The annual Rural Ontario Municipal Association Conference (ROMA) is well underway and some 1,600 delegates will hear from Premier Doug Ford and several cabinet ministers this morning (Monday).
Meanwhile, the Belleville delegation led by Mayor Neil Ellis will have an important meeting with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Tuesday.
As a whole, Belleville council has criticized the province for essentially downloading healthcare costs onto municipalities and it’s expected the delegation will press the government for more funding to cover the costs of physician recruitment and providing care to the vulnerable population.
Meanwhile, the delegation from Quinte West will also meet with officials from the Ministry of Infrastructure Tuesday.
The delegation will be asking for millions of dollars in financial support for projects totalling $58 million which would upgrade Trenton’s sewage treatment plant and provide municipal services on 2nd Dug Hill Road south of Dundas Street West.
And in other news from ROMA, more money will become available soon for municipalities struggling with the increased cost of policing by Ontario Provincial Police.
Quinte West councillor Shelley Stedall tells Quinte News that Ontario Solicitor General Michael Kerzner told municipal leaders Sunday that a grant program will be announced in the spring whereby communities will be able to apply for funding for certain policing costs.
There was an uproar recently from municipalities suddenly hit with double-digit cost increases from OPP, however, the province soon announced $77 million in extra funding to bring the percentage increases down.
