ROMA Board Highlights

ROMA Update

Productive Meeting with Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing

The Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Paul Calandra attended the ROMA Board meeting in November. The Minister also committed to meeting with the Board quarterly to share ideas, seek feedback and listen to rural municipal needs from the provincial government. The meeting in November included discussion of:
  • New resources and funding tools for housing-enabling infrastructure to help address the rural funding gap – including how municipal services corporations and private communal water systems could help.
  • The urgent need for a strategic approach to homelessness including wrap-around supports and housing.
  • The shortage in primary care providers, emergency room closures, and over-reliance on community paramedicine to fill these gaps. The Minister suggested that Dr. Jane Philpott who is chairing Ontario’s primary care action team could benefit form hearing rural concerns.

OPP Billing Relief 

The Board discussed concerns related to significant and unexpected municipal OPP rate and fee increases coming in 2025. AMO Policy is engaged with the Ministry of the Solicitor General on financial support to help municipalities manage the increase. Additional information is expected over the next few weeks.

Support for Managing Broadband Projects

As Internet Service Providers (ISPs) work to meet the government’s 2025 broadband goals, AMO and ROMA are working to support the municipal sector.

AMO will host a webinar by the end of the year to help municipal staff understand how to navigate the relationship with ISPs using a template Municipal Access Agreement. The ROMA Board approved a request from AMO staff to seek backstop funding from the province if an ISP saddles a municipality with unfair and unreasonable infrastructure construction and management costs.

2025 ROMA Conference

The Rural Routes concurrent sessions have been designed to highlight the rural perspective, issues and the innovations underway across the province in our rural communities. Here are a few highlights of session topics:

•    Provincial Offences
•    Rural Responses to Mental Health and Addictions
•    Negotiating Community Benefit Agreements for Energy Projects
•    Agricultural Economic Development
•    Cyber Security
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