The Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) held a two-day strategy meeting March 9-10 to set the agency’s priorities for 2023. The 13-member committee represents all small regional and local governments, including the United Counties of Prescott and Russell in the Eastern Ontario region. The City of Ottawa is not on the committee.

This year, the EOWC is making affordable housing, regional and local emergency services, and long-term care services for the elderly and other people in need of assistance their priorities for 2023. The EOWC will spend much of its lobbying with the provincial and federal governments on these priorities, in addition to his other concerns for the Eastern Ontario region.

“Now more than ever, local governments play an important role as organizations that unite and strengthen Ontario and Canada,” said EOWC President Peter Emon. The EOWC is positioned to lead, inform and respond in the year ahead and beyond. The caucus has set clear goals and we intend to vigorously defend the interests of our communities and our residents.”

Affordable housing

The EOWC will lobby senior government officials and the private sector to support their own regional 7 in 7 housing plan, which aims to increase the number of affordable housing units available in the Eastern Ontario region. The EOWC study indicates that there are between 12,000 and 14,000 municipal rental units across the region and the waiting time for vacant units is between five and 10 years, depending on the region.

“As part of the Ontario government’s goal to build 1.5 million homes by 2031, the EOWC wants to do its part to increase housing supply,” the information note said.

EOWC’s goal is to help create 7,000 affordable housing units within seven years to reduce current waiting lists in Eastern Ontario. The “7 in 7” plan would include partnerships with high-level governments, the private sector, non-profit groups and First Nations.

The EOWC is working with KWM Consulting Inc. on a business plan and wants the provincial and federal governments to develop a sound financial framework to help communities plan their future affordable housing projects.

long-term care

The EOWC wants a staffing strategy for the province’s long-term care that can help prevent the staffing shortage that has hit many long-term care homes during the pandemic and is still affecting some operations in rural areas today. The EOWC also wants the provincial government to abolish recruitment agencies in Ontario, arguing that these agencies increase the operating costs of many long-term care residences run by local and state governments through their social services departments.

The EOWC is also calling on the provincial government to review and revise its long-term care funding assistance system to accommodate existing community and rural residencies and their service programs.

paramedic service

The EOWC is calling for a provincial review of paramedic program support as many urban and rural areas have faced increased pressure on their emergency services during the pandemic. The review should include a permanent, stable and predictable funding formula between the province and local emergency services, as well as community paramedic programs that can reduce the number of calls to get someone to the hospital, according to an EOWC letter.

The EOWC also wants the province’s ambulance dispatch system to be improved with new call priority and service level policies. New policies are also needed to avoid or reduce the time it takes paramedics to get a patient to the hospital and get their ambulance unit back on duty.

The EOWC is working with ApexPro Consulting Service Inc. to update its 2019 Eastern Ontario Paramedic Service Review Report. The updated report will be presented to Provincial and EOWC members later this year.