THUNDER BAY, Ont. — Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association leaders are in Ottawa as the 2026 Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference opens Sunday, Aug. 16, with highways, housing, forestry, workforce shortages and critical minerals among the region’s major advocacy priorities. …NOMA plans to advocate for immigration programs and workforce policies designed to better address labour shortages in Northwestern Ontario. For communities attempting to expand mining, forestry, construction, health care, municipal services and other industries, the ability to attract and retain workers is increasingly tied to economic growth. …NOMA will also put the forest sector before government decision-makers, arguing for measures that maintain the competitiveness of Northwestern Ontario producers while responding to international trade pressures. Forestry remains particularly important outside Thunder Bay, where mills and forestry operations can be among a community’s largest private-sector employers and contributors to the municipal tax base.