The 2024 Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) Annual Conference took place in Toronto from January 21 to 23, with more than 1,600 participants from close to 300 municipalities. Halton Regional Chair, Gary Carr led a Halton Region delegation with Provincial Cabinet Ministers to discuss Halton’s priority advocacy issues.
“I am pleased to have represented Halton Region at the ROMA conference alongside members of Regional Council and Halton Members of Provincial Parliament,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. “The meetings with Provincial Ministers provided an opportunity to discuss important local issues facing the Region and also highlight how Halton can continue to work with the Provincial Government to achieve shared priorities.”
As one of the fastest growing communities in the country, Halton Region has been advocating on a number of key issues that are important to the Halton community. The Halton delegation at ROMA had meetings with the Minister of Infrastructure, as well as the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, to discuss the following priorities:
- Halton Region’s commitment to providing water, wastewater and roads infrastructure to accommodate increased housing supply and enable Halton’s Local Municipalities to achieve their housing pledges.
- Investments in Provincial infrastructure including schools, hospitals, GO transit and highways required to support accelerated growth in Halton’s communities.
- Halton continues to support the Province’s goal to build 1.5 million homes by 2031. The Region is well positioned to support increased housing supply with a Aaa credit rating, a strong track-record of delivering high-quality services and supporting growth by working together with the Local Municipalities and the development community.
- Expected timing for the proclamation of Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 in order to transition Regional Planning Services to the Local Municipalities.
- Expected timing for the completion of the Study on Regional Governance by the Provincial Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy.
This year’s ROMA conference also provided an educational forum and networking opportunity for municipal elected officials and staff, featuring dozens of speakers, sessions and workshops, reflecting the broad scope of issues facing rural municipalities. The Conference also profiled numerous keynote presentations, including Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario; Paul Calandra, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing; Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure and Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
To learn more about Halton’s advocacy on these issues, visit Advocating for a Strong Halton. For more information on the ROMA conference, visit roma.on.ca (external link).
The Regional Municipality of Halton serves more than 637,000 residents in the City of Burlington, the Town of Halton Hills, the Town of Milton, and the Town of Oakville. Halton Region is committed to meeting the needs of its residents through the delivery of cost-effective, quality programs and services, including water and wastewater; Regional roads and infrastructure planning; paramedic services; waste management; public health; social assistance; children’s and seniors’ services; housing services; heritage programs; emergency management and economic development. For more information, call 311 or visit Halton Region’s website at halton.ca.