Mayor Michelle Boileau is heading to Toronto for the annual Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) conference beginning Sunday. This year, the City’s focus is on housing development, highway repairs, and repayment of the Golden Manor redevelopment project.
More than 1,600 participants from as many as 300 municipalities will participate in the conference, Sunday, January 21 to Tuesday, January 23, which gives local leaders and representatives the opportunity to highlight the unique challenges facing rural communities.
Timmins’ delegation will meet with Associate Minister Vijay Thanigasalam from the Ministry of Transportation, to make a case for Hwy. 67 (Municipal Rd.). The rural highway has been a hot topic for Timmins and the Town of Iroquois Falls, with the cost of necessary rehabilitation requiring provincial help. The ask will be for reconstruction funding and a strategy moving forward for maintenance.
Mayor Boileau will also speak to Council’s goal of seeing “more homes built faster” in a discussion with Parliamentary Assistant for Municipal Affairs & Housing, the Honourable Matthew Rae. The City is seeking support to secure funding for subdivision development in Timmins. In order to stimulate new residential and intensified housing builds, the City is exploring the cost of development, including required infrastructure and feasibility.
A meeting is also scheduled with Ontario’s Minister of Long-Term Care, the Honourable Stan Cho, to discuss a strategy to offset some of the capital costs of the Golden Manor redevelopment and reduce construction costs for taxpayers.
This year’s ROMA theme is Closer to Home, which is a nod to ROMA’s recent focus on access to primary healthcare services in rural Ontario, but also fits with Timmins’ focus on creating a sustainable range of housing options for residents, and re-energizing needed assets and infrastructure, right here at home in Timmins. Mayor Boileau and the Timmins’ delegation are prepared to make a case for the provincial funding and support that Timmins needs now.
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Any time we are able to speak directly with provincial officials, it is an opportunity to focus on solutions to our most pressing concerns, which could have swift and positive impact on the City. Our requests to the province are specific and strategic. We also benefit from being part of a rural collective voice. There is strength in numbers, and the ROMA conference is a space where rural municipalities can come together and work to create sustainable and thriving communities. ~ Mayor Michelle Boileau