Doug Ford names one of his toughest critics to help lead the breakup of Peel Region

As an independent fiscal watchdog reporting to the legislature, Peter Weltman has been a thorn in the side of Ford’s government for the past five years.

Thestar.com
July 6, 2023
Robert Benzie

Premier Doug Ford has turned to one of his government’s toughest critics to help dissolve Peel Region and make Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon stand-alone cities.

Peter Weltman, whose term as the province’s financial accountability officer ended on May 6, is part of a five-member transition team announced Wednesday by Municipal Affairs Minister Steve Clark.

As an independent fiscal watchdog reporting to the legislature, Weltman has been a thorn in the side of Ford’s Progressive Conservatives for the past five years.

Clark has struck a panel -- chaired by Toronto’s former deputy city manager John Livey -- with decades of municipal experience.

Livey, who also served as chief administrative officer for the Town of Markham and York Region’s planning commissioner, faces a daunting task as the mayors of Mississauga and Brampton squabble over a complicated civic divorce.

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown warned his city’s taxpayers “deserve fairness and compensation” after shouldering the cost of more than $1 billion of policing and water-treatment infrastructure located in Mississauga.

“Brampton will never tolerate the mayor of Mississauga having a free ride on our residents’ pocket books. This isn’t Canada’s Wonderland,” said Brown.

But Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie, also the front-runner for the Dec. 2 Ontario Liberal leadership, welcomed dissolution, noting it will save her residents, who subsidize services in Brampton and Caledon, about $84 million a year.

“The board brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise from diverse professional and municipal backgrounds, and their appointment is a positive step forward in this important process,” said Crombie.

“Our hope is to work closely with the members to ensure a seamless transition that is transparent, fair and in the best interests of all our communities,” she said.

Caledon Mayor Annette Groves has lamented that her town -- with a population of 76,581 in the 2021 census compared to 717,961 for Mississauga and 656,480 for Brampton -- is “the child” in this divorce.

Against that backdrop, the municipal affairs minister is mindful of the tricky task at hand.

“Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon are poised for significant growth over the next decade, and our government is making sure they have the tools required to prepare,” said Clark.

“The five members that have agreed to serve on the transition board bring an impressive range of experience that will help ensure the dissolution process is carried out with minimal disruption for residents and employees and in a manner that leaves all three municipalities well-positioned for future growth,” he said.

Also on the panel are former Toronto interim city manager Tracey Cook, former York Regional Police chief Eric Jolliffe, and lawyer Sean Morley.

In May, Ford confirmed Peel Region, which was created in 1974, would cease to exist on Jan. 1, 2025 in order to reduce red tape to enable housing and transit to be built more quickly by clearing planning roadblocks.

But that means determining how to deliver policing, garbage collection, social services, public health, water treatment and roadworks in three municipalities and dissolving a 24-member regional council.

Clark said the new panel will forge a blueprint for unwinding Peel while ensuring “the continuation of high-quality local services without interruption during the transition period and into the future.”