Emergency services and funding among rural issues County discusses at ROMA

The County of Prince Edward delegation posed for a photograph when meeting with Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. From left, are: Bay of Quinte MPP Tyler Allsopp, councillors Bill Roberts, Sam Grosso, Kate MacNaughton, Minister Flack, Mayor Steve Ferguson, councillors Phil St-Jean and Sam Branderhorst. (Photo courtesy of the minister’s office)

A County of Prince Edward delegation led by Mayor Steve Ferguson spoke to concern about reducing the number of nuisance or false emergency service calls from the local provincial parks, funding for water and wastewater infrastructure and rent control, among many topics explored at the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) conference this week.

Conference sessions attended focused on topics covering many municipal matters, including rural access to health care, Indigenous relations, codes of conduct, Community Safety and Wellbeing plans, infrastructure, waste management, housing and road safety in rural communities.

“We had several fruitful conversations with elected officials and their staff members about issues that impact our ability to best serve the residents of Prince Edward County,” said Ferguson, who was accompanied by councillors Sam Branderhorst, Chris Braney, Sam Grosso, Kate MacNaughton, Bill Roberts, and Phil St-Jean as well as Interim CAO Adam Goheen.

“In addition, we are returning from the conference with a lot of great ideas and lessons learned from the various conference sessions, that we look forward to exploring further in the local context.”

ROMA is the rural voice of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, advocating for policies and programs. Some 1,900 participants from more than 300 municipalities and organizations across the province were in attendance Sunday, Jan. 18 to Tuesday, Jan. 20 in Toronto. The conference features dozens of speakers, sessions and workshops.

The County delegation met with Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and a large panel of Ministry representatives to advocate for further provincial investments in water and wastewater infrastructure in Prince Edward County.

Mayor Ferguson also urged the ministry to consider reinstating rent controls, in light of the high cost of rental dwellings in the County, and for movement on reinstating property reassessments in Ontario, which were last undertaken in 2016. He reports the tone of the conversation was positive, with Minister Flack acknowledging the unique perspective of rural municipalities like Prince Edward County.

In a meeting with MPP Andrew Dowie, Parliamentary Assistant the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP), the County delegation discussed ways to reduce the number of nuisance or false emergency service calls from the local provincial parks, which are costly and divert fire and rescue services during the peak tourism season.

Mayor Ferguson extended an invitation to MECP officials to visit the County later this year to continue the conversation about possible solutions.

The County delegation raised concern about long timelines for processing vulnerable sector screening checks (VSCs) with MPP Silvia Gualtieri, Parliamentary Assistant to the Solicitor General.

They stated the delays are impacting employee recruitment, especially at the municipality’s long-term care home, as well as in the volunteer sector and for local employers. The delegation was pleased to learn from MPP Gualtieri and OPP Deputy Commissioner Chris Harkins that new processes and resources are now in place that will result in a much shorter timeframe for the checks.

Ferguson also joined with other mayors and wardens from across Eastern Ontario for meetings with several Ontario government ministers. The Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) met with government officials and key stakeholders to advocate for unique needs of Eastern Ontario’s small urban and rural communities.

Throughout the conference, the EOWC discussed supporting affordability for rural and small-urban communities; creating a paramedic regulatory college in Ontario, and establishing a fair and sustainable billing model for the Ontario Provincial Police.