AVONMORE, Ont. - The 2025 SDG Counties Municipal Summit, held on Oct. 3 at North Stormont Place in Avonmore, brought together municipal leaders, staff, and community members to engage in meaningful discussions on regional priorities and collaborative solutions.
The event highlighted the strength of shared knowledge and the commitment to building resilient communities across SDG Counties.
SDG Counties Warden Martin Lang expressed his satisfaction with the summit's success.
“This event has been a testament to the power of collaboration,” said Lang. “Sharing best practices and learning from each other strengthens our communities and ensures we are prepared for the challenges ahead.”
The summit underscored SDG Counties' commitment to fostering a collaborative environment where municipalities work together to address common challenges and celebrate shared successes.
Summit highlights:
- Building our Future: A Collaborative Vision for South Stormont: Comprehensive journey undertaken by the municipality of South Stormont to create a forward-looking development enabling vision for key municipally owned lands.
- The Price of Progress – Managing Tax Increases: Municipal leaders from North Dundas discussed strategies to balance fiscal responsibility with community growth, focusing on sustainable tax policies for the 2024–2025 period.
- From Drought to Flame – Emergency Forest Fire Challenges: North Dundas officials shared insights into the escalating threat of forest fires, emphasizing the need for enhanced emergency preparedness and response strategies. This is especially pertinent, as it relates to the recent bog fire at the Alvin Runnalls Forest.
- Preserving Our Past – Heritage Properties in North Glengarry: A session dedicated to the conservation of heritage properties in North Glengarry, exploring methods to protect cultural landmarks while fostering community development.
- North Stormont Strategic Plan 2024–2028: North Stormont discussed its strategic plan, focusing on modernizing service delivery through digital strategies, including paperless systems and comprehensive staff training programs.
- Cybersecurity Awareness: SDG Counties emphasized the importance of cybersecurity, discussing measures to protect municipal data and infrastructure from increasing digital threats.
- Cornwall/SDG Paramedic Services – MPDS System Success: An overview of the successful implementation of the Mobile Patient Data System (MPDS), highlighting improvements in emergency medical services across the region.
- South Dundas – Operating Iroquois and Morrisburg Plazas: Discussions centered on the challenges and upgrades to municipally owned infrastructure at the Iroquois and Morrisburg plazas, aiming to enhance service delivery and community engagement.
- South Glengarry – Navigating Community Fundraising Initiatives: South Glengarry shared experiences in organizing community fundraising initiatives, focusing on fostering civic participation and supporting local projects.
SDG Counties has held successive municipal summits since 2013 when the practice began.