Who's next in line for a breakup? These Ontario regions say they don't want to be split

Heads of Durham, Waterloo, Simcoe Regions say their governments are working fine

cbc.ca
May 23, 2023

Ontario says it will appoint "facilitators" to look at whether cities and towns in six regional governments could become independent, but the heads of at least three of those municipalities say they're not interested in a breakup.

The Ontario government announced its plans for other regional municipalities on the same day it tabled legislation to break apart Peel Region and turn Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon into independent cities.

In a news release on Thursday, the province said facilitators will look at Durham, Halton, Niagara, Simcoe, Waterloo and York Regions. All six are upper-tier municipalities.

But the heads of Durham, Waterloo and Simcoe Regions said the current form of governance in their respective areas is working and that they are delivering services to residents efficiently.

'There have been no concerns raised,' official says
John Henry, regional chair of the Regional Municipality of Durham, said in a statement on Thursday that "there have been no concerns raised about the size or structure" of that regional government.

"Our region and the eight local municipalities have a productive and strong track record of working together to serve our residents. Together, we provide the backbone of service delivery in a two-tier structure that ensures services are planned, funded and delivered in a cost-effective manner; and on a large geographic scale," Henry said.

"This co-operation and accountability allow us to avoid duplication of efforts. Together, we maintain Durham's reputation as a community where equitable, high-quality services are available to everyone."

Karen Redman, regional chair of the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, said in an interview Thursday that a breakup is not needed.

"My first reaction is that we do not want to be split like Peel," Redman said.

"We are looking forward to working with the province and the facilitator, and I expect the facilitator will hear from all of the municipalities about the incredible services at municipal staff provide on a daily basis."

As province looks to split up Peel, what does the future hold for Region of Waterloo?
Redman said the region is "stronger together" and the area has a "strong history of collaboration."

Basil Clarke, warden of the County of Simcoe, said the county works well with its 16 member municipalities and two separated cities.

"The County of Simcoe has, and continues to be, a highly efficient and effective level of government, serving its residents extremely well and working cooperatively with a range of partners and multiple levels of government," Clarke said.

Clarke added that the situation is different in Simcoe County than it is in Peel Region.

"Our structure and governance in Simcoe County is different than larger regions across Ontario because many of our smaller municipalities already face budgetary constraints and challenges with service delivery capacity, such as water and waste water," Clarke said.

'Cookie cutter approach' not likely, regional chair says
In Niagara Region, regional chair Jim Bradley said he doesn't foresee a split but still sees value in the province appointing facilitators.

"They're primarily interested in having housing units built, and what the facilitator will do in our area, as maybe will be the case in some of the areas, is simply try to determine the best way to get the homes built that they want built," he said.

"I don't suspect they are involved in a cookie cutter approach to this."

Wayne Emmerson, chairman and CEO of Regional Municipality of York, said his region welcomes the opportunity to work with the province and all nine cities and towns to consider the best mix of roles and responsibilities

"York Region is proud to have a strong culture of continuous improvement," Emmerson added.

"Our record of delivering critical infrastructure and services to our communities and residents has served as a strength for our organization and will set the foundation for this most recent review of our two-tiered governance model."

The region is also a neighbour to Peel. Emmerson said York will evaluate how Peel's dissolution could affect York, which includes the cities of Vaughan and Markham.

"This includes revisiting current water servicing arrangements with Peel Region and evaluating how regional programs like transit, waste, water and wastewater and emergency services are delivered," he said.

The Regional Municipality of Halton has not yet responded for a request for comment.

Facilitators to look whether government still relevant
In its news release, the province said the facilitators will be tasked with reviewing whether upper-tier governments are still relevant for communities and whether lower-tier municipalities "are mature enough to pursue dissolution."

If the facilitators recommend that a regional municipality should continue in its current form, the government said the facilitators will look at how they can most effectively deal with major issues.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said at a news conference in St. Catharines on Friday that he's been hearing from mayors who want their cities to stand alone.

"The phone calls have been ringing off the hook with other mayors saying, 'Hey, I want my independence,'" Ford told reporters.

Asked which mayors those were, Ford didn't say.

"Well, I'm not going to name names. That's not fair to them. But everyone wants to call their own shots, per se, and I don't disagree with them."