Mayor's Message: August 6, 2025

When it comes to challenging issues affecting our city, collaboration is key. This is exactly what is happening in Pembroke when it comes to mental health, addictions, and homelessness challenges, which are being seen across Ontario.

Pembroke is not unique in experiencing these challenges, especially as a hub of services and amenities. I understand some residents have concerns about things they are seeing around town or when these challenges affect people they love.

However, we are seeing progress on supporting people and tackling these issues due to collaborative initiatives from a wide range of Renfrew County services.

Our CAO recently brought a report to Council highlighting various stakeholders including the Mesa HART Hub, Renfrew County and District Drug Strategy, OPP community services and operations, Mental Health Court, and City by-law enforcement.

Since launching in the last year, the Mesa outreach team has connected with 160 people with complex mental health and/or substance use disorders who were not previously connected to any services.

The Drug Strategy’s data shows that suspected drug toxicity deaths have decreased from a historical high of 41 in 2023 to 29 in 2024 and 7 at the midway point of 2025. While any death related to a substance use medical emergency is one too many, there is cautious optimism that these new initiatives are having an impact.

From a policing standpoint, we are seeing support through the Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team, where these officers are partnered with a clinician to intervene when people are in crisis, as well as provide resources to others to prevent them from getting to a place of crisis.

Recently, the Community Street Crime Unit also completed a drug trafficking project where 31 people were charged with trafficking controlled substances within the City of Pembroke. Firearms and drugs were removed from our community because of the actions of our police.

Thanks to efforts such as these, as well as all the ongoing work of the OPP, Pembroke’s by-law enforcement officers, Mesa, paramedics, and other service groups, these issues are being addressed.

There is still a lot of work to be done. But I believe these collaborative efforts are working and will be the way forward to make things better for all in our community.

As always, my door is open should ratepayers wish to meet with me to discuss municipal matters that affect them.

Mayor Ron Gervais