THUNDER BAY — With over 135 delegates attending the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association Conference, leaders from across northwestern Ontario sat together to share their common bond of learning all that they can to strengthen their communities.
And the opportunities to learn were presented through many keynote speakers from industry experts such as Canoe Procurement Group of Canada, Ontario Power Generation, Association of Local Public Health Agencies, and Enbridge Gas.
“I think you can feel the energy in the room. Everyone has been commenting on our program. How fantastic our program is both for veteran municipal leaders as well as new municipal leaders,” NOMA president Wendy Landry said.
During the 2022 municipal elections, 40 per cent of the municipal leaders across northwestern Ontario were newly elected to their council positions.
This means those new community leaders have a lot to learn about municipal governance such as tax budgeting, infrastructure management, and community by-law.
However, a conference like NOMA also acts as an extra learning experience for those veteran leaders.
“I think the keynote speakers were amazing in their messaging, and they are just reminders to those veterans that need to be reminded of different restrictions and different ways of handling different things,” Landry said.
Marathon Mayor Rick Dumas has been in municipal politics for three decades. He participated in a panel call lesson from leaders where the panellists were able to answer questions about their experiences on council. The panel was a highlight of the afternoon.
“I think the crowd after it got out, we had our break and everybody was talking. Everybody was coming up saying that was a really insightful discussion. Not only from the new people but actually from some of the members who have been on council in the past,” Dumas said.
The panel was an honest discussion about building partnerships with each of their fellow council members, staff, and constituents.
“I think it was just an eye-opener in regard to some of the things you should and couldn’t do," Dumas said.
Nipigon Mayor Suzanne Kukko was newly elected into the role last fall.
“It’s my first time at this conference and I am really impressed with the agenda,” Kukko said. “We are seeing it chock-full of all kinds of interesting things.
Kukko added that she was “impressed with the calibre of speakers” the conference has to offer, going so far as to say that she was impressed to see the provincial leaders meet with them in northern Ontario.
“I think them showing up at this conference in the north shows that we matter now because of the mining and all the development happening,” said Kukko. “They’re interested in us and they want our attention and our vote. So, I think in the next four years we are going to see the top tear politicians coming in and paying attention to us.”
