County does more than most realize
A political point of view
Tony Guergis, County of Simcoe Warden

Warden Tony Guergis

We may all know that the vast network of County of Simcoe roads lead to exciting places, but you might not be as familiar with the many other services that the county delivers to residents across this region.

These services include paramedic services, longterm care, emergency planning, forestry, solid waste management, library services mapping, municipal law enforcement, a museum, archives, tourism and a vast array of social services.

There are many other services which the county provides that the public doesn't necessarily see including planning, information technology and a host of necessary support services to ensure the smooth functioning of the county.

To the public's eye, regional service delivery ensures consistent, costeffective and efficient services for residents in all county communities. Local municipalities are supported by the County of Simcoe as a partner and residents receive consistent county services at expected levels in all communities throughout the area.

Regional government is a structure created by the provinces, in particular Ontario, Québec and British Columbia, by which municipalities are grouped under a regional political and administrative structure. Regional governments are a geographically larger level of municipalities designed to provide certain area-wide functions more economically and to establish a tax base sufficient to undertake necessary new services.

The most comprehensive reform occurred in Ontario, when in 1969, the province began to replace county governments (in place since 1849) with a system of larger regional municipalities. These regional governments were assigned extensive responsibilities including land-use planning, water and sewerage, solid waste disposal, policing, transportation, social services and public health.

Simcoe County has the largest estimated population of any county in Ontario. We are the third-largest county in the province geographically and this advantage does allow us to deliver cost-effective regional services.

The County of Simcoe delivers services not only to its member municipalities but also to the cities of Barrie and Orillia and First Nations communities. The 32 municipal leaders of Simcoe County are the mayors and deputy mayors of our member municipalities and they are responsible for directing service delivery across the region.

While Simcoe County remains a county in name and government structure, our responsibilities have grown in significant ways.

For example, I would like to focus on a few of the county's services. Our Transportation and Engineering Department delivers operational, maintenance and construction services required for the safe operation of the county roads and bridge system. This department currently manages an infrastructure of over 850 kilometres of roads, 180 bridges and structures and 40 signalized intersections.

Another highly visible regional service that the county provides to residents in our 16 member municipalities and the cities of Orillia and Barrie is paramedic services.

Paramedics respond to medical emergencies in our communities every day. In fact, Simcoe County Paramedic Services responded to more than 71,000 calls last year and that number is on the rise as our region continues to grow.

And that's not all. Your county is the provider of many services that affect you and your community every day and some of those services you may not even realize.

The Social Housing Department is another service that the county manages. The county owns and manages the Simcoe County Housing Corporation (SCHC) and has full responsibility for administering social housing in our region. The county currently has 4,113 units in our housing portfolio of which approximately 3,035 are rent geared to income.

This year, I have had the tremendous honour of signing contracts with successful applicants to provide down payment funding that allowed them to purchase their first homes. Some of these Simcoe County households were living in rent-geared-toincome housing and our new program through the homeownership component of the Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing program enabled them to become homeowners. We have approved applications right across the County, giving these residents a great personal opportunity.

Social services also includes the Children's Services Department which is committed to providing and promoting child care services that enhance opportunities for early childhood development while providing families with informed, affordable access to programs.

Ontario Works is another regional component of Social Services that the County manages. In fact, services provided by the county's Ontario Works Department include services not only for residents throughout our 16 municipalities but also service for Barrie and Orillia as well. As you can see, the County of Simcoe manages a tremendous variety of services that are available to you when you need us. For more information, visit www.simcoe.ca.