Kawartha Lakes advocates for economic stability, rural transportation, cultural funding

On Jan. 19 to 21, Mayor Elmslie and Councillors Emmett Yeo and Dan Joyce attended the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) conference in Toronto with CAO Ron Taylor. The conference was attended by 2,000 municipal representatives, provincial Ministers, Members of Provincial Parliament including MPP Laurie Scott, the (NDP) and Liberal opposition parties. ROMA is an annual opportunity to bring pressing local issues forward to provincial ministers and their staff.

EOWC Support for Canada-United States Alliance to support local economy

Alongside the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC), Kawartha Lakes supports Premier Doug Ford’s efforts to strengthen the Canada-U.S. alliance, recognizing its importance to economic resilience and security across eastern Ontario. Considering the proposed 25 per cent tariffs on regional exports, we are collaborating with the EOWC to assess potential impacts on our communities, businesses, and jobs.

To reinforce cross-border collaboration, the EOWC has reached out to the New York Association of Counties and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, emphasizing our shared commitment to partnership for the benefit of residents on both sides of the border.

Progress for provincial funding of local arts and culture

Taylor and Tim Crouch described Kawartha Lakes’ support of Kawartha Art Gallery’s (KAG) journey toward a community hub; the Minister wishes to visit Kawartha Lakes for the opening of KAG’s new location in Lindsay this fall. Mr. Cho would like to explore the arts and culture scene in Kawartha Lakes and talk with the community about ongoing funding requirements. Kawartha Lakes is currently investing in, and planning for, transformational cultural infrastructure through the development of a future Cultural Centre. We continue to seek out community and government partners to support this future centre.

The economic value of Ontario’s arts and culture sector represents $28 billion (4 per cent of provincial GDP) and 269,035 jobs. Kawartha Lakes contributes $43 million to Ontario’s cultural sector GDP.

“It was with a great sense of pride that KAG had the opportunity to share with Minister Cho the level of investment by the City of Kawartha Lakes in our area’s cultural sector. This has leveraged a significant opportunity for our community to realize increased economic return through cultural tourism. We were also able to share that our rural municipalities cannot meet the growing demand for services without funding systems that are inclusive, sustainable and seen through a ‘rural lens’,” commented Taylor.
KAG informed ROMA attendees about the arts and culture sector at their booth at the Conference Trade Show.

Kawartha Lakes Delegation with Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing

Mayor Elmslie spoke with Parliamentary Assistant Matthew Rae about the difficulty in calculating annual housing starts due to reporting outside of municipal control. A recommendation was made to count housing starts at the time of municipal building permit issuance. As tough market conditions are limiting current housing starts, an additional recommendation was made to combine the 2024 and 2025 housing targets for the funding formula to allow for more realistic achievement of these immediate targets.

GO Transit Connection continues to be discussed

Mr. Rae committed to raising the need for a GO Transit connection in Lindsay with the Minister of Transportation. This requirement has been communicated for many years, most recently alongside the significant growth pressures of provincial MZO agreements. The expansion of Highway 35 at Thunderbridge Road is on the Ministry of Transportation’s workplan to support the growth taking place.

Advocating for sustainable funding for Community Paramedicine Program

During a meeting with the Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Sylvia Jones, Mayor Elmslie revisited the discussions they had in August at the AMO conference, including the importance of long-term funding for the Community Paramedicine Program, which has met with unwavering success and is strongly supported by the Minister.

Homelessness crisis in Ontario; severe and getting worse

Delegates received a presentation on a report titled Municipalities Under Pressure: The Growing Human and Financial Cost of Ontario’s Homelessness Crisis. The report reviews a study conducted by HelpSeeker Technologies, in partnership with AMO, the Ontario Municipal Social Services Association (OMSSA) and the Northern Ontario Service Deliverers Association (NOSDA).

In Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County:

• 450 individuals experienced homelessness in 2024
• 255 individuals experienced chronic homelessness in 2024, characterized by prolonged or repeated episodes.
• 2423 households are on the Community Housing (RGI) waiting list as of Jan. 24, 2025, approximately a 10-year wait.

The report proposes a fundamentally new approach that focuses on long-term housing solutions over temporary emergency measures and enforcement. AMO urges provincial and federal governments to take significant, long-term action on affordable housing, mental health and addictions services, and income supports to fix homelessness and improve communities’ economic foundations and quality of life.

“We’re working now with Haliburton County on a regional Housing and Homelessness assessment. We invite residents to share firsthand experiences to help inform policies that improve housing affordability, stability, and inclusion. We need help to identify barriers to affordability and find community-driven ideas to enhance housing policies. Before January 31, we invite the community to take the online survey on our Jump In platform,” commented Michelle Corley.

Concurrent sessions highlight Kawartha Lakes expertise

The Kawartha Lakes delegation attended a learning session that was led by the municipality’s Manager of Provincial Offenses Administration, Stephen DiManno. The session outlined the municipal challenges of administering the provincial offences program in small court systems.

“During the conference, we made a number of connections with other municipalities on a variety of issues. ROMA always provides valuable networking opportunities to raise awareness of priorities that impact our residents, and to learn from others facing similar challenges as Kawartha Lakes,” commented Mayor Elmslie.