges, which was launched earlier this year.
• Ministry of Education - Requesting additional spaces to provide safe and affordable child care for families in Renfrew County.

• Ministry of Emergency Preparedness and Response - Discussing the need for sustainable funding for the Emergency Management Program and the need for a coordinated volunteer corps to assist municipalities establish a surge capacity for civil protection.
• Ministry of Long-Term Care - Requesting base funding to continue the Community Paramedicine Long-Term Care program and increased funding for the County of Renfrew to support additional hours of direct client care across Renfrew County.
• Ministry of Finance - Expressing concerns about the impact of delays in property tax reassessment and requesting the province commit to a firm date for the reassessment, ideally before the next election cycle

Warden Emon noted the objective at the 2024 AMO conference was to discuss workable solutions with key decision-makers to enhance the community and align the County's strategic plan initiatives.

"We also benefited from the opportunity to learn from other communities, from presenters in sessions and hallway conversations," he added. "We had productive discussions with government officials and made significant progress on issues that are vital to our community's well-being and future development. We had good conversations about the complexities of homelessness, mental health and addiction crises that we and other rural communities are facing. The government committed to working with us on more options for treatment and assistance to those in need."

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 CAO/Deputy Clerk 613-735-7288

Tina Peplinskie Media Relations Coordinator 613-735-7288

The Count of Renfrew delegation met with the Ministry of Education to discuss the need for additional child-care spaces. Involved in the meeting (from left) were Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MPP John Yakabuski; Parliamentary Assistant Billy Pang; the Honourable Jill Dunlop, Minister of Education; Renfrew County Warden Peter Emon; Andrea Patrick, Director of Community Services and Councillor Neil Nicholson, member of the Community Services Committee.

The County of Renfrew delegation met with the Ministry of Long-Term Care to discuss the Community Paramedicine Long-Term Care Program. Involved in the meeting (from left) were Chief Michael Nolan, Director of Emergency Services; Councillor Michael Donohue, Health Committee Chair; the Honourable Natalie Kusendova-Bashta, Minister of Long-Term Care; Mike Blackmore, Director of Long-Term Care and Craig Kelley, Chief Administrative Officer.

The County of Renfrew delegation met with the Ministry of Emergency Preparedness and Response to discuss the need for sustainable funding for the Emergency Management Program. Involved in the meeting (from left) were Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MPP John Yakabuski; Councillor Michael Donohue, Health Committee Chair; Associate Minister Trevor Jones and Renfrew County Warden Peter Emon.

The County of Renfrew delegation met with the Ministry of Finance to discuss the impact of delays in property tax reassessment. Involved in the meeting (from left) were Councillor Jennifer Murphy, Finance Committee Chair; Renfrew County Warden Peter Emon; Parliamentary Assistant Dave Smith; Councillor Michael Donohue, Health Committee Chair; and Daniel Burke, Treasurer/Manager of Finance.