HALDIMAND—Local politicians attended the annual Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) Conference in Toronto in hopes of moving forward Haldimand initiatives with the provincial government.
Haldimand County Mayor Shelley Ann Bentley and CAO Michael Di Lullo were joined by MPP Bobbi Ann Brady and councillors Debera McKeen, Patrick O’Neill, Rob Shirton, Brad Adams, and Dan Lawrence this year, with ROMA running January 18-20, 2026.
—Photo courtesy of Haldimand County.
Council reviewed a potential nuclear energy facility on the lands of the former Nanticoke Generating Station with Associate Minister of Energy and Intensive-Industries Sam Oosterhoff. Discussion included the land’s potential as a clean energy generating source, and the job creation and tax revenue that would come with it.
Commmenting on the meeting, Di Lullo said, “At this time, the County is working with the Ministry and Ontario Power Generation (OPG) to move this project forward; there are no timelines to provide as OPG are continuing with the studies on this site. Haldimand County is committed to working with these partners to see this project take place, which will be an economic benefit for this region, along with supporting the province’s demand for energy.”
Lawrence is optimistic about the project, which he believes could help lower taxes across Haldimand.
“To me it’s an easy one. OPG is gone, the Province owns the property, it’s ready, it’s zoned properly. Hopefully it will come sooner than later,” he said. “Whether we’re picked as a site in the future is in (the Province’s) hands.”
Shirton believes the nuclear project will eventually take shape but could take between 10-20 years to complete. He is looking forward to a decision on the Nanticoke MZO request for the surrounding lands, stating, “There are other businesses that could be using part of these 4,200 acres out there. We still need the MZO to get anything done out there.”
Haldimand’s second delegation was with Minister of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation Greg Rickford. The discussion revolved around Haldimand’s duty to consult with neighbouring Indigenous communities.
Di Lullo called it a positive meeting.
“The County maintains proactive dialogue on projects that are shared for all communities, including infrastructure projects like roadways, bridges, etc.,” said Di Lullo.
Shirton added, “(Rickford) basically said we’ve done all we need to as far as what Six Nations needs for us to go forward with anything.”
Lawrence characterized the meeting with Rickford as an extension of previous talks between Haldimand and the Province on the subject.
“(Rickford) impressed upon us the need to reach out to (First Nations), and we do 100%,” Lawrence said. “He was appreciative of that and asked to be kept in the loop … so if there is a conflict of thought we can sit down at the table and try to resolve it and find a compromise.”
In addition to the delegations, Di Lullo, who also serves as Chair of the Ontario Municipal Administrators’ Association, participated in a panel discussion on a new standardized code of conduct included in the not-yet-passed Municipal Accountability Act, which would replace existing municipal codes of conduct.
“Our intent is to treat each other with respect and in accordance with the values outlined in our code. This is important as we aim to make good governance decisions in alignment with our Strategic Plan,” said Di Lullo.
Lawrence said Haldimand’s team also took part in several enlightening discussions with other municipal leaders, such as on road safety in rural areas.
“You can get a lot more enlightenment when you network with other municipal elected officials and hear what’s going on in their backyards and how they’re doing things or not doing things,” he said.
Lawrence cited a brief conversation with Minister of the Environment, Conservation, and Parks Todd McCarthy, in which he asked the minister about the proposed plan to streamline Ontario’s conservation authorities from 36 to just seven.
“There is a need for the CAs to be streamlined, but I think it does need some tweaking,” said Lawrence. “I was able to voice my opinion directly to the minister. Whether that gets taken back to the drawing board – he assures me it will – at least I had his ear, and he was sincere in listening to what I had to say.”
MPP Brady only registered to attend one day of the conference due to her commitments on the provincial finance committee. She attended the meeting with Associate Minister Oosterhoff; while Brady agreed that meeting was productive, she questioned the productivity of such conferences.
“I know it’s the role of municipalities to go, but it seems to me it’s the same; these are not new issues that get brought up by our municipalities,” she said. “I don’t think it’s very productive when you compare it to the amount of money it costs to go there.”
She called Haldimand’s low number of approved meetings “extremely frustrating,” noting that Norfolk County had more than 10, while Lawrence recalled speaking to the mayor of Port Colborne, who divulged they had 14 planned meetings.
“I know the online detractors will say it’s because they don’t like our mayor and they don’t like our MPP. That’s not true. I spoke to other mayors and municipalities…. People get very disappointed being turned down by certain ministers,” said Brady, with Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sakaria in her sights.
“The Minister of Transportation doesn’t want to hear that we need to reconstruct the Argyle Street Bridge…. He doesn’t want to hear from other municipalities that are having the same issues we are, so he just denies meetings. That’s not productive.”
Brady said that many of the challenges happening in Haldimand are not unique but are reflective of similar issues faced by municipalities across Ontario.
While Lawrence agreed that the low number of meetings is frustrating, he said, “It can always be better, but it can be worse. You make the best of it to try and move forward and help make Haldimand an even better place than it already is.”
Shirton shared his impression, saying, “I came home thinking it was a little bit more productive. Sometimes it seems we just get lip service.”
