'We’re good! No amalgamation' Stouffville mayor cheers Ford abandoning regional reform

'I'm disappointed' Doug Ford wasted time and money': Bradford deputy mayor

Yorkregion.com
Oct. 28, 2019
Lisa Queen and Heidi Riedner

Nine months after launching a review aimed at shaking up municipal governments to be more efficient and taxpayer-friendly, Premier Doug Ford and Municipal Affairs Minister Steve Clark have walked away from making any reforms.

And it’s none of your business what the two advisors they appointed to head the review recommended because their report will remain a secret.

“We will not be making the report public as it will remain confidential advice to Cabinet,” Ministry of Municipal Affairs spokesperson Conrad Spezowka said in an email to The York Region Media Group and The Bradford Topic Oct. 25.

Just hours earlier, Clark said instead of reforming municipal governments, Queen’s Park would give Ontario’s 444 towns and cities $143 million to find efficiencies and improve services.

"Municipalities are the level of government closest to the people, but every community is different -- one size doesn't fit all," said Clark.

Here’s what our local politicians are saying about the decision:

"I’m very disappointed with the Ford government for wasting time and money to do nothing. Where is the efficiency in that type of decision?"

Bradford West Gwillimbury Deputy Mayor James Leduc

"I’m surprised that the province has decided to abandon its review of regional governments. Through the review, town council was clear in that we feel our taxpayers deserve a different relationship with Simcoe County -- which potentially included a relationship like Orillia and Barrie have with the County. As that no longer appears to be an option, we will continue to work with the county to find efficiencies and ensure that all residents in our town receive fair and equitable value for their county taxes."

Bradford West Gwillimbury Mayor Rob Keffer

"The province has stated that they don’t plan to directly impose or force any significant changes, including amalgamation, upon us and our municipalities at this time, without our direct input and involvement.

“We must see this as an opportunity for county council to come back together and build on some of the very meaningful ideas that we have considered with respect to improved governance and service delivery efficiency across our region.”

Simcoe County Warden George Cornell

Regional Chairperson Wayne Emmerson

"Throughout the year, York Regional council has provided significant feedback to the Ontario government, standing firm in our support of the region’s two-tier government structure as the most effective means to deliver critical infrastructure and services to our communities and residents. Today, I am pleased with the provincial announcement to help make Ontario municipalities stronger. They have listened to our feedback and committed to having governance, service-delivery and decision making of municipalities left in the hands of local governments. York Region is proud to have a strong culture of continuous improvement. We deliver high-quality programs and services to our residents while continually striving to provide the best value to the taxpayer. Strengthening regional government is a priority for York Regional council. I applaud the Ontario government for committing additional funds to help government leverage further efficiencies. As part of our commitment to innovation, we look forward to working with our provincial partners to further explore ways to optimize service delivery and reduce costs, while at the same time ensuring we continue to build thriving communities for our residents, businesses and visitors.”

York Region chair Wayne Emmerson

"In terms of York Region and Newmarket, it’s good news. We obviously gave this a lot of thought when this issues was put out and I think we feel that, certainly in an Ontario context, that we have a good governance structure in place. We’re efficient, there’s not a lot of duplication or inefficiencies. There is always room for improvement, absolutely and we’ll make use of the funding that’s available. We’re in a position to speak to our constituents as the level of government closest to the people. We’re in the best position to have that conversation and to adjust our governance when and where necessary. That does occur sometimes. The N6 (an alliance of York Region’s northern municipalities to share the delivery of services and save money) was of great interest to the expert panel and I think it stands as an example of how you can go above and beyond the ordinary in an exploration of opportunities and efficiencies in a municipal corporation in going beyond your boundaries, I think most people really highly value the ability to frankly contact John Taylor and say “I need to talk to you about an issue’ and anybody who does that, gets to talk to me. And I hear their issue and try to address it and talk to staff or a ward councillor and we pursue it and I think people really value that direct contact in an age where government is becoming bigger and more distant and we’re still very much on the ground and accessible."

Newmarket Mayor John Taylor

We’re good! No amalgamation with Markham or any other municipality in our future. #ForwardTogether

This is good news for our governments and for our communities.

This announcement comes following an extensive municipal government review, which included more than 8,500 submissions from members of the public and countless meetings with representatives, including myself, from dozens of municipalities.

Here in York Region our municipalities work well together with the shared vision of delivering the most efficient and effective services to our residents and business. We are committed to working with each other and with our communities to identify cost savings and eliminate red tape.

Municipal governments are at the frontline of service-delivery to our community. Each and every day we work hand-in-hand with our residents to ensure that we deliver the best programs and services at the lowest cost to our taxpayers. We continue to be interested in modernization and are dedicated to collaboration and ongoing improvement.

The announcement from the province makes it clear that local communities should decide what’s best for them in terms of governance, decision-making and service delivery. I wholeheartedly agree. Our community knows what’s best. We are grateful for the support of the province in supporting local-decision making and I look forward to moving forward and getting things done here in Aurora.

Tom Mrakas, Regional Councillor