Left to Right: CAO Robert Tremblay, Mayor Tom Sidney, Honourable Caroline Mulroney, MPP Minister of Transportation, Councilor Clint McWhirter, Councilor Andrew Dick
The Town of Renfrew was well represented at a recent meeting of municipalities.
Mayor Tom Sidney, CAO Rob Tremblay, and Councilors Clint McWhirter and Andrew Dick attended the Rural Ontario Municipal Association Conference in Toronto.
They were able to appeal to cabinet members with the Provincial Government on a few files, including the Ma-te-Way expansion.
The Town has requested additional funding to deal with the increase in cost due to supply chain issues, steel, and the pandemic.
Some of their proposals to the Province included a 10% one-time increase in approved funding for projects affected by the pandemic, as well as asking the province to look at joint funding opportunities to support community infrastructure, and a funding program for population centers with fewer than 25,000 residents.
Roadwork was also a hot topic for Renfrew’s representatives at ROMA, as they had the chance to confirm the timeline for the upcoming Highway 417 expansion with Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney.
They also asked for the Ministry of Transportation to approve a Connecting Links grant for an upcoming O’Brien Road rehabilitation project that would cover $3 million of it’s $4.85 million price tag.
Mayor Sidney says that they left happy with the assurances they were given by Mulroney, adding that those projects are important for the growth of the town.
Other issues that Renfrew’s delegation team touched on included the blue box transition to producer responsibility currently underway, manganese in the town’s drinking water, and keeping provincial courts in town.
(written by Kasey Egan)