Officials with the District of Rainy River Services Board are happy with their meetings at the recent Rural Ontario Municipal Association conference in Toronto.
Board members met with several provincial cabinet ministers.
Chair Deb Ewald says they were cordial.
“You very seldom ever get a definite yes or no answer, but you state your issues,” says Ewald.
“We try to provide what would work for us to resolve these issues. And it is always a good conversation because it leaves them, it’s not always woe is us. We need such and such or whatever. We identify what our issues are and we’ve looked at what would help us to solve them too.”
Staffing issues were among the topics.
Members discussed the local financial impact of drinking water requirements on Morley Municipal Housing Corporation (MMHC), a small rural non-profit housing provider with Andrea Khanjin, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.
The need for an integrated patient transportation system, including a medically stable patient transport program, was discussed with Chief of Staff Blair Haines and the Ministry of Health’s Deputy Minister Deborah Richardson.
Matthew Rae, Parliamentary Assistant, Municipal Affairs and Housing, heard about the rising costs faced by the DRRSB to maintaining aging infrastructure and the increasing complexity of tenant needs.
Concerns about the impact of criminal activity in community housing were raised with Sarah Caldwell, Assistant Deputy Minister with the Ministry of the Solicitor General.
The DRRSB is calling for funding to enhance security measures, along with education and programs for tenants aimed at reducing crime and supporting safety.
Staffing issues were raised with Education Minister Jill Dunlop as the service board seeks to recruit more Early Childhood Educators.
“We’ve talked with the government about ways to entice people to enter that field. Hopefully, there will be more incentives.”
Local representatives also participated in five other meetings with other members of the Northern Ontario Service Deliverers Association (NOSDA).
