Council Attends ROMA Conference in Toronto
Four councillors attend 3-day event.
Last night’s scheduled council meeting was postponed as half of the council members were in Toronto to participate in the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) conference. The three-day event was being held at the Sheraton Conference Centre in the downtown core.
Representing West Nipissing were Mayor Kathleen Thorne-Rochon and Councillors Kris Rivard, George Pharand, and Rolly Larabie.
Ticket packages to attend the conference started at $800 per attendee and the designated hotels in downtown Toronto ranged from $300-$500 per night. Many of the same councillors faced criticism for attending a similar conference in Ottawa a few months ago, which cost approximately $10,000.
However, council has fewer budget concerns this year, having recently approved a 50% increase to their 2025 “education” budget which mostly includes the cost to attend various out-of-town conferences each year.
Councillors requested a meeting with the Minister of Forestry and Forest Products where they hoped to once again discuss recent lumber mill closings in Northern Ontario. This is a similar focus as last year’s ROMA conference. According to the 2021 census data, 3.3% of West Nipissing residents work in the forestry sector.
A second meeting was also scheduled with the Minister of Infrastructure to discuss the Verner water. While the attendees had asked for a meeting with the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) to discuss the important Champlain Bridge project, this request was denied.
As Councillor Rivard prepares for an imminent provincial election, he attended meetings with Green Party of Ontario (GPO) leader Mike Schreiner during the conference. When asked, Rivard confirmed that no part of this trip would be paid for by campaign funds or the GPO. Rivard added in a comment that he would not be “conducting any Green business” while at the conference.
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What happened to Virtual attendance for these Educational events? That could save us tax payers money to be spent more wisely.
I do not feel that West Nip had to sent 4 people to the conference. One could have gone, took notes and reported back to council. This is a complete waste of our tax dollars. A couple of free nights out with meals at our expense. More corruption with this council.