Advocacy

The ROMA Board identifies and advances key policy priorities aimed at achieving provincial policies and programs that support effective rural municipal governments and thriving rural communities.

Policy, research and advocacy activities for ROMA are supported by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario reflecting rural realities and necessary policy changes.

Rural Homelessness & Housing

Homelessness is rising faster in rural areas. It has increased by 150% since 2016, compared to about 50% province wide, according to AMO’s January 2025 homeless report.

Many rural communities lack shelters and/or lack capacity or resources to manage the crisis. ROMA continues to call for a new approach focused on long-term housing solutions, rather than reactive emergency measures and enforcement to address homelessness. This includes provincial operating funding to match federal capital dollars (e.g., Building Canada Homes) to open and sustain supportive and deeply affordable units.

Solutions must include coordinated approaches to affordable, deeply affordable, and supportive housing designed for rural delivery.

Access to Primary Care in Rural Ontario

Access to health in rural areas looks different. Distances to access care are greater and provider shortages are acute. Approximately 525,000 rural residents in Ontario lack a primary care provider, according to ROMA’s research.

Ontario’s Primary Care Action Plan is an important new approach to connecting every Ontarian with a primary care provider. ROMA seeks structured municipal engagement in the rollout of the plan in Ontario.

Flexible, full-cost funding that can cover facility space, team supports, and other non-salary requirements—especially where no clinical location exists – will be important in rural communities.

Currently, competition among municipalities to recruit physicians and nurses diverts local dollars and undermines health equity.

ROMA also wants to see province-wide recruitment and retention programs support physicians to establish long-term roots in the community, including pathways for foreign-trained doctors beyond short-term incentives.

Rural Infrastructure Funding

Infrastructure construction costs have risen about 70% over 10 years, while provincial contributions remain below 30% of annual municipal infrastructure spending.

ROMA seeks fair access to provincial infrastructure programs for rural projects critical to safety, mobility, and economic activity. Programs need to be designed to reflect rural realities – smaller tax bases, larger service areas, higher per-unit costs, and seasonal construction windows.

While current infrastructure funding is appreciated, ROMA continues to call for a long-term, predictable, and substantial municipal infrastructure transfer dedicated to housing-enabling and economic infrastructure.

Social & Economic Prosperity Review (Fiscal Framework)

Driven by AMO, ROMA seeks a Social and Economic Prosperity Review to modernize the provincial-municipal fiscal relationship. The current fiscal framework is not keeping pace with growth pressures, social challenges, and rising service costs.

Rather than one-time announcements, we need system-wide solutions that address realities of municipal finance. Property taxes do not grow with the economy, municipalities cannot run deficits, and debt limits cap capital investment. These challenges prevent municipalities from addressing mounting local pressures.

ROMA is calling for a new provincial-municipal fiscal framework that recognizes that municipal budgets are strained by rising costs for policing, homelessness and other complex social challenges. These pressures are reducing municipal capacity to invest in infrastructure and core services.

Further economic impact of the ongoing trade war cannot be absorbed within property-tax limits.