A provincial budget without surprises is not necessarily a bad thing, according to Renfrew County Warden Jennifer Murphy.
The Ontario government’s promise to increase spending on a few key municipal priorities is promising, but Murphy says the province’s 2026 budget announcement on Thursday was status quo for the Ottawa Valley.
She adds that more funding for primary care physicians might be one of the more interesting points brought up in budget, but Murphy admits that it is not clear just what that will look like in Renfrew County and other rural regions where many people are still without a family doctor.
There were a few other missed opportunities for the province to help at the municipal level, but Murphy says deals already in place should keep funding streams steady for now.
It may not have been a particularly exciting moment for Renfrew County. However, Murphy recognizes that the news could have been far worse.
Murphy does plan to meet with Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MPP Billy Denault in the coming days to discuss the finer points of the budget and how the county can make the most of what was announced.
(written by Kasey Egan)
