Lambton Warden Kevin Marriott feels hopeful about what’s ahead after attending a recent meeting at Queen’s Park on behalf of the county.
He shared his thoughts following discussions with other members of the Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (WOWC) and provincial leaders on Monday.
The caucus spoke with important figures from the provincial government, including Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Rob Flack, Minister of Rural Affairs Lisa Thompson, Acting Minister of Infrastructure Todd Mc Carthy, and Associate Minister of Energy-Intensive Industries Sam Oosterhoff.
Marriott, who is also the WOWC’s Vice Chair, mentioned that a big focus was on the Canada-Ontario Partnership to Build Program (COBP).
“That was announced a few weeks ago, and unfortunately we don’t have a lot of new details for that, but we wanted to make sure that we got our say in as far as having access to some of those funds,” said Marriott. “But unfortunately, a lot of the details haven’t been released yet, so we’re hoping that advances our build coming down the line as far as housing goes.”
Marriott noted that both levels of government are keen on reducing development charges but some concerns remain unanswered.
“So, the more municipalities decrease their development charges, the better their chances are of accessing those funds down the road,” he said. “It’s mostly in the City of Sarnia where they have development charges. So we’re going to have to figure out how that relates to Lambton County because the county doesn’t actually have development charges. So one of the questions was, well, what if we have none now, and so we can’t decrease them? Are we going to be at a disadvantage compared to cities that can cut theirs in half? We didn’t get a very clear answer-just a lot of stay tuned because details are coming.”
Group photo of Western Ontario Wardens Caucus and Members of Provincial Parliament (Photo courtesy of WOWC)
Marriott mentioned they’re exploring creating a Regional Rural Transit Authority to coordinate transit services and improve access to jobs, healthcare, and education across Western Ontario.
“We asked and some counties are interested in rural regional transit,” he said. “So we asked if there would be interest in conducting a feasibility study or pilot program for this rural transit authority model. As you know, we’ve already been involved with one running from Sarnia to Grand Bend over to London. But what we’re asking for would expand southwestern Ontario’s access. Minister Flack seemed open to looking into doing a feasibility study.”
Other important topics included possibly starting a Homelessness Prevention Program (HPP) aimed at aligning funding better with rural service delivery while supporting sustainable community services.
<p"They let us know they're spending $1.7 billion each year on this issue," said Marriott. "I had no idea it cost that much! They reminded us how significantly they've increased that funding over time-it's quite an amount every year for something almost nonexistent just a few years back."
Marriott expressed hope for more infrastructure funding in next year’s budget for things like fixing roads and bridges.
The province has also committed to addressing gaps in high-speed internet service in areas like Plympton-Wyoming and Lambton Shores.
WOWC emphasized it’s crucial for rural communities and smaller towns to be fully considered when designing provincial programs.
Marriott stated their concerns are being looked into by the province; however nothing has been promised yet.
These discussions are seen as an essential step toward connecting provincial programs with local needs; WOWC plans on continuing to provide practical insights tailored for effective program design.
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