Northern leaders push for action on health care, housing at ROMA conference

A meeting of the Rural Ontario Municipal Association was held this week in Toronto.

It was the first time bringing hundreds of delegates from rural and northern communities together in-person since before the pandemic -- and northern officials said there were plenty of issues to discuss.

“The effects of Bill C-23 on the Planning Act and how that’s affecting municipalities, that was a big topic,” said Sudbury city councillor Rene Lapierre, who also attended as a member of the Northern Ontario Service Deliverers Association (NOSDA).

“The lack of funding towards social services and mental health, as well as the opioid crisis” were other key issues, he said in a Zoom interview from his Toronto hotel room.

Lapierre said Timmins Mayor Michelle Boileau, also chair of NOSDA and the Cochrane Social Services Administration Board, spoke one-on-one with Ontario health minister Sylvia Jones and others on how to improve addictions, mental health and social services.

With delegates able to book 15-minute meetings with ministers, Lapierre said the talks can result in meaningful action on issues, if delegates come prepared with a proposal.

Cochrane Mayor Peter Politis told CTV that’s how he got transportation minister Caroline Mulroney to revise a policy that prevented some development along Highway 11.

“We were able to create a better approach and approve the actual developments that we have,” Politis said.

“We have restaurants and hotels that are going up, those types of things, so that was very important for us to get done.”

Networking is also an important aspect of the conference, according to Kapuskasing Mayor Dave Plourde.

Communities often face similar issues and he said delegates can share ideas and discover solutions that may not have occurred to them.

“We talk about the blue box transition programs and we’re all talking about housing,” said Plourde, adding that northerners shouldn’t shy away from taking advice from southern communities.

“Housing in northern Ontario is not much different in southern Ontario and although we like to think we’re alone, it’s not any different.”

The key, officials said, is to make the most of the time they get with decision-makers and show them a plan they can act on.

For Lapierre, raising concerns and calling for action won’t get a community as far as presenting a detailed proposal that the province can actually implement or help improve.

“So that the ministry sees the best bang for their buck and how that impacts northern Ontario, versus just handing over money and hoping it works well,” said Lapierre.