Municipal and Provincial Leaders Gather Online for Major Meeting before 2022 Provincial Election

MEDIA ADVISORY
January 23, 2022

TORONTO – The 2022 Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) Conference kicks off Monday, January 24, with nearly 1,000 participants expected to take part in the online event. 

This year’s conference will be one of the last major gatherings of provincial and municipal leaders before the provincial election. The conference provides an opportunity to ensure community needs are understood and addressed in provincial policy platforms before Ontarians go to the polls in June. 

Themed Rural Opportunities, the conference includes the launch of the ROMA Board of Director’s growth and recovery plan for action: Opportunities for Rural Ontario in a Post-COVID World. The ROMA Board commissioned Kathy Wood, CEO of Pivotal Momentum Inc. to develop a plan to foster rural resilience and rethink the role of rural communities in the economic and social vitality of the province. 

The ROMA conference will offer plenary sessions, workshops, keynote speakers and learning opportunities that reflect the broad scope of municipal responsibilities. Key topics relate to rural housing, community safety and wellbeing, rural and Northern health, and timely issues such as climate change. A full program is available online. 

Conference highlight for Monday, January 24, include: 

  • Premier Doug Ford
  • Andrea Horwath, Leader of the Ontario NDP
  • Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Steve Clark
  • Robin Jones, Chair of ROMA
  • Jamie McGarvey, President of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO)
  • Chief Perry Bellegarde, Former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, discussing how municipalities can best work with Indigenous communities in a conversation with Nam Kiwanuka of TVO’s The Agenda. 
  • A forum where Ontario Ministers will take questions from municipal delegates related to health and social services for rural communities in a post-COVID world. 

Members of the media are asked to register ahead of the conference for full access by contacting Megan Abraham, at abraham@redbrick.ca. 

About ROMA
ROMA takes pride in promoting, supporting and enhancing strong and effective rural governments. About 270 of Ontario's 444 municipalities have populations of less than 10,000, while scores more are rural in character. The rural arm of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, ROMA advocates for policies and programs that will help build thriving rural Ontario communities.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: 
Brian Lambie, AMO/ROMA Media Contact, 416-729-5425, lambie@redbrick.ca
Follow ROMA on Twitter: @ROMA_Ont Conference hashtag: #ROMA2022