Mississippi Mills Makes Connections at Record-Breaking AMO Conference

Mississippi Mills had a strong presence at last week’s Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference, which set a record for largest attendance, attracting over 3,300 attendees.

Mayor Christa Lowry, Deputy Mayor Rickey Minnille, Ramsay Ward Councillor Vicki Lowe and Almonte Ward Councillor Jane Torrance, were joined at the conference by CAO Ken Kelly, Clerk/Deputy CAO Jeanne Harfield and Tiffany MacLaren, Manager of Community and Economic Development. It took place August 18-21 at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa. 

The annual conference brings municipal and provincial officials together for sessions, workshops and meetings. This year, 700 delegations were held between municipal leaders and provincial ministers.

“Mississippi Mills was fortunate to engage in several delegations with a variety of ministries to highlight the priorities and opportunities that exist in our community,” stated Mayor Lowry. “Taking advantage of this level of accessibility is crucial to building important relationships, gaining new ideas and advocating on behalf of Mississippi Mills.”  

A highlight was a delegation with Rob Flack, Minister of Agriculture, Farming and Agribusiness. Council members provided an update on the abattoir feasibility study undertaken by the Municipality, next steps and sought support toward the development of a business plan for a provincially-licensed custom processing facility.

A meaningful discussion was had with Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure, regarding 2 Industrial Drive in Almonte. The property was the former Land Registry Office until it closed in fall 2020. All 54 land registry offices across the province have been closed with services moving online.  

Members of Council met with Nina Tangri, Associate Minister of Small Business, to pitch the concept of enhancing programs that leverage digital tools to help rural, agricultural, agri-tourism businesses grow their operations. A meeting with Charmaine Williams, Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity and Jess Dixon, Parliamentary Assistant to the Associate Minister, also provided a chance to discuss opportunities to support women’s training and opportunities in Mississippi Mills.

Mississippi Mills participated in a joint delegation with Bonnechere Valley and the Town of Renfrew as well, meeting with Sam Oosterhoff, Associate Minister of Energy and Electrification, regarding the significant contributions small hydro generation facilities make to communities, local economies and watershed management.

“Council members and staff would also like to thank our local Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston MPP John Jordan for joining us during our delegations and providing excellent support,” said Mayor Lowry.

In addition, Councillor Torrance took part in a meeting with the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) on the topic of physician shortage. At their August 27 meeting, Council passed a joint resolution from AMO and OMA urging the province to increase funding to provide more access to physician care. The Municipality will be following up to engage in a larger discussion.

During the Ministers’ Forum, informally referred to as ‘The Bear Pit,’ Mayor Lowry had the opportunity to pose a question to Jill Dunlop, Minister of Education.

Mayor Lowry’s question surrounded the Canada-Ontario Early Years and Child Care (CWELCC) Agreement and the announcement that non-CWELCC participating licensees delivering childcare to children aged 0-5 will no longer be eligible for routine funding as of 2025.

“This will mean the loss of much-needed childcare spaces or make those spaces more expensive to make up for the lost revenue,” Mayor Lowry stated in her question to the Minister. “Minister, what will you do to increase accessibility and affordability of childcare?”

The Municipality will be continuing the conversation with Minister Dunlop and her federal counterpart, Jenna Sudds, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, to demonstrate the challenges families in Mississippi Mills are facing.

“The CWELCC Agreement has created affordable childcare for some children and leaves the remainder of children in the dark,” said Mayor Lowry. “Expansion spaces come nowhere close to addressing demand. In Mississippi Mills alone, we have 625 children on our waitlist for childcare!”

The conference also provided opportunities for delegates to attend sessions about current issues affecting municipalities and potential solutions. Steve Paikin from TVO moderated panel discussions on Housing in Ontario and Thinking Differently About Infrastructure that will air on TVO this fall.

This year marks the 125^th anniversary of AMO. Next year’s annual conference returns to Ottawa, August 17-20, 2025.