Grey County Year End Highlights 2022

The CAO and Clerks Departments work closely with Grey County Council, maintaining an open and transparent political process and acting as a bridge between council and the public.

• Climate Initiatives launched Going Green in Grey, Grey County’s climate change action plan. This plan charts a path to reach net zero emissions corporately by 2045 and in the community by 2050.
• The Communications department, together with IT, launched an updated Grey.ca.
• The Grey Transit Route saw enhancements in service levels that led to a 240% increase in ridership compared to the previous year.
• Nine new councillors were welcomed to the Grey County table following the October municipal elections and a new warden was elected to lead County Council.

Community Services directly serves our community through housing and homelessness prevention, early learning and child care, and Ontario Works.

• Housing brought short-term emergency shelter services in-house, sheltering an average of 40 people each night, and supported the evacuation following the Forum fire in Hanover. 
• Early Learning and Childcare staff implemented the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care rebate funding – a fee reduction of 50% for families at participating sites.
• A resource hub was created to help support early learning educators in our region. 

Corporate Services often fly under the radar, but these departments are hard at work keeping things at the County running smoothly and efficiently.

• The finance department updated the Asset Management process and adopted changes to development charges.
• The Human Resources team welcomed 267 employees to Grey County through active recruitment strategies and in-person orientation sessions.
• The IT department deployed new public works software, updated maps, and incorporated the Grey Transit Route scheduling into Google Transit.

Economic Development, Tourism, and Culture supports local businesses, attracts new business to the area, promotes tourism, and interprets and celebrates the history of Grey.

• Economic Development opened a Fab Lab Maker Space at the Sydenham Campus regional training and skills center.
• Tourism staff supported tens of thousands of local tourists through digital information, guides, maps and other resources.
• Grey Roots Museum & Archives formed an Indigenous Advisory Circle to inform the way Indigenous history and reconciliation resources are shared. The facility saw substantial work completed on the General Store in Moreston Heritage Village, as well as on the redesign of the main Grey County Gallery and a new children’s gallery.

• Our long-term care department was recognized for their leadership shown in the Designated Care Partner program. LTC staff continued to do a tremendous job managing outbreaks of COVID-19 and other viruses while implementing the new requirements of the Fixing Long-Term Care Act.

• Paramedic Services responded to more than 31,000 calls for service in 2022. In addition, they supported hundreds of people in getting their COVID-19 vaccines, provided care to the community during outbreaks, and continue to deliver community paramedicine services across the county.  
• Grey County Community care providers came together to offer Supportive Outreach Services, bringing care to our community’s most vulnerable individuals through bi-weekly clinics that support those suffering from mental health and substance use issues.  

The Planning Department processes and approves physical expansion and development in our communities.

• The planning department made improvements to our Official Plan and undertook a detailed analysis of affordable housing planning tools.
• The Age-Friendly Communities Strategy was established and welcomed by the World Health Organization into the Global Network for Age-Friendly Cities and Communities.
• Forestry and Trails staff led the significant enhancement of the Kolapore parking lot and oversaw the resurfacing of 21 kilometers of the CP Rail Trail.  

Transportation Services keeps 877 kilometers of county roads safe, cleared, serviced, and repaired year-round – including during our significant snow storms.

Resurfacing projects were completed on several county roads:

• Grey Roads 2 & 15 rehabilitation
• Grey Roads 8 & 31 overlay
• Grey Roads 10 & 13 (Beaver Valley Road) grind and pave
• Grey Road 9 structure replacement

Partnership projects on Grey Road 15, Grey Road 7, and Grey Road 28 were completed with member municipalities, and a traffic calming pilot project was launched in Ravenna.