Western Ontario Wardens Caucus Outlines Priorities for 2024 – 2025

by Bob Montgomery

The Western Ontario Wardens Caucus (WOWC) recently met with their local MPPs to present their priorities for the coming year and ask for the support of their MPPs in addressing them.

WOWC Chair and Huron County Warden Glen McNeil says to the surprise of no one, their number one priority is housing. “It is very wide spread, not only through Huron County but in small and rural municipalities throughout Western Ontario.” 

McNeil says the second priority is infrastructure. He says in order for the municipalities to meet the need for housing, they also need the support of the Province for the infrastructure that the new housing will require and the financial support that goes along with that. That includes infrastructure investments for hydro electricity, natural gas, water and wastewater. McNeil also suggests that throughout Canada, Ontario is an economic driver and Western Ontario is a very prominent economic driver throughout Ontario. The need for housing and infrastructure also dovetails into their third priority, which is workforce to support economic growth. “We require housing and infrastructure to enable the workforce to be available as the engine that powers Ontario.”

McNeil says their final priority is mental health, addiction and homelessness. Specifically they have asked that the funding for the Homelessness Prevention Program be allocated for all rural communities as well as permanent funding for the Mobile Crisis Response Team. We all need to be very conscious of the challenges that some members of our community experience.

McNeil says the MPPs were very receptive to their presentation and indicated they would advocate on their behalf. McNeil also noted that the Western Ontario Wardens Caucus represents fifteen upper and single-tier municipalities throughout Western Ontario. Within that they represent 300 communities, 250,000 businesses and 1.5 million residents and they are the same residents that the MPPs represent.

McNeil also points out the fact that all those municipalities are dealing with the same challenges and that allows them to work together on finding solutions.