ROMA 2026 - Presentations

Sunday, January 18

8:30 am: Workshops

Raising Corporate Sponsorship Revenues in Rural Municipalities, sponsored by The Partnership Group, Sponsorship Specialists
- Brent Barootes, President and CEO, Partnership Group: Sponsorship Specialists
Shifting Citizenry, Shifting Services: What Council Must Plan for Now
- Erin Orr, Program Advisor, Infrastructure Asset Management, AMO
- Christina Benty, Strategic Leadership Solutions
Planning Canada’s Next Deep Geological Repository: Your Voice Matters, sponsored by NWMO
HEARing Rural Voices: Data Municipalities Can Use Tomorrow
- Leith Deacon, Associate Professor & McCall MacBain Chair in Resilient Rural Communities, School of Environmental Design and Rural Development, University of Guelph

11:30 am: Zone Meet Up

1:00 pm: Concurrent Sessions

The Dirt on Cemeteries
- Chair: Tanya Vrebosch, Councillor, City of North Bay, ROMA Board Member
  - Crystal Forrest, Chief Compliance Officer / Deputy Registrar, Bereavement Authority of Ontario
  - Mark Richardson, President, Ontario Association of Cemetery and Funeral Professionals
  - Sonia McLuckie, Cemetery Administrator, Greater Napanee
Leveraging New Opportunities to Develop Housing in Rural Ontario
- Chair: Nathan Townend, Warden, County of Lennox and Addington
  - Brian Marks, Chief Administrative Officer Lead, Northern Ontario Service Deliverers Association
  - Connor Dorey, Chief Administrative Officer, Hastings County
  - Claire Dodds, Commissioner of Community Development, Bruce County
Strengthening Rural Vitality through Arts and Culture
- Chair: Pam Sayne, Councillor, Township of Minden Hills
  - Janet Jarrell, Executive Director, Quinte Arts Council, Alliance of Arts Councils of Ontario (AACO)
  - Jamie McKenzie-Naish, Operations Manager, Ontario Museum Association
  - Neeky Dalir, Policy Analyst, Ontario Chamber of Commerce
Rural Road Safety
- Chair: Mark Wilson, Councillor, City of Temiskaming Shores, ROMA Board Member
  - Mike Pearsall, Consultant
  - Heide Schlegl, Milton Traffic Manager, Ontario Traffic Council Board
  - Scott Butler, Executive Director, Good Roads
  - Jessica Jaremchuk, Vice-President, Risk Management Services, Intact Public Entities

2:45 pm: Plenary Program

ROMA Chair, Christa Lowry

Monday, January 19

7:30 am - Rural, Remote and Forgotten: Addressing the Health Human Resources Crisis in Seniors’ Care, sponsored by AdvantAge Ontario

8:30 am: Plenary Program

The Hon. Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario

10:15 am: Concurrent Sessions

Best Practices from Rural Community Safety and Wellbeing Plans
- Chair: Carma Williams, Councillor, Township of North Glengarry
  - Sarah Hamulecki, Manager of Strategic Initiatives & Intergovernmental Relations, County of Oxford
  - Rheanne Quenneville, Data Analyst, Rural Ontario Institute
  - Mélanie Bania, Executive Director, Canadian Centre for Safer Communities
Strategies for Managing Rural Land
- Chair: Steve McCabe, Councillor, Township of Wellington North, ROMA Board Member
  - Rebecca Bellanger, Manager, Planning Services, Essex County
  - Jeremy Funk, Fire Chief, Sioux Lookout
  - Jessica Ferri, Manager, Land and Environment, CRH Canada Groups
The Roadmap for Waste – Unpacking Where Rural Municipalities Fit
- Chair: Jamie McGrail, Councillor, Municipality of Chatham-Kent, ROMA Board Member
  - Ashley De Souza, CEO, Waste To Resources Ontario
  - Melissa Kovacs, Manager of Waste Services, County of Dufferin
  - Ken Krcel, Director of Public Works & Environmental Services, City of Timmins
Getting Accurate Information to Residents
- Chair: Janet Hager, Councillor, Municipality of Red Lake, ROMA Board Member
  - Inori Roy, Associate Editor, The Local
  - David Turkstra, Chief Strategy Officer, Village Media
  - Kaitlin Keefer, Communications Officer, Municipality of Clarington
  - Kate Ingram, Manager of Communications, Municipality of Port Hope
Indigenous and Municipal Relationships - Actioning AMOs IRAP in a Meaningful Way
- Chair: Melanie Pilon, Mayor, Municipality of Wawa, Chair, AMO Indigenous Advisory Council
  - Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict, Chiefs of Ontario
  - Chief Shelly Moore-Frappier, Temagami First Nation
  - Grand Council Chief Linda Debassige, Anishinabek Nation
  - Chief Sherri-Lyn Hill, Six Nations of the Grand River
  - Chief Ted Williams, Chippewas of Rama First Nation

11:45 am: Learning Lunches

1:15 pm: Concurrent Sessions

Unpacking the Implications of a New Code of Conduct
- Moderator: Jim Pine, Principal, Jim Pine Consulting
  - Michael Di Lullo, Chair, Ontario Municipal Administrators Association
  - John Mascarin, Partner, Aird & Berlis LLP
  - Pam Mood, Past President, Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities, Mayor of Yarmouth
Applying the IRAP in Rural Contexts
- Chair: Melanie Pilon, Mayor, Municipality of Wawa, Chair, AMO Indigenous Advisory Council
  - Sara Loft, Principal, Tawi:ne Consulting
  - Olga Semenovych, Associate, Tawi:ne Consulting
  - Eddy Robinson, Indigenous Knowledge Keeper
  - Sean Longboat, Executive Director, Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centers
  - Bethany Johnson, Director, Strategy, Policy and Communications, Ontario Native Women’s Association
From Operating Pressures to Capital Plans: A Strategic Approach to Municipal Fiscal Sustainability
- Chair: Jennifer Murphy, Councillor, County of Renfrew, ROMA Board Member
  - Craig Dyer, Principal, Craig Dyer Advisory Services
Public Health Matters: A Strong Economy Supported by Healthy Communities
- Chair: Natasha Salonen, Mayor, Township of Wilmot, ROMA Board Member
- Moderator: Loretta Ryan, CEO, Association of Local Public Health Agencies
  - Hsiu-Li Wang, Chair, Association of Local Public Health Agencies
  - Doug Lawrance, Mayor, Sioux Lookout
  - Andrew Pinto, Director, Upstream Lab, MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto