County Advances Regional Interests at AMO Conference

County of Essex delegations recently met with Ontario government officials to advocate on three issues of importance to the region.

The presentations were made in Ottawa at the 2024 Association of Municipalities of Ontario Conference. The conference, held Aug. 18-21, was attended by more than 3,300 municipal leaders, government officials, public servants, sponsors, exhibitors and media.

Essex County delegations met with the Ministry of Transportation about funding for urgently needed road intersection enhancements and with the Ministry of Health on two separate issues. The highlights and links to the presentations are below.

Ministry of Transportation – Roads to Prosperity

Warden Hilda MacDonald, CAO Sandra Zwiers, County Solicitor and Interim Director, Legislative and Community Services, David Sundin and Infrastructure Project Manager Daniel Baggio met with Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria.

They showed the minister that unprecedented growth in the region is putting added pressure on all County of Essex services. Generational investments like the NextStar Energy electric vehicle battery plant, the Gordie Howe International Bridge and the new regional hospital are translating into a demand for housing and population growth, the likes of which the County of Essex has not seen. The delegation highlighted a critical transportation artery linking planned housing to employment in the area of County Road 22 and County Road 19. The construction of grade separated intersections is required to relieve existing congestion and plan for housing growth. The county’s proposal aims to unlock developable lands in the region to achieve provincial housing targets.

Read the Essex County’s presentation to the minister.

Ministry of Health - More Hours, More Patients, More Care

Warden Hilda MacDonald, CAO Sandra Zwiers and Town of Amherstburg representatives met with Anthony Leardi, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health.

The delegation emphasized that increasing access to health care for Essex County residents remains a key priority. Building on work that began in 2023 through collaboration with partners at the Windsor-Essex Ontario Health Team, the County of Essex and Town of Amherstburg teamed up to address the lack of urgent and after-hours care. As access to health-care clinicians wanes in the afternoon hours, residents are left relying on hospital emergency rooms or going without care. The result is a strain on Essex-Windsor EMS and the health of residents. In alignment with the Ontario Health Team, the county is advocating for more team-based services that can accommodate more patients, as well as expanded hours so patients have access to the care they need, when they need it.

Read the County of Essex and Town of Amherstburg presentation to the Ministry of Health.

Ministry of Health – Answering the Call

Warden Hilda MacDonald, CAO Sandra Zwiers and Essex-Windsor EMS Chief Justin Lammers – supported by Chief Michael Sanderson of the Ontario Association of Paramedic Chiefs – met with Anthony Leardi, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health.

They explained that the current dispatch model for Windsor and Essex County involves the deployment of paramedic resources by a communication centre that is entirely separate from the management of Essex-Windsor EMS. The County of Essex is seeking further discussions with the province to explore a pilot project that would transfer the responsibility for the Windsor Central Ambulance Communications Centre to the county. The aim of the pilot project is to improve the integration, communication and value for money of the dispatch service while also providing an opportunity to advance efficiencies and better manage the increasing demand for EMS services in the growing region.

Read the County of Essex and Essex-Windsor EMS presentation to the Ministry of Health.