Town of Caledon representatives say they had successful meetings with several provincial ministers at the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) Conference from Jan. 21 to 23 in Toronto. Mayor Annette Groves and members of council met with Minister of Housing Paul Calandra, Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria, and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry Ric Bresee.
“Municipal advocacy is integral to fostering collaboration with higher levels of government and advancing Town priorities,” says Mayor Groves. “At ROMA, we had great discussions with our provincial leaders, paving the way for promising opportunities and collaborative endeavors.”
The theme of this year’s conference was Closer to Home. The Caledon delegation brought forward council-approved positions on several issues, including local service delivery growth and improvement, support to deliver on Caledon’s Housing Pledge, advancing the Caledon-Vaughan GO Rail service, sustainably managing aggregate operations and rehabilitation, and strengthening municipal enforcement powers to address illegal land uses.
The town says these priority areas align with those outlined in the 2023-2035 Strategic Plan and will continue to guide Caledon’s advocacy efforts throughout 2024.
Led by the Town of Orangeville, Caledon representatives also participated in a joint delegation to Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Sylvia Jones to advocate for communities facing critical physician shortages.
The ROMA conference provides municipal leaders the opportunity to meet with provincial ministers and advocate on behalf of citizens to influence legislative, regulatory, and policy changes at all levels of government.