The County of Renfrew has two priorities at the annual AMO conference.
Elected officials and senior staff members are at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference in Ottawa this week (August 14th to 17th). Representatives will appear before provincial ministries to discuss issues that directly impact service delivery and quality of life in Renfrew County.
The two priorities include securing ongoing funding for the Renfrew County Virtual Triage and Assessment Centre and improving infrastructure.
Warden Debbie Robinson says they are fortunate to meet with Health Minister Sylvia Jones to discuss the request for sustainable funding for Renfrew County Virtual Triage and Assessment Centre (RC VTAC). It’s estimated that 30,000 residents in Renfrew County do not have a family doctor and that number is expected to jump to 35,000 with planned retirements this year. On a monthly basis, RC VTAC currently receives approximately 5,000 calls and provides 2,250 physician assessments which prevent 1,000 Emergency Department visits or 911 calls.
The County of Renfrew has also seen significant growth in Arnprior, Petawawa and Calabogie and with 1,600 lane kilometers of roadways, including 252 large culverts and bridge, staff say maintaining the public infrastructure is becoming increasingly difficult. To help with costs, the County of Renfrew will ask the provincial government to double the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF) allocations to municipalities and commit to a long-term funding formula.
The 2022 AMO conference will be the first time municipal officials will gather in-person in almost three years.
(written by: Rudy Kadlec)
