West Grey officials attend 2025 ROMA conference
WEST GREY – Municipality of West Grey officials joined with close to 2,000 rural municipal leaders at the annual Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) conference held in Toronto from January 19-21, 2025. The conference offered educational programming, expert panels, keynote speakers, interaction with key municipal sector suppliers, and an opportunity to foster partnerships and relationships across the sector.
Mayor Eccles and Councillors Hutchinson and Shea took part in a number of delegations over the three days, including with the Ministry of Infrastructure, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Transportation. During these delegation meetings, Council members advocated for provincial investment in the Municipality’s 114 bridges and culverts to ensure connectivity across our community, and timely response times by emergency services; assistance in expediting permit applications related to development on provincial highways; support and guidance related to traffic calming and pedestrian crossings on Highway 6; and leadership for maintaining the critical healthcare network in the Town of Durham/central Grey County.
Additionally, West Grey representatives advocated to provincial officials about the concerns experienced this winter as a result of the presence of frazil ice and the potential for localized flooding along the Main Saugeen River in the Town of Durham. In addition to seeking support for the costs associated with mitigating a potential natural flooding disaster, the Mayor and Councillors also sought support from the province for repair/replacement of the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority’s Durham Upper Dam.
“Attending the ROMA conference allows us to directly advocate to provincial leaders and seek support in addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing our community,” said Mayor Kevin Eccles. “The collective impact of hearing similar messaging from other rural municipalities elevates the urgency for provincial support to ensure our rural communities remain strong, viable, and a driving force in the future of the province.”
The Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) is the rural voice of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), which represents and advocates for rural communities across the province.
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Media contact:
Michele Harris, CAO
mharris@westgrey.com
519 369 2200 ext. 222