Councillor Kelly represented the City of Ottawa over the past two days (Jan 21-22) at a very busy 2024 ROMA Conference in Toronto. Kelly had the opportunity to meet with four Provincial Ministers to advocate on behalf of Ward 5 and the rest of rural Ottawa.
This included a delegation in support of West Carleton Disaster Relief and their proposal for fifty thousand dollars through the Community Emergency Preparedness Grant to support their efforts to help residents during an emergency.
Councillor Kelly with Minister Graydon Smith. They discussed West Carleton's Phase 1 grant application to provide sustainable solutions for disaster relief.
It also included a delegation requesting financial support for a new electronic scoreboard at the baseball diamond in Fitzroy.
Councillor Kelly with Neil Lumsden, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport.
There was also a delegation to the Minster of Energy, Todd Smith, asking for more clarity, information, and much better public consultation process for BESS and renewable energy projects. Councillor Kelly visited the IESO booth with Councillor George Darouze to share the feedback on how this process needs to improve in the future.
Councillors Kelly and Darouze visit IESO booth
Finally, Kelly also took part in a joint delegation - alongside Councillor Catherine Kitts and Arnprior and McNab Braeside representatives - with the Minister of Health to talk about the implications of the new funding formula on our local emergency rooms, and to explore the province's idea of public health mergers.
Councillor Kelly meets with Councillor Catherine Kitts (left) and Minister of Health Sylvia Jones: They discussed funding formulas for healthcare and voluntary public health mergers
"An unplanned bonus was my meeting with Michael Nolan, Chief Paramedic for Renfrew County, who's been getting a lot of attention for the health model he has developed over the last number of years," Kelly said. "It's been highly successful in supporting public health and helping to prevent a lot of emergency room visits. It was great to get his take on how he’s achieving these results.
Councillor Kelly meets with Michael Nolan, Chief Paramedic for Renfrew County
"There is lots of positive things to follow up on over the coming weeks. This year’s conference was a great experience, and it was a pleasure to be joined by Councillor Darouze, Councillor Kitts and Councillor Brockington. I would also like to show my appreciation to our MPP, Karen McCrimmon, for her efforts during the conference as well.
"Thank you to the board members and organizers of the ROMA Conference and for your advocacy on behalf of rural Ontario. I look forward to seeing you all again next year."
Kicking off the Rural Ontario Municipal Association Conference on Sunday with an update from Zone 8 representative Christa Lowry, and a meet up with other Zone 8 representatives.
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