GUELPH – The Rural Ontario Institute (ROI) is proud to support the Rural Ontario Municipal Association’s (ROMA) long-term strategic plan through shared data insights unique to rural Ontario.
ROMA’s long-term strategy will shape advocacy work in the upcoming provincial elections and support rural communities.
“ROI works closely with partners to provide meaningful data insights that help to inform policy, strategy and advocacy,” said ROI executive director Ellen Sinclair.
“Data-driven knowledge has been a strong focus of ROI for over a decade and we work closely with leaders to offer an outcomes-focused lens for challenges that are uniquely rural.”
ROMA chair Robin Jones said: “More than a million rural Ontarians go to work every day producing goods and providing services that reach every part of the Ontario economy. Exports of goods and services from Rural Ontario top $100 billion a year.”
Opportunities for rural Ontario in a post-covid world writes a new story, with a renewed strategy to address challenges unique to rural regions of the province.
To identify key focal points for future direction, ROMA partners have used data-informed insights for recovery, growth and resilience building opportunities, including:
– digital connectivity;
– housing affordability;
– infrastructure maintenance;
– collaborative approaches for access to services;
– growth and development planning;
– labour force and immigration; and
– close to home service delivery ecosystems.
“ROI provides critical information pertinent to rural Ontario. Our data analysis services help to inform decision makers as they plan courses of action for their communities,” ROI data analyst Jason Robinson said.
