Left to right: Richard Kidd, Warden, Lanark County; Stéphane Sarrazin, MPP, Glengarry-Prescott-Russell; Corinna Smith-Gatcke, Warden, United Counties of Leeds and Grenville; Hon. Steve Clark, Government House Leader, Ontario; Doug Elmslie, Mayor, City of Kawartha; Mario Zanth, Vice-Chair, EOWC; Hon. Rob Flack, Minister, Municipal Affairs and Housing; Bonnie Clark, Chair, EOWC; Bill Saunders, Warden, Frontenac County; François Landry, Warden, United Counties of Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry; Jennifer Murphy, Warden, Renfrew County; Bob Mullin, Warden, Hastings County; Dave Burton, Warden, Haliburton County; Jim Hegadorn, Warden, Lennox and Addington County; Robert Crate, Warden, Northumberland County.

Ottawa, ON —  The Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) - representing 103 rural and small-urban municipalities - participated in the 2026 Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference, held in the City of Ottawa, championing regional municipal priorities. 

“The AMO Conference continues to be a vital platform for ensuring municipal voices are heard and reflected in provincial decision-making,” said Chair Bonnie Clark. “We are proud to represent the interests of our 103 municipalities and work collaboratively with our provincial partners to advance solutions that support our communities.” 

As municipal infrastructure is a top priority for the EOWC, the caucus welcomes and thanks the Ontario Government and Canada Governments’ $1 billion investmentt to support housing development and strengthen communities. The funding will help rural municipalities address infrastructure needs, expand housing opportunities, and support sustainable growth. 

“This $1 billion investment is welcome news for rural communities across eastern Ontario. Building more homes requires the infrastructure to support them, and investments in roads, bridges and water systems will help municipalities unlock housing growth while renewing the infrastructure that existing residents rely on,” said Chair Bonnie Clark. “We are pleased to see our Ontario and Canada government partners working together to support infrastructure in rural communities.” 

The EOWC kicked off the conference on Sunday, August 16, leading a joint meeting with the Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (WOWC). Together, the two regional organizations discussed common opportunities and challenges affecting their combine 220 rural and small-urban municipalities across Ontario. 

The EOWC and WOWC were honoured to welcome remarks from the Honourable Rob Flack, Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and Steve Pinsonneault, Parliamentary Assistant to the Ontario Minister of Rural Affairs. 

A key outcome of the meeting was a unified resolution calling that the Province of Ontario consider allowing municipalities to keep the 1.76% of the non-refundable HST rebate. 

“The EOWC and WOWC are proud to stand together in support of this initiative," said Chair Bonnie Clark. "This modest change would return approximately $13 million to upper and single tier municipalities in eastern Ontario alone. This would provide local governments with additional resources to invest in critical infrastructure and help address Ontario's estimated $200 billion infrastructure deficit." 

To support this advocacy effort, the EOWC has shared the HST resolution on their website and developed a template letter of support for municipalities and partners. These resources are available on the EOWC website to assist municipalities and stakeholders in demonstrating their support for the initiative. 

Productive Meetings with Government and Sector Leaders  

Throughout the conference, the EOWC engaged in focused meetings with federal and provincial government leaders, opposition parties, and sector partners, including:  

• The Honourable Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing 
• The Honourable Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation, and Trade 
• The Honourable Tom McCarthy, Acting Minister of Infrastructure 
• The Honourable Lisa Thompson, Minister of Rural Affairs 
• The Honourable Steve Clark, Government House Leader, Ontario 
• Parliamentary Assistant Dave Smith, Ministry of Finance  
• Parliamentary Assistant John Joardan, Ministry of Health 
• Premier’s Office (Ottawa Regional Office), Scott Phelan  
• Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP)  
• Ontario Green Party  
• Tim Tierney, President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities  
• Hydro One 

The EOWC would like to extend their sincere thanks to eastern Ontario regional Members of Provincial Parliament, Steve Clark, Stéphane Sarrazin, Nolan Quinn and Ric Bresee, for joining the EOWC’s AMO 2026 delegation meeting and help advocate for the residents of eastern Ontario.   

At this year’s AMO conference, the EOWC focused on municipal infrastructure and health care, advocating for the following recommendations: 

• Reinvesting the 1.76% non-refundable provincial HST portion directly back into municipal infrastructure; 
• Establishing a province-wide standardized asset assessment system to support smarter infrastructure planning and investment decisions; 
• Advancing the Eastern Ontario Transformation Action Plan to drive economic competitiveness, workforce development, and regional growth; 
• Embedding clinicians within dispatch centres to conduct real-time secondary triage of incoming calls, enabling lower-acuity patients to be redirected to appropriate alternative care providers and reducing unnecessary emergency department visits and paramedic dispatches. 
• Integrate community paramedicine as a permanent component of the health care system and ensure funding continues in the long-term. 

The EOWC’s Chair, Bonnie Clark, has been appointed as the County Caucus Chair on AMO’s Board of Directors, joining AMO’s Executive Leadership Team to represent Counties’ voices in meetings with the Ontario Government. 

The EOWC’s 2026 AMO Advocacy Briefing Package, outlining regional advocacy, data, and recommendations, is available at www.eowc.org. 

Left-to-right: Hon. Steve Clark, Government House Leader, Ontario; Bob Mullin, Warden, Hastings County; Mario Zanth, Vice-Chair, EOWC; Hon. Todd McCarthy, Minister, Infrastructure; Bonnie Clark, Chair, EOWC; Corinna Smith-Gatcke, Warden, United Counties of Leeds and Grenville; François Landry, Warden, United Counties of Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry.

Left-to-right: Jennifer Murphy, Warden, Renfrew County; Richard Kidd, Warden, Lanark County; Mario Zanth, Vice-Chair, EOWC; Bonnie Clark, Chair, EOWC; John Jordan, Parliamentary Assistant, Minster of Health; Doug Elmslie, Mayor, City of Kawartha Lakes; Hon. Nolan Quinn, Minister, Colleges, Universities, Security and Research Excellence; Bill Saunders, Warden, Frontenac County.

Left-to-right: Mario Zanth, Vice-Chair, EOWC; Corinna Smith-Gatcke, Warden, United Counties of Leeds and Grenville; Ric Bresee, MPP, Hastings-Lennox and Addington; Hon. Victor Fedeli, Minister, Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade; Bonnie Clark, Chair, EOWC; Robert Crate, Warden, Northumberland County; Jim Hegadorn, Warden, Lennox and Addington County; Steve Ferguson, Mayor, Prince Edward County.

Left-to-right: Hon. Steve Clark, Government House Leader, Ontario; Corinna Smith-Gatcke, Warden, United Counties of Leeds and Grenville; Bonnie Clark, Chair, EOWC; Dave Smith, Parliamentary Assistant, Minster of Finance; Mario Zanth, Vice-Chair, EOWC.

The Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC Inc.) is a non-profit organization representing 103 small-urban and rural municipalities across Eastern Ontario. Spanning 50,000 square kilometres and serving over 1.1 million residents, the EOWC has been a united regional voice for more than 20 years.

It advocates for municipal priorities and collaborates with all orders of government, businesses, non-profits, Indigenous leaders, the media, and the public to drive positive change for Eastern Ontario. 

Visit the EOWC's website at eowc.org.

2026 Chair, Warden of Peterborough County, Bonnie Clark

2026 Vice-Chair, Warden of United Counties of Prescott and Russell, Mario Zanth

Executive Director, Meredith Staveley-Watson

info@eowc.org