nancy.bolton
23 January 2025
Developed through extensive consultation, ROMA’s Fill the Gaps Closer to Home report conveys the desperation shared by many residents and local leaders in health care, community services and municipal government. While health care is a provincial responsibility, it is a critical priority for municipal governments – particularly because rural municipal governments often deal with the costly social and economic consequences of Ontario’s health care crisis in their own communities. For rural Ontario, the cost alone is over $480 million in contributions to health and social service programs. With fewer households and businesses, rural property taxes cannot be expected to subsidize provincial costs to this degree