A few Chatham-Kent municipal leaders are making sure local concerns are heard during this year's Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) Conference.
The 2021 ROMA Conference is being held completely virtually this year and gives councillors and municipal staff a chance to hear from different provincial officials and get some one-on-one time with them. The conference began on Monday morning and wraps up Tuesday afternoon.
In attendance this year on behalf of Chatham-Kent is Mayor Darrin Canniff, Chief Administrative Officer Don Shropshire, Councillors Karen Kirkwood-Whyte and Clare Latimer as well as Community Development General Manager Bruce McAllister.
According to Kirkwood-Whyte, the team went into the conference with some key local issues in mind including sidewalk salting standards, Great Lakes erosion and broadband infrastructure for rural areas. She said they were able to get some good conversations in with provincial leaders on the topics so far.
"In connection to the sidewalk salting issue, Mayor Canniff, Don Shropshire and two of the municipal staff members actually had a separate meaning with the minister of transportation Caroline Mulroney," explained Kirkwood-Whyte.
Besides discussing Chatham-Kent centric concerns, municipal officials also participate in workshops and sessions during the conference.
One of Monday's sessions was focused on ways to better prepare for flooding and the efforts that Chatham-Kent has done to deal with rising water levels in Lake Erie took centre stage.
Officials from other municipalities got to hear a presentation by Shropshire about the recent work in Chatham-Kent that identified the science behind shoreline erosion, public processes and resulting policies to deal with the issue.
"It was great that Don had the opportunity to share what we've been doing here and making some very strong recommendations to those that were listening in about getting experts involved and getting the studies that were so necessary," said Kirkwood-Whyte. "You really do need the data to inform the decision making process."
Tuesday's discussions include a forum with several provincial ministers that will focus on ways municipalities can better respond to the economic impacts of COVID-19.
Although no decisions are made during the ROMA conference, Kirkwood-Whyte said it's an invaluable experience to attend the event.
"It's really important for municipal councillors who are in leadership positions to be able to collaborate, share information with other community leaders across the province and engage in conversations act might result in some impact that can help more than just one community," she said. "It isn't until we have an opportunity to share what we are experiencing here when we learn that other communities might be facing the same situation. Then we can come together to lobby for change."
