ROMA Insider - October 2021
Don’t Miss ROMA 2022: Rural Opportunities
The annual ROMA Conference will be a virtual event from January 24-25, 2022. It will be the last municipal conference before the 2022 provincial election in June and a critical time to connect and advocate on rural municipal matters.
As the pandemic continues to evolve, the conference will help rural municipal leaders manage today’s challenges while looking ahead to the post-pandemic recovery. The conference will provide a rural lens on addressing climate change, building inclusive communities, moving forward on reconciliation, and much more.
The virtual format provides everyone who wants to participate with certainty, ensuring the robust program will continue regardless of the COVID public health landscape. As usual, you can expect Ministers Forums, delegation meetings, the question box panel, appearances by provincial leaders and more. Stay tuned for more information.
Opportunities for Rural Ontario in a Post-Covid World
Rural municipalities are central to Ontario’s overall prosperity. ROMA is working on an important discussion paper, “Opportunities for Rural Ontario in a Post-COVID World” to flesh out the new realities in rural communities and looks at how they can redefine success and achieve growth on their own terms. The discussion paper is being informed by in-depth data analysis, and input from stakeholders and rural municipal leaders. It will chart a course forward for rural Ontario municipalities and start an important conversation prior to the provincial election. The discussion paper will be shared at ROMA 2022.
ROMA Board News
Congratulations to West Grey Mayor Christine Robinson, who was selected Second Vice Chair at ROMA’s October board meeting. Mayor Robinson, who serves on the ROMA Board as a member of the AMO Rural Caucus, fills a vacancy left by Conmee Mayor Kevin Holland who is seeking provincial office.
In the Zone: ROMA Zone Representatives and Northwestern Ontario Vacancy
The ROMA Board is comprised of zone representatives elected at the annual conference for four-year terms, as well as members of AMO’s Rural Caucus. The Board is currently accepting expressions of interest to fill the vacancy in Zone 10, which represents northwestern Ontario for the 2019-2023 term. Expressions of interest should be sent to the attention of Petra Wolfbeiss, AMO’s Membership Centre Director, by 4:00 p.m. October 22 at roma@roma.on.ca.
Current zones and zone representatives are as follows:
Zone 1 – Dennis Crevits, Councillor, Municipality of Central Elgin
- City of Chatham-Kent
- Elgin County
- Essex County
- Lanark County
- Middlesex County
Zone 2 – Chris White, Councillor, County of Wellington
- Bruce County
- Grey County
- Huron County
- Perth County
- Wellington County
- Region of Waterloo
Zone 3 – Lloyd Ferguson, Councillor, City of Hamilton
- County of Brant
- Haldimand County
- City of Hamilton
- Niagara Region
- Norfolk County
- Oxford County
Zone 4 – Allan Thompson, Mayor, Town of Caledon
- Dufferin County
- Halton Region
- Peel Region
- Simcoe County
- York Region
Zone 5 – Pam Sayne, Councillor, Township of Minden Hills
- Durham Region
- Haliburton
- City of Kawartha Lakes
- District of Muskoka
- Northumberland County
- Peterborough County
Zone 6 – Kim Love, Mayor, Township of Madawaska Valley
- Frontenac County
- Hastings County
- Lennox and Addington
- Prince Edward County
- Renfrew County
Zone 7 – Cameron Wales, Councillor, City of Brockville
- Leeds & Grenville
- Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry
Zone 8 – Eli El-Chantiry, Councillor, City of Ottawa
- Lanark County
- City of Ottawa
- Prescott and Russell, United Counties
Zone 9 – Bill Vrebosch, Councillor, City of North Bay
- Algoma District
- Cochrane District
- City of Greater Sudbury
- Manitoulin District
- Nipissing District
- Parry Sound District
- Sudbury District
- Timiskaming District
Zone 10 - Vacant
- District of Kenora
- Rainy River District
- Thunder Bay District