ROMA conference a chance for councillors and staff to advocate for local priorities

The format of the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) conference is a lot like “speed dating,” according to members of town council who attended the two-day event earlier this week in Toronto.

This was an observation shared by Ward 1 Councillor George McDermott and Ward 4 Councillor Joan Christensen in separate interviews with Fort Erie Radio on Thursday.

They attended the conference, a chance for municipal politicians and staff to bend the ears of provincial officials about their municipality’s priorities.

The councillors were joined by manager of economic development Caralee Grummett and chief administrative officer Chris McQueen.

Each meeting is confined to a 15-minute window.

Christensen said conversations surrounding housing targets and infrastructure were had, which she felt were important.

Discussions with minister of tourism, culture, and gaming Stan Cho were productive, according to both Christensen and McDermott.

Making sure the Fort Erie Race Track gets what is needed to begin a 2026 season, when a current funding agreement expires, was another productive conversation.

“It’s quite important we get that on the table now,” said Christensen.

They both said highlighting Fort Erie as a tourism destination was a topic of discussion.

McDermott said this could involve anything from amusement parks to a redevelopment at the Fort Erie Race Track, including a potential return of slots.

“We do have a lot of lands to support an urban entertainment area,” said McDermott.

Both he and Christensen noted that Cho shared that he recently visited Crystal Beach for a vacation with his family.

Fighting for the preservation of the local urgent care centre was another hot topic, as well as issues such as shoreline protection and the importance of historic sites such as Old Fort Erie and how it relates to tourism.

Expansion of Sheridan College’s presence in the community was also a point of discussion.

McDermott said a lot of the conference involved “either coming up with new ideas or reinforcing what’s already going on” in town.

McQueen, the town’s head staffer, also shared with Fort Erie Radio some of the things he found to be most valuable.

On the healthcare file, McQueen said primary care needs were expressed, while “advocating to keep primary care dollars in the community.”

On top of what McDermott and Christensen said, McQueen noted that Fort Erie’s beaches and cycling trails are being highlighted in a push for tourism attention.

On the Sheridan College file, he said discussions included a campus coming to Fort Erie, and how there are impacts from federal legislation putting a cap on the number of international students, a moratorium on new ones enrolling in post-secondary institutions.

He said Sheridan is seeking provincial approval for a fourth campus and for Fort Erie to be its home.

“This is a significant benefit to Fort Erie and Niagara as they are providing needed labour market training to fill positions,” said McQueen.

A number of matters were on the table of the many meetings the town had, said McQueen, agreeing the ROMA conference is an important time of year.

“This conference was an opportunity to meet with other rural and smaller Ontario municipal colleagues to discuss common issues and challenges, which are sometimes different from the issues that larger communities face,” he told Fort Erie Radio.

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