The Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus Advocates for Regional Priorities at ROMA 2024 Conference

Eastern Ontario – The Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) continues to advocate strongly for regional priorities at the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) 2024 Conference held in the City of Toronto from January 21 to 23, 2024.

From across Ontario, the EOWC joined over 2,000 rural municipal colleagues at the conference to participate in meetings with provincial Ministers, Members of Provincial Parliament, and the Ontario New Democratic and Liberal opposition parties to discuss critical priorities including:

• Affordable and attainable housing
• Next-generation infrastructure funding
• Long-term care
• Modernizing the construction approval process

For the priorities package, visit the EOWC website at www.eowc.org.

“The EOWC believes that strong partnerships between governments are needed to tackle housing, health and economic challenges across the region. The ROMA Conference was a success in building upon our relationships to better serve our 103 communities across rural eastern Ontario.” – EOWC Chair, Peter Emon

“Rural municipalities need to be at the decision-making tables when it comes to the residents that we serve each day. The EOWC came prepared with good information and solid recommendations at the ROMA Conference. We look forward to continuing discussions with the Province.” – said Warden Nancy Peckford, United Counties of Leeds and Grenville.

During the conference, the EOWC met with the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Paul Calandra; Minister of Infrastructure, Kinga Surma; Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Energy, Stephane Sarrazin; Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Long-Term Care, John Jordan; and the Ontario NDP and Liberal leaders and members.

About the EOWC

The EOWC is an incorporated non-profit organization comprised of the Heads of Council of 13 municipalities (11 upper-tier counties and two single-tier municipalities). The EOWC covers an area of approximately 50,000 square kilometres from Northumberland County to the Québec border. The EOWC supports and advocates on behalf of its 90 local municipalities and 800,000 residents across the region. The EOWC has gained support and momentum by speaking with a united voice to champion regional municipal priorities and work with the government, business leaders, the media, and the public.