Elmslie attends first EOWC meeting as mayor
The City of Kawartha Lakes took part in the inaugural meeting of the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) on January 12 to 13, 2023 with Mayor Doug Elmslie and CAO Ron Taylor attending.
During the inaugural meeting, the EOWC met with Members of Federal and Provincial Parliament from across eastern Ontario, as well as the Ontario Government’s Associate Minister of Housing, to discuss joint priorities around housing and the EOWC’s ‘7 in 7’ regional housing plan, broadband, and economic development, among others.
“The EOWC is a very effective group that commits and delivers on specific projects of importance to rural municipalities like ours. I’ve always been impressed with the quality of EOWC’s work. The broadband project and the current 7 in 7 designed to deliver 7,000 affordable housing units in 7 years are particularly relevant to what our residents have been asking for,” commented Elmslie after attending his first meeting with the EOWC as mayor.
The EOWC will stay the course of its 2022 priorities for the initial months of 2023. This will inform advocacy during EOWC’s delegation meetings at the 2023 Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) Conference, being held on January 22 to 24 in Toronto.
The EOWC’s priorities heading into 2023 include:
- Attainable and affordable housing
- Health care human resources
- Ontario Health Team’s governance and structure
Also during the meeting, EOWC appointed Renfrew County Warden, Peter Emon, to serve as the 2023 Chair and Peterborough County Warden, Bonnie Clark, to serve as the 2023 Vice-Chair, both by acclamation.
“It is an honour to sit on the Caucus once again and be appointed as the 2023 Chair. The EOWC has a strong track record of working together effectively on behalf of rural eastern Ontario and its communities. I look forward to the year ahead where we will continue to advance the region’s priorities,” commented Chair Peter Emon.
“As the new Vice-Chair, I already see the impressive value that the EOWC brings to the table on behalf of municipalities and our residents. I look forward to using my experience to champion EOWC’s priorities alongside Chair Emon, our caucus colleagues and staff,” noted Vice-Chair Bonnie Clark.
