Doug Ford understands Vaughan's desire for independence

Radio-Canada.ca
June 22, 2023

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he understands why Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca wants the Regional Municipality of York, of which he is a part, to be dissolved. Such a move, he says, could make city governments more efficient.

Steven Del Duca, Doug Ford's former opponent in provincial politics, said yesterday that he would like to explore the possibility of his municipality being completely autonomous, as the cities of Brampton and Mississauga will be by 2025 .

Vaughan currently occupies the lower order of government and therefore does not manage police services, for example, or social housing services. The Regional Municipality of York does that.

Many cities would like to become independent and I do not blame them , explained Doug Ford at a press conference on Wednesday. Facilitators will soon be appointed to determine the effectiveness of seven regional municipalities, including York.

Such a change in governance is necessary, justified Mayor Del Duca, since 31% of the revenue collected from taxation in the municipality comes from Vaughan. Vaughan needs a governance model that reflects its assessment as a sophisticated and prosperous city , says a motion by Mayor Del Duca introduced at a council meeting Tuesday.

I don't see it as a divorce , said the mayor in an interview on Wednesday, clarifying that he believes that certain services could continue to be shared. But the idea that we need two orders of government is outdated , he continued.

Western University political science professor Zack Taylor notes, however, that not all townships in York benefit from being part of the region equally, especially the smaller ones which are more rural. York Region is not going anywhere , the professor predicts.

Dissatisfied

Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti agrees with Steven Del Duca that his government could deliver services more efficiently to the public. But Steven Del Duca notes his York Region counterpart has a 180 degree view of his.

Frank Scarpitti wants the municipalities in the area to merge and become one big city . According to the mayor, certain services to citizens would be of better quality if they were consolidated, as is the case for public transport in his region.

We would never have quality transit service in York Region if the cities had their own systems , thinks Frank Scarpitti. Steven Del Duca, for his part, feels that some services offered throughout the region are not working as well as they could.

Even before appointing its facilitators, the province began to interfere in regional politics. In June, she announced the dissolution of the Municipality of Peel , which includes the cities of Brampton and Mississauga.
Part of the Faster Building More Homes Act, the Ford government has taken planning powers away from seven regional municipalities, including the regions of York, Durham and Halton, and given them to the towns forming part of it.