After a six-year hiatus, the Western Ontario Warden’s Caucus held their annual Ontario West Municipal Conference in Chatham-Kent on Friday, October 25th. The event took place at the John D. Bradley Centre and brought together a number of municipal officials, Mayors, Ministers, and MPPs to discuss opportunities and issues affecting municipalities from across Southwestern Ontario.
Throughout the day, there were educational sessions held to provide insights and facilitate knowledge sharing about topics such as homelessness, addiction, mental health, housing, and economic development.
Paul Wells, a leading Canadian political journalist was the event’s keynote speaker. He spoke about the changing political landscapes provincially, federally, and abroad and how these external events can impact municipal level government.
There was also a panel discussion featuring Lisa Thompson, Minister of Rural Affairs, Robert Flack, Minister of Agriculture, Food & Agri-Business, Matthew Rae from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and Trevor Jones, Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response. During the panel, they discussed pressing issues that are being experienced throughout the province and offered their expert advice and guidance toward actions that municipalities can take.
“We’re a growing community and our demographics are changing, our population is diversifying and our business landscape is expanding,” said Mayor Darrin Canniff. “These changes provide us with new opportunities and new challenges. Being involved in groups like WOWC help us navigate these uncharted waters and learn from communities around us. Being at the table with local leaders and policymakers ensures that our local needs are represented and considered when decisions are being made at a provincial or federal level.”
The Western Ontario Warden’s Caucus is a not-for-profit group drawn from 15 upper and single-tier Southwestern Ontario municipalities with more than 1.5 million residents. The event was sponsored by local companies TekSavvy and Enbridge, as well as IESO, Bruce Power, CN Railway, and the Trillium Network.
-ends-
Media Contact:
Eric Labadie
Manager, Corporate Communications
Municipality of Chatham-Kent
ericl@chatham-kent.ca
