Ontario's leaders connect at Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) Conference

Leaders from across the province gathered Jan. 18-20 in Toronto for the annual Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) Conference.

Members of Bruce County council and staff were in attendance to collaborate, learn and advocate for solutions to issues that matter most to the community.

It was a busy three days for warden Luke Charbonneau, deputy warden Don Murray and other county representatives who participated in nine delegation meetings. The discussions explored potential solutions through provincial and municipal partnerships and included:
 

• Advancing supports for homelessness with Laura Smith, parliamentary assistant to the minister of municipal affairs and housing.
• Sustainable and predictable funding for rural transit with Hardeep Singh Grewal, parliamentary assistant to the minister of transportation.
• Advocacy for child-care space flexibility with Billy Pang, parliamentary assistant to the minister of education.
• Expansion of funding for agricultural waste reduction and bio-gas development with Paul Vickers, parliamentary assistant to the minister of agriculture, food, and agribusiness.
• Providing fair access to justice services with both Attorney General Doug Downey and Solicitor General Michael S. Kerzner.
• Municipal spending on health care with the Sylvia Jones, deputy premier and minister of health.
• Sustainable funding for rural municipal infrastructure with Amarjot Sandhu, parliamentary assistant to the minister of infrastructure.
• Investment in energy for the province with Ontario energy minister Stephen Lecce.
• Efficient Vulnerable Sector Checks with the Andrea Khanjin, minister of red tape reduction.

“The ROMA Conference is a fantastic event where we can showcase what makes Bruce County unique," said Charbonneau. "We take this opportunity to champion our communities and to advocate for our needs. We also make connections; building and nurturing partnerships to explore innovative solutions that will make life better for families and businesses today, and for future generations.”



Bruce County deputy warden Don Murray (left) and councillor Chris Peabody (right), meet with MPP Paul Vickers, parliamentary assistant to the minister of agriculture, food and agribusiness, at ROMA

In addition to advocacy work, attendees can attend presentations and workshops. Of note, Bruce County’s commissioner of community development, Claire Dodds, spoke as part of a panel about leveraging new opportunities to develop housing in rural Ontario.

Charbonneau was pleased to see the county’s multi-faceted approach to housing needs highlighted on a provincial stage, saying, “Our housing efforts are focusing on actions that create conditions for increasing supply and impacting affordability. Partnerships play a huge part in these actions, so what better place to explore how Bruce County can lead a unified approach across government levels.”

For more details about ROMA and the 2026 conference, visit www.roma.on.ca.



Gathered for discussions at ROMA, are Bruce County councillor Chris Peabody (left), mayor of Brockton; deputy warden Don Murray, mayor of Huron-Kinloss; MPP Paul Vickers; Ontario energy minister Stephen Lecce; Bruce County warden Luke Charbonneau, mayor of Saugeen Shores, and councillor Kenneth Craig, mayor of Kincardine