Over the past year SCOR has has had over 43 meetings with both provincial and federal ministers or elected officials regarding specific concerns and opportunities within the 5 county region. Change takes time. SCOR EDC continues to work with regional stakeholders such as the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, Ontario South Coast Wineries and Growers Association, Community Futures Development Corporations, Rural Ontario Institute, Chambers of Commerce, and the business community and other stakeholders in order to provide these elected officials with sound information on the needs and opportunities for rural ontario specifically within this 5 county region of Brant, Bayham, Middlesex, Norfolk and Oxford.
Most recently at the 2019 ROMA Conference, SCOR EDC board of directors and stakeholders from the region met with:
Ministry of Transportation with Parliamentary Assistant Kinga Surma
Ministry of Infrastructure with Parliamentary Assistant Stephen Lecce
And Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs with Minister Ernie Hardeman
The SCOR EDC board of directors made the following asks:
Ministry of Transportation
To continue working with SCOR EDC and others throughout Southern Ontario to develop a viable master transportation plan for the region
For the Ministry to honour the funding contracts and investments made in 2018 to communities who received the Community Transportation Project funding
To consider reviewing the Terms of Reference for the High Speed Rail (HSR) and further request a review of the alternative of High Performance Rail (HPR) be explored
To open up the Gas Tax program to communities that are also investing in rural community transportation
Ministry of Infrastructure
For the Ministry to consider a return to the one third government funding model that will also include opportunity for private sector investment for infrastructure projects
For the Ministry to evaluate alternative financing and procurement for infrastructure projects and track the success of the delivery
To continue to support broadband expansion across the Province through investments in a broadband network as well as the development of a broadband strategy outlining a vision for connectivity across the province
And Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
For the Ministry to continue to collaborate with and include SCOR representatives in consultations that fall under the Ministry’s authority
For measures to be taken to update the Local Food Act
To continue to support regional organizations such as SCOR and other organizations as we seek to ways to assist both agriculture and small rural businesses with workforce recruitment for hard to fill positions and succession planning
For the Ministry to continue to develop and support land use policies and program resources that support agriculture and farm businesses