2025 ROMA Presentations

PROGRAM proceedings

Sunday, January 19

Zone Meetings 1-10- ROMA 2025

Concurrent Sessions: 1:00 pm - 2:15 pm 

Provincial Offences

  • Barb Ryner, President, Municipal Court Managers’ Association
  • Stephen Dimanno, POA Manager, Kawartha Lakes​​​​​

Rural Responses to Mental Health and Addictions

  • Michael Nolan, Director of Emergency Services and Chief of the County of Renfrew Paramedic Service  
  • Dr. Scott Neufeld, Assistant Professor, Brock University 
  • Kristin Wheatcroft, Director, CMHA Agriculture Wellness Ontario 
  • Jennifer Dailloux, Deputy Mayor, Township of Algonquin Highlands

Agricultural Economic Development

  • Pam Duesling, PhD, Director of Community Planning and Development, Town of Pelham 
  • Danielle Sharman, Farm Policy Analyst, Ontario Federation of Agriculture 
  • Vince Brennan, Executive Director, Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies
  • John Turvey, Senior Policy Advisor, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness

Supports for Indigenous Rural Community Members

  • Ashley Pitawanakwat, Urban Indigenous Homeward Bound Program Participant, Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres
  • Karolyn Harris, Senior Program Advisor, Housing & Homelessness, Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres   

Plenary Programming

2:45 pm

What can be done to end Rural Homelessness?

  • Alina Turner, CEO, HelpSeeker Technologies
  • Terri Lee Kelford, Alliance to End Rural and Remote Homelessness 
  • Margaret Quirk, Mayor, Town of Georgina 
  • Indigenous homelessness expert (TBC)

Monday, January 20

Plenary

8:30- 9:45 am

ROMA Chair, Christa Lowry

The Hon. Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario

Concurrent Sessions 10:15-11:30

Navigating Approvals for Energy Procurement 

  • Barbara Ellard, Director Resource and System Adequacy, IESO 
  • Lisa Asbreuk, Cunningham Swan 
  • Claire Dodds, Director of Planning and Development, Bruce County 

Insights into AMO's Healthy Democracy Project

  • Petra Wolfbeiss, Director, Membership Services, Association of Municipalities of Ontario
  • Stewart McDonough, Advisor, Municipal Engagement, Association of Municipalities of Ontario

Cyber Security - We've Had a Breach, What Now?

  • Dan Mathieson, Former Mayor, City of Stratford, Special Advisor, Office of the President, Toronto Metropolitan University – Municipal Engagement & Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst 
  • Randy Purse, CD, PhD, CTDP, Senior Advisor, Cybersecurity Training and Education, Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, Toronto Metropolitan University

Strengthening Relationships Between First Nations and Municipalities

  • Chief Sherri-Lyn Hill, Six Nations of the Grand River 
  • Deputy Grand Chief Chris Plain, Anishinabek Nation 
  • Chief Brent Niganobe, Mississauga First Nation

 

Learning Lunches 11:45-12:45pm

Sponsored by AdvantAge 
Sponsored by Enbridge Gas
Sponsored by Epcor
Sponsored by Hydro One
Sponsored by IESO
Sponsored by MPAC
Sponsored by ONE Investment

 

Concurrent Sessions 1:15pm- 2:30 pm

Navigating the Future of Municipal Waste Management

  • Peter Hargreave, President, Policy Integrity Inc. 
  • Annette Gilchrist, CMO, AOMC, CAO/Clerk/Treasurer Township of Bonnechere Valley 
  • Betsy Varghese, Technical Group Strategist, Waste Management, Dillon Consulting

Leadership to Protect Employees from Unreasonable Behaviour

  • Frank Cesario, Partner, Hicks Morley 
  • Hilda MacDonald, Warden, County of Essex 
  • Brooke McLean, Chief Executive Officer, Bruce County Public Library

Keeping Ontarians Safe - Emergency Services Updates and Advocacy

  • Rob Grimwood, President, Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs
  • Greg Sage, President, Ontario Association of Paramedic Chiefs 
  • Lisa Darling, Executive Director, Ontario Association of Police Service Boards

Recent Changes in Land-Use Planning: A Rural Perspective

  • Andria Leigh, OPPI President and Director of Planning and Growth, Innisfil
  • Jack Van Dorp, Chief Planner, Bruce County
  • Dr. Ashleigh Weeden, Principal Consultant, Rural Futures Research

 

3:00pm

Marit Stiles, Leader of the Official Opposition and NDP

Robin Jones, President, AMO

Lindsay Jones, Director of Policy, AMO – AMO’s 2025 Pre-Budget Submission 

Brian Rosborough, Executive Director, AMO –  Advocacy Update

 

Tuesday, January 21

Insight Breakfasts 7:30-8:15am

Sponsored by LAS
Sponsored by NWMO
Sponsored by OLTCA
Sponsored by Ontario One Call
Sponsored by AirBnB

 

8:30-10:00am

Bonnie Crombie, Leader, Ontario Liberal Party

The Canada We Want: Reflections on the U.S. Election and the Path Forward

  • Jordan Simmons, Co-founder/CEO, Nominee

Mike Schreiner, Leader of the Green Party of Ontario