The eight mayors on the United Countries of Prescott-Russell council (UCPR) gave unanimous approval to a recommendation from Director of Finance Valérie Parisien for creation of a COVID-19 reserve fund. 

During the past year the UCPR has received several hundred thousahds of dollars from the provincial government in support funding to deal with issues related to the pandemic. Some of those extra expenses include extra working hours for paramedics assisting the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) to deal with COVID-19 outbreaks at long-term-care and seniors retirement residences, and also ensuring that UCPR staff working in the field have adequate protective gear to keep them safe from the risk of contagion. 

The purpose of the new reserve fund is to provide a holding place for any unspent COVID-19 support funding left over at the end of 2020 and ensure that those funds remain available for use this year in dealing with financial needs for the UCPR related to the pandemic.