Meeting with Minister Lisa Thompson

On July 17th, I was pleased to host the Honourable Lisa Thompson, Minister of Rural Affairs and MPP for Huron-Bruce, Mr. Sean Webster, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Premier of Ontario and Head of the Ontario Regional Office in Ottawa, in Ward 21 along with my four rural council colleagues – Councillors Matthew Luloff, Catherine Kitts, George Darouze, and Clarke Kelly.

Minister Thompson, as someone who grew up on a farm and has overseen agricultural and rural affairs files throughout the province since 2021, contributed to a great discussion on important rural issues in Ottawa.

My council colleagues and I explained the goals behind hosting the upcoming Rural Summit in November. Minister Thompson was quite interested to hear about the details following the Rural Summit and how it will enhance governance in rural Ottawa. We are looking forward to advancing long-standing rural files and strengthening the mandate of the City’s Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee to better serve rural residents.

With approximately 4,900 kilometers of open roadside ditches in Ottawa, Minister Thompson offered important advice and committed to helping the City of Ottawa understand the best practices under Ontario Regulation 406/19: On-site and Excess Soil Management. Having adequate options for the disposal of soil is critical to proper ditch maintenance and reducing costs so the City can undertake more work.

Additionally, we spoke about infrastructure renewal in rural villages and on rural roadways. We were very happy that the province had committed to invest 50 million dollars into rural road upgrades. You can read more about the “New Deal for Ottawa” on my website here.

My rural council colleagues and I look forward to the continued collaboration with the minister and her office. Minister Thompson understands rural affairs better than most and we are happy to lean on her expertise and advocate for meaningful improvements in the lives of rural residents in Ottawa.