This week, the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) held its annual general meeting from January 19 to 21 in Toronto. We were proud to represent our members’ interests in meetings with provincial representatives, attend educational panels and discussions, and connect with our members and other participants at the conference tradeshow.
Conference Highlights
The inauguration of U.S. President Trump, the possibility of tariffs on Canada and the future of U.S.-Canada relations hung over the conference with speeches from Premier Ford and the Opposition leaders highlighting the importance of standing up against these threats. Many municipal leaders were interested in understanding how they can support a “Team Canada” approach to new economic policy coming out of the United States.
Many leaders also took the opportunity to discuss the possibility of an early provincial election call. While it seems more likely with Premier Ford indicating he needs a new and bigger mandate to address the Trump administration's policies, the Government did not make large-scale announcements for municipalities. The Minister of Rural Affairs, Lisa Thompson, did release the new Enabling Opportunity: Ontario’s Rural Economic Development Strategy, along with enhancements to the Rural Economic Development (RED) Program, which is doubling to $20 million over two years and is now called the Rural Ontario Development Program (RODP). In addition, the Minister of Infrastructure, Kinga Surma, announced that as of February 12, the Province will begin accepting applications for the $175 million Health and Safety Water Stream of the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program (MHIP). The program ensures communities across the province have access to safe drinking water and reliable wastewater services.
During the conference, there was some discussion related to Bill 241, Municipal Accountability Act, which brings new measures to the existing code of conduct framework. As we continue to review this bill, members are invited to share their feedback to help inform a potential submission to Standing Committee and the Regulatory Registry.
Vote Like Your Quality of Life Depends On It Campaign
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) launched its first public relations strategy to inform the next Provincial election: Vote Like Your Quality of Life Depends On It. A foundational aspect of this campaign is AMO’s call for a Social and Economic Prosperity Review — a deep dive look at who does what and who pays for what — as part of the provincial-municipal fiscal framework. As an Association, we were proud to join AMO in the initial call for a review, along with over 150 municipalities. This new campaign now builds on their recently released study on homelessness in Ontario.
Delegations
AMCTO President Paul Shipway and staff advanced advocacy interests in delegations with the NDP, Liberal and Green parties. Notable commitments from the NDP and Liberals included a review of the provincial-municipal fiscal framework in the form of “new deals" if they were to form the next government. We also received commitments that should the NDP or Liberals form government, legislative changes to the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) and the Municipal Elections Act (MEA) would be on the table. These are both acts in need of modernization — something we have continued to highlight through our own substantive reviews, submissions, and member toolkits.
Finally, we continued to raise our significant concerns about strong mayor powers and their impact to the overall culture and sustainability of local government administration. Through our research and feedback from members, the implementation of these powers has led to reduced transparency, increased organizational uncertainty for municipal staff, and has contributed to the existing challenges local governments face in recruiting and retaining employees.
There is an opportune moment and a provincial interest in helping municipalities be more responsive to today’s challenges and opportunities and we will continue to advocate for a more supportive municipal-provincial relationship.
Access our Member Toolkits & Show Your Support
MIPPA MEA STRONG MAYOR POWERS
Ministers Forum
During the famous 'bear pit' session, ministers were asked about these and other topics:
- Property assessment and tax system review — a review that is underway and that the Government wants to ensure they get right, with fairness at its heart.
- Frozen Conservation Authority fees — the Government says it will not reverse its decision on the freezing of fees given they want to ensure that building permits are issued quickly so housing can be built.
- AMO's Social and Economic Prosperity Review — the Government reiterated existing investments in infrastructure and housing.
- Policing costs for smaller municipalities with their own forces and increasing budgets — the Government indicated the Ontario Provincial Police billing model will be looked at and that they are considering options such as municipal grants.
- Joint and Several Liability — the Government acknowledged past work of an AMO advisory group and stated their focus will continue to be on risk management and data collection.
Next Steps
With our MEA recommendations, we want to ensure that the Minister of Education, Jill Dunlop, supports any measures that are brought forward that may impact school board elections and seek her support to implement an existing Provincial Professional Activity (PA) Day on municipal and school board election day.
While we were not able to secure a delegation with her at ROMA, we did have a positive meeting with Minister Calandra on this topic in the fall. Our team will be following up to request a meeting with Minister Dunlop as soon as possible.
For more information or questions related to our advocacy initiatives or to get involved, please contact us.