Casselman Mayor Geneviève Lajoie said she left the 2026 Association of Municipalities Ontario (AMO) Conference with a clear message: municipalities need a stronger and more equitable funding relationship with the provincial government.
The conference, held in Ottawa from Aug. 16 to 19, brought together municipal leaders from across Ontario. Lajoie said the event went well overall, although Casselman participated in one formal delegation, alongside South Nation Conservation (SNC), regarding repairs needed at the dam at High Falls Park.
SNC led the delegation, while Lajoie attended to support the organization and advocate for the needs of Casselman residents.
The delegation was seeking government funding to help pay for the repairs.
For Lajoie, however, the conference also highlighted what she sees as a broader problem facing municipalities.
“The AMO conference represents 404 municipalities all convening in one spot asking the provincial government for money,” she said.
According to Lajoie, there is not enough provincial funding to adequately address the needs of growing communities, forcing municipalities to increasingly rely on property taxes to pay for services and responsibilities she believes should be funded by the province.
She said she intends to continue advocating for greater equity in provincial funding and for better accountability regarding services downloaded to municipalities.
“I leave that AMO conference recognizing that gap, and that’s a gap that I’m going to continue to fight for to close,” she said.
Advocating beyond municipal borders
Lajoie said she views her role as extending beyond strictly local issues, arguing that municipalities cannot effectively address local concerns without also addressing relationships between different levels of government.
She said she believes community engagement is an important part of that process because residents who understand how government works can better advocate for themselves with their Members of Provincial Parliament and Members of Parliament.
“I want to build a community that demands more,” she said.
Among the issues she continues to advocate for are the proposed ALTO high-speed rail project and federal return-to-work policies.
Lajoie said she has been communicating with groups involved with ALTO and sharing information with them while ensuring that local voices are heard at higher levels of government.
She is also working with the Changemakers of Canada Club on a report examining return-to-work policies and their potential impact on rural communities.
Lajoie said Casselman should not become a “bedroom community” for Ottawa workers and argued that rural communities need economic opportunities of their own.
“The Treasury Board needs to recognize that we have our own economy and we want to keep our people here,” she said.
The United Counties of Prescott and Russell has already passed a resolution concerning return-to-work policies, but Lajoie said she intends to continue following up on the issue rather than simply passing resolutions and leaving the matter there.
Next steps in Casselman
Following the conference, Lajoie said she plans to bring several resolutions before Casselman council.
One proposal would establish an artificial intelligence policy, with Lajoie saying she wants Casselman to be proactive in determining how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be used as a municipal tool.
She said the goal would not be to replace people, but to use AI to expand the municipality’s capacity for learning, thinking and development.
Another proposed resolution would support a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Coalition to End Violence Against Women at a site in the seniors’ park. Lajoie said the event would provide an opportunity to bring residents together and raise awareness about domestic violence in the community.
She also plans to propose stronger recognition for municipal employees, saying Casselman’s staff are hardworking and often do not receive enough recognition from the community.
A fourth proposal would focus on attracting French-speaking doctors to Casselman.
Lajoie said Verismo Health has been working with La Flesche Compound Pharmacy to attract doctors to the community. While an English-speaking doctor is expected to join the practice, efforts are underway to attract a French-speaking or bilingual physician.
Lajoie said she plans to ask council to consider including a grant in the municipal budget to help attract French-speaking doctors.
With Casselman’s aging population largely Francophone, she said ensuring residents can access health care in French is essential.
“It’s imperative that their health needs are being heard in their language,” she said.
For Lajoie, the AMO Conference therefore represents both a reminder of the challenges municipalities face and an opportunity to continue building partnerships and advocating for Casselman at the provincial and federal levels.
