by Vance Gutzman

Just two days after declaring a state of emergency to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, the County of Renfrew held a special council meeting to discuss how the upper-tier level of government is coping with, and managing, the crisis.

The meeting, with participation from county staff and its mayors and reeves, was held remotely last Wednesday morning, via a YouTube livestream.

“We’re going to use what we have, do what we can and not stop until we have succeeded,” County Warden Debbie Robinson said at the meeting’s outset.

Robinson, the mayor of Laurentian Valley, went on to note that the COVID-19 pandemic has hit close to home in terms of the county’s operations, with one employee at Miramichi Lodge having tested positive for the virus.

(The county runs two long-term care facilities, Miramichi in Pembroke and Bonnechere Manor in Renfrew).

“Everything humanly possible is being done to stop the spread of the disease in both our long-term care homes,” the warden said.

“We need to send a clear message that it’s invisible, but it’s here and it’s deadly.”

Robinson went on to cite the efforts of the many county workers who have been engaged in the battle against the disease, from the paramedics on the frontlines to those in social services ensuring that financial aid packages committed by the provincial and federal government are reaching their intended targets.

“There is a strong likelihood our situation will get worse before it gets better,” Robinson cautioned.

“Stay home, stay safe and together we will succeed.”

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