GTA Construction News staff writer
The City of Burlington used this year’s Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) conference to press the province on a range of issues affecting its rural communities, from housing flexibility to transportation and digital infrastructure.
A city delegation led by Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, joined by Ward 6 Councillor Angelo Bentivegna and senior staff, attended the 2026 ROMA Annual General Meeting and Conference this week, meeting with cabinet ministers, MPPs and industry representatives.
According to the city, discussions focused on advancing rural economic development, continued investment in broadband and 5G connectivity, and improvements to transportation network management to better leverage Burlington’s location within the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.
Meetings were held with Associate Minister of Energy-Intensive Industries Sam Oosterhoff, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Matthew Rae, and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Transportation Hardeep Singh Grewal.
Key topics included expanding eligibility for additional residential units on existing rural residential properties, improving predictability for housing and commercial development approvals, and addressing congestion and infrastructure needs on the QEW. The city also raised concerns around coordination of roadwork planning and public communications, as well as expanding municipal eligibility under the province’s Road Safety Initiatives Fund and the Rural Ontario Development program.
Mayor Meed Ward also participated in a meeting of the Top Aggregate Producing Municipalities of Ontario (TAPMO) board, which works toward a long-term provincial strategy for aggregate extraction.
Alongside the conference, the province announced new measures tied to rural municipal priorities, including additional funding through the Market Diversification and Trade Resiliency Initiative to support farmers and agribusinesses, and a second intake of the Rural Ontario Development Program aimed at strengthening rural economies and infrastructure.
“Burlington is half rural with family farms, agricultural economy, majestic parks and historic villages, nestled in a world biosphere reserve,” said Meed Ward. “The ROMA Conference is an invaluable opportunity to learn from other rural leaders and advocate directly to provincial decision-makers on behalf of our rural residents and businesses alike — from infrastructure limitations, to traffic mitigation and environmental protection.”
