Mayor Al McDonald, Deputy Mayor Sheldon Forgette, Councillor Mac Bain, and Interim Chief Administrative Officer Lea Janisse, will join rural municipal officials from across the province at the 2017 Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) Conference in Toronto from January 29 to 31.
Ontario’s Premier, Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown and NDP Rural Affairs Critic MPP John Vanthof will be featured speakers, and a number of additional provincial ministers will participate in the conference.
The conference is a chance for rural officials to discuss and move forward on shared challenges, foster partnerships and learn about new opportunities that can benefit their communities. Key session topics include the fiscal future of Ontario’s municipalities, infrastructure management, rural economic development and rural health care. In addition to the conference program, municipal staff and officials will take part in as many as 300 municipal delegation meetings with provincial and federal ministries.
McDonald will be attending a number of meetings with various ministers to discuss topics that will include municipal tax bills, sustainable funding for colleges and universities, Ontario Northland, economic development, and promoting North Bay in large markets.
Conference news releases, fact sheets and presentations from a number of key speakers will be posted on ROMA’s website throughout the duration of the conference at www.roma.on.ca.
ROMA is the most representative and effective voice for Ontario’s rural municipal governments. About 270 of Ontario’s 444 municipalities have populations of less than 10,000, while scores more are rural in character. Through its relationship with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, ROMA advocates for policies and programs that will help build thriving rural Ontario communities.
