‘This is really preposterous’: Former Waterloo city councillors welcome amalgamation

Former Waterloo city councillors Mark Whaley and Karen Scian think amalgamation needs to happen.

Yorkregion.com
March 13, 2019
Adam Jackson

Two former Waterloo city councillors say amalgamation should happen, and it’s a good thing for the region.

Mark Whaley, who spent 15 years as a councillor in Waterloo, says there is much fat to be cut in the region.

“We are literally duplicating every possible department over and over and over again with 1,000 people,” Whaley said.

Karen Scian, who spent two terms around the horseshoe, says that it needs to happen.

Now is the time to change the governance structure in Waterloo Region: Carl Zehr

Don’t mess with success, local mayors, regional chair tell provincial advisers
“The more time I spent in the system, I see how broken it really is. So when I see people saying ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’ it’s really wrong," she said.

After being defeated by Jen Vasic in the 2018 municipal election, Whaley describes himself as “relieved” and “refreshed.”

This isn’t a new fight for Whaley, however. More than a decade ago in 2008, Whaley was part of an effort to amalgamate services between Waterloo and Kitchener, eventually leading to a referendum on the 2010 ballot.

In that referendum, residents were asked if they wanted to enter into talks to merge the two cities. Kitchener residents voted for merger talks, while Waterloo residents voted against the idea. Waterloo council later officially declined merger talks in the newly-formed council.

But, Whaley said, times have changed since then.

In 2010, Kitchener was on an upward swing, but hadn’t quite reached the level of prosperity it is currently experiencing. Meanwhile, Research In Motion dominated the skyline in Waterloo and the economy was booming. Now the playing field has levelled and, Whaley said, management needs to change.

“There are seven CAOs earning, when you average it out, about $200,000 a year,” said Whaley. “All the management is totally being duplicated seven times over.”

With that said, he says the region will still need the same number of front-line staff.

“We’ll still require the same number of people cutting the grass and plowing the roads,” said Whaley. “What will be cut is all the duplication in management.”

The provincial government, with the help of former regional chair Ken Seiling, is undergoing a review of regional governments in Ontario. Many believe that the end result will be amalgamation forced upon the region.

While amalgamation of services may make sense for the cities of Waterloo, Kitchener and Cambridge, there has been more opposition on behalf of the townships. A possible loss of identity and a decrease in representation dominate the talking points.

When asked about identity, Whaley pointed to the example of Woolwich Township, which consists of St. Jacob’s and Elmira. The two towns have separate identities, but are governed by one single entity.

One of the main arguments against amalgamation is a decrease in representation. While having less representatives will mean a larger population load for the elected councillors, Whaley still thinks it can be done in a fair and equitable manner -- and the townships would be better represented than the cities if broken down to a per capita number.

The potential earnings off of sold real estate in each of the city’s cores would reach about $100 million, as well, added Whaley.

“In Waterloo, it could be sold as Class A real estate,” said Whaley.

Some politicians, including Waterloo Mayor Dave Jaworsky, have spoken out against amalgamation. In an interview with the Chronicle, Jaworsky said, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”

Whaley disagrees. He thinks the system is broken.

“We have 59 elected officials in this region, this little thumb print on the map,” said Whaley. “Anyone who tells you if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it has another motive.”

For Scian, who is currently CEO of Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region after her two terms from 2006 to 2014, stepping out of the political circle allowed her to have a clearer perspective of what she describes as a disjointed community.

“Step out of the system and you turn around and look and it becomes clearer and clearer by the day,” she said.

Scian believes this is why many municipal politicians who are currently serving are arguing against amalgamation.

“I just don’t think they could have a full appreciation of the entire system until you get out of office.”

Scian added that Waterloo will need to realize that Kitchener has changed and the perception of the city needs to change along with it.

“We have more in common than we have different. We are more alike than we are not. And as we look around the world and look at all this divisiveness, we need to figure out a way to work together.”