The Wynne Liberals are getting a thank you from the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities. FONOM is happy that the province listened and is keeping the Rural Economic Development program as a standalone. In the 2016 budget, the Liberals said they would move the program into a larger existing fund. However FONOM was worried that this would force rural municipalities to compete against urban centres for building fund projects. FONOM convinced the government that there’s still a need for a standalone program that serves rural needs.