Rick Phillips Sworn in as Warden for 2021-2022

Categories: Warden & County Council

Posted On: January 23, 2021

Rick Phillips, Reeve of the Township of Tyendinaga, was officially sworn in today as the Warden of Hastings County for his 6th term, and will hold the office for the next two years.

“Let me begin by expressing my sincere gratitude for the confidence that all of you on County Council have shown me as we move into the final two years of our Council term,” said Phillips.

“You told me that stability, strong guidance, dedicated leadership and a full team effort is what we require as we battle our way through this pandemic. I absolutely commit to all these principles and will work as hard as I can for you, your communities, our residents and businesses and all those that we provide service to,” Phillips emphatically stated.

“I know you will all agree with me in recognizing the incredible and selfless efforts of our front-line workers. The women and men who each day go to work in Hastings and Centennial Manors, who don their paramedic uniforms, who respond to requests for housing and human services, and all those other employees who support our front-line team members deserve our support,” said Warden Phillips.

“As we move through 2021, we will be moving into a period of recovery. With a vaccine becoming available and life returning to a pre-pandemic normal, we need to be ready to help our residents and businesses prosper,” added Phillips.

Background

Warden Phillips was first elected as Councillor to Tyendinaga Township in 2006 and was elected Reeve in 2010. He was acclaimed in 2014 and re-elected as Tyendinaga’s Reeve in 2018. He was first elected as Warden in July 2012 and has been re-elected as the Hastings County Warden since then, except for a 2-year window from 2017-8. In his personal work life he was with CN Rail for 33 years prior to his retirement and maintains an active role in the Royal Canadian Legion and as a member and elder of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Roslin.

He has been a resident of the Township for 55 years and has been married to his wife Cheryl for 45 years. They have two sons and five grandchildren.

Summary of 2021-2022 Priorities

Building a new ambulance base in Central Hastings
Continue to work towards the goal of providing 4 hours of direct care per day, per resident in both Hastings and Centennial Manors
Fully air condition all of Centennial Manor and air condition the serveries that aren’t currently air conditioned at Hastings Manor
Apply for and build 18 affordable housing units in Bancroft under the Provincial/Federal Rapid Housing Program
Begin the College Street Project that will see the building of 32 new affordable housing units in partnership with the City of Quinte West
Invest in the budget to support operations at the Home for Good supportive housing project in Belleville
Development of a five-year plan of “shovel-ready” affordable housing projects that can be accessed and implemented when funding becomes available
Ensure there is adequate funding in the housing budget to support future builds
Look at the establishment of a County-owned and operated childcare facility in North Hastinsgs to address the high need for day care spaces
Implement new economic development strategies, marketing activities and tourism plans to help support the economic recovery of the 14 member municipalities post-COVID
Work with the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus and the Eastern Ontario Regional Network in pushing for the approval and financial support of the Gigabyte Project by the Provincial and Federal Governments so that they can begin this massive and essential infrastructure project

Warden’s entire inaugural remarks

For more information contact:

Rick Philips, Warden or Jim Pine, CAO
613.966.1311 ext. 3203 613.966.1311 ext 3204