Greens are fighting for affordability, fairness in rural Ontario

January 20, 2026

TORONTO — Ontario Greens leader and MPP for Guelph Mike Schreiner addressed the Rural Ontario Municipal Association annual conference in Toronto on Tuesday morning.

“For far too long, the provincial government has ignored the needs of rural Ontario.

They’ve spent billions in the GTA while rural hospitals close, the housing crisis gets worse and rural communities struggle to keep roads and bridges maintained. 

On top of that, urban sprawl continues to threaten our precious farmland and the rural landscapes so important to the rural way of life. 

Meanwhile, the Premier is letting Ontario jobs leave the province because he refuses to bring forward a real EV plan that makes EVs affordable for everyday Ontarians and creates demand for made-in-Ontario vehicles. 

Greens will push for this government to incentivize demand for EVs by making them more affordable with EV rebates, by prioritizing charging stations in rural communities and by implementing a procurement program for public-sector fleets. And we will push for investments in made-in-Ontario renewable energy to bring down energy costs for everyone.

We will keep fighting for a new funding formula for municipalities and for the province to reverse unfair and unsustainable downloading. 

Greens will push for policies to build homes that people can afford in the communities they love without paving over the farmland that feeds us and is the foundation of the $52 billion agrifood economy.

Greens are proud to stand alongside local leaders demanding better for Ontario’s rural communities, and we’ll keep working for a fair deal for rural communities.”“For far too long, the provincial government has ignored the needs of rural Ontario.

They’ve spent billions in the GTA while rural hospitals close, the housing crisis gets worse and rural communities struggle to keep roads and bridges maintained. 

On top of that, urban sprawl continues to threaten our precious farmland and the rural landscapes so important to the rural way of life. 

Meanwhile, the Premier is letting Ontario jobs leave the province because he refuses to bring forward a real EV plan that makes EVs affordable for everyday Ontarians and creates demand for made-in-Ontario vehicles. 

Greens will push for this government to incentivize demand for EVs by making them more affordable with EV rebates, by prioritizing charging stations in rural communities and by implementing a procurement program for public-sector fleets. And we will push for investments in made-in-Ontario renewable energy to bring down energy costs for everyone.

We will keep fighting for a new funding formula for municipalities and for the province to reverse unfair and unsustainable downloading. 

Greens will push for policies to build homes that people can afford in the communities they love without paving over the farmland that feeds us and is the foundation of the $52 billion agrifood economy.

Greens are proud to stand alongside local leaders demanding better for Ontario’s rural communities, and we’ll keep working for a fair deal for rural communities.”

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