Highlands East is updating the public to the latest info out of the Eastern Ontario Wardens Caucus.
The EOWC represents 103 rural communities including Highlands East. The caucusĀ is designed to help these communities to work together to fix issues that affect all of them.
EOWC is hoping to attract investment and growth through four major ideas.Ā Those are improving connectivity, enabling companies to expand natural gas in rural areas, investing in strong road networks and creating housing that rural families can afford.
According to the EOWC, the Eastern Ontario Regional Network has proposed a public-private partnership to fill in the gaps in cell service. EOWC says the Ontario Government has committedĀ $71 million over four years to help complete the $213 million project. EOWC says once this project is done it would generate $420 million in new business revenue and over 3,000 jobs over 10 years
To expand the natural gas production, the caucus suggests that the Ontario Government can give regulatory and financial tools to help the expansion. EOWC says that this would help rural families save hundreds on heating costs, farms would have lower energy costs and competitive rates would attract new business investment.
“Rural municipalities punch above their weight when it comes to roads they own and maintain,” says the EOWC. They suggest that they need provincial help to reduce the cost. Currently, the EOWC owns one-third of the roads in Eastern Ontario. The cost of maintainingĀ those roads, the EOWC says, has led to a $4.6 billion deficit which grows by six per cent each year.
“Affordable housing isn’tĀ only an urban issue,” says the EOWC. According to them, the family income in Eastern Ontario is 13 per centĀ lower than the provincial average. EOWC says that they look forward to working with the OntarioĀ government to create affordable housing. They add that there is a waitlist of 7,500 to 9,000 people trying to get into social housing.
The EOWCĀ says that between 2000 and 2011, they have increased municipal operating budgets by 65 per cent through cost sharing and other programs. The Eastern Ontario Regional Network was created by EOWC for $175 million. It is now worth $260 million through private sector investments.
