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Mississippi Mills – Mayor Christa Lowry has joined nearly 1,000 participants from across the province at the 2022 Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) Conference. This is the second time the conference will be held entirely online from Monday, January 24 to Tuesday, January 25.
This event is a key moment for municipal and provincial officials to connect on the unique challenges faced by rural municipalities and is an opportunity to make sure that community needs are understood and addressed in policy platforms before Ontarians go to the polls in June.
The program features plenary sessions and workshops touching on everything from community safety and wellbeing to bylaw enforcement, climate change and rural and northern health.
Additionally, ROMA’s plan for action for rural Ontario’s pandemic recovery, “Opportunities for Rural Ontario in a Post-COVID World” will launch on Monday, January 25.
Key presenters at the 2022 conference include Ontario Premier Doug Ford, opposition leaders, and key provincial ministers. Chief Perry Bellegarde will be discussing relationships between municipalities and Indigenous populations, and influential environmental policy expert Dr. Bruce Lourie will explore management of climate risk and transitioning to a net-zero economy. AMO president Jamie McGarvey will also speak.
In addition to the conference program, municipal elected officials will take part in hundreds of online delegation meetings with provincial ministries.
Mayor Lowry is particularly interested in sessions related to housing affordability, improving rural connectivity and how municipalities can control roadway speeds using automated enforcement. As a ROMA Director and AMO rural caucus member, Mayor Lowry will be chairing a session on access to health services in rural and northern Ontario and examining opportunities for innovative solutions.
Interviews with Mayor Lowry can be accommodated by calling Jeanne Harfield, Municipal Clerk, 613-256-2064 x226.
Registered media will have access to the entire conference online. Reporters are encouraged to register well in advance by contacting Megan Abraham at abraham@redbrick.ca.
About ROMA: ROMA takes pride in promoting, supporting and enhancing strong and effective rural governments. About 270 of Ontario’s 444 municipalities have populations of less than 10,000, while scores more are rural in character. The rural arm of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, ROMA advocates for policies and programs that will help build thriving rural Ontario communities.
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For more information about ROMA or the 2022 Conference, contact:
Brian Lambie, ROMA Media Contact, 416-729-5425, lambie@redbrick.ca
Follow the conference on Twitter: @ROMA_Ont, Hashtag: #ROMA2022
