Council Highlights - November 10, 2025

Stay-up-to-date with what’s happening at the Council table with the Town of Arnprior’s meetings in just a few minutes. Please note these summaries are not an official record of Council meetings. Official minutes are posted online once they are approved during a subsequent meeting. You can also access the meeting recording on the Town’s YouTube channel.

Presentation – Design Options for Robert Simpson Park Refresh

Council received a presentation from the Director of Recreation and Facilities Engineer regarding the proposed refresh for Robert Simpson Park to occur in 2026. A public Open House will be held on Thursday October 13^th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm to learn all about the Robert Simpson Park Refresh project taking place in 2026. Vote on your favourite play structure, swing set, splash pad, shade shelter and washroom layout either at the Open House or online here before November 24th.

By-laws:

Council passed by-laws:

1. To authorize the purchase and acquisition of land, municipally known as 74 John Street North, for $650,000 with funds being taken from the Capital Expenditure Reserve Fund.
2. To authorize the Corporation of the Town of Arnprior to enter into an agreement with Boeing Canada Operations Limited for the continued sampling and monitoring of two sentinel groundwater wells on Town property.

Resolutions:

1. Council supported a request by Madawaska Regional Inc. for a further one-year extension to the draft approval of the Marshall’s Bay Meadows Draft Plan of Subdivision (47-T-14002) to December 11, 2026 and that this resolution be forwarded to the County of Renfrew for consideration of approval.
2. The Town of Arnprior called upon the Government of Ontario to extend the annual OCIF envelope at not less than $400 million beyond its current five-year term ending in 2026, with no reductions in subsequent provincial budgets; and

• The Province be requested to index the total annual OCIF envelope – and each individual municipal allocation – to the Ontario Consumer Price Index, calculated on a calendar-year basis and disbursed in the first quarter of each fiscal year; and
• The Ministry of Infrastructure establish a new five-year OCIF funding framework that guarantees annual envelopes and allocation percentages by municipality, enabling long-term capital planning and stable cash-flow management; and
• The Province undertake a formal review of the OCIF allocation formula at least once every four years, incorporating current municipal asset management data, demographic projections, climate resilience metrics and rural equity considerations; and
• A dedicated contingency reserve equal to 5 percent of the annual OCIF envelope be created within the fund to address extraordinary cost escalations, emergency repairs or project overruns without reallocating core funding; and
• The Ministry of Infrastructure publish an annual OCIF performance report – including program disbursements, allocation adjustments and reserve expenditures – in a transparent, publicly accessible online dashboard; and
• The Clerk of the Town of Arnprior forward this resolution to:
  • The Honourable Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario
  • The Honourable Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure
  • The Honourable Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing
  • The Honourable Francois-Phillipe Champagne, Minister of Finance
  • The County of Renfrew
  • The Township of Edwardsburgh Cardinal

3. Council supported the County of Renfrew formally endorsing the adoption and phased implementation of a 2+1 highway program on Highways 17 and 11 as a nation-building project; and

That the Government of Canada be urged to designate this initiative as a project of national interest under the Building Canada Act and to partner with Ontario to co-fund and accelerate planning, design, procurement, and construction; and

That the Government of Ontario be urged to expand the announced pilot to a corridor-wide program, sequencing works as follows (subject to readiness and safety benefit):

• Phase 1: Highway 11 (North Bay → Cochrane) and Highway 17 (western border of County of Renfrew → Sudbury);
• Phase 2: Highway 11 (Cochrane → Nipigon) and Highway 17 (Thunder Bay → Kenora; Sault Ste. Marie → Sudbury); and

That the Government of Ontario prioritize these projects into the Ministry of Transportation's Major Projects Division; and

That both governments ensure early, ongoing, and capacity-supported engagement with affected Indigenous Nations, with opportunities for Indigenous training, contracting, and equity participation; and

That the program incorporates corridor-wide safety features (barrier-separated 2+1 cross-sections, controlled passing frequency, wildlife considerations), resilience measures (closure mitigation, climate adaptation), and clean-growth elements (EV charging readiness, recycled aggregates, lower-carbon materials); and

That this resolution be sent to the Prime Minister of Canada, the Premier of Ontario, the Minister of Transport (Canada), the Minister of Infrastructure (Canada), the Ontario Minister of Transportation, local MPs and MPPs, Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM), Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association (NOMA), Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA), Eastern Ontario Wardens' Caucus (EOWC) for support, and the County of Renfrew for information.

4. Council approved a request for waiving the Nick Smith Centre Community Hall rental fees for the Arnprior Braeside McNab Seniors at Home Christmas Craft Fair to be held on December 6th, 2025.

5. Council approved a request for waiving the Nick Smith Centre arena rental fees for the Renfrew County 55+ Summer Games 2026 to be held on June 9th and 10th, 2026.

6. Council approved a request for waiving the Nick Smith Centre arena rental fees for the Arnprior Optimistic Women’s Club’s Give Back Disco Skate to be held on December 21st, 2025.