By Staff
January 15th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government has announced a review of regional governments in Ontario.
Burlington is a part of the Regional government of Halton, which is made up of Burlington, Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills.
During the October municipal election then Mayor Goldring suggested that Burlington annex Waterdown, which is part of Hamilton. Little did Rick Goldring know that Doug Ford had a bigger plan in mind.
If the Premier wants to break up the Regional governments – the four municipalities that make up Halton are not going to become stand-alone municipalities – they will be added on to existing large government.
So where do the small Halton municipalities end up?
Burlington becomes part of Hamilton; Milton becomes part of either Guelph or Peel; Halton Hills becomes part of Guelph and Oakville becomes part of Mississauga.
You heard it here first.
Here is the really interesting part.
Each of the 24 members of the Regional government get half of their pay cheque from the Region. Watch the scrambling when the rubber hits the road on that decision.
Will the members of this city council still want to serve for basically half the money?
Burlington’s six council members are both municipal and Regional representatives. Will they still want the job for something in the order of $50,000?
The Region is in the process of consolidating all its offices into the space vacated by the Regional Police; will contracts still be issued?
The Ontario government is reviewing the province’s eight regional municipalities with the goal of making them more efficient. In a news release Tuesday, the province said it was appointing Michael Fenn (a former city of Burlington city manager) and Ken Seiling as special advisers to ensure the regional governments “are working efficiently and effectively.”
If the Regional government is broken up – what will happen to the Regional Police; what will happen to the Halton District School Board and the Catholic school Boards?
A lot of questions and a lot of disruption.
Burlington will still exist as a community; it will become a part of a larger area government.
We are about to feel and go through the pain Toronto went through when it was down sized.
I doubt that amalgamation will take place in Halton for both practical and political reasons. First of all, I think the demarcation of services between the two levels of government in Halton is practical and cost efficient. In addition, the communities within Halton have their own specific needs and foci. Already the amalgamation in Halton between rural and urban has created enough irritants, although not to the extent that they have become a major flashpoint in Hamiilton-Wentworth. Secondly, Halton is represented by a number of Conservative MPP’s who undoubtedly will give voice to the practical divisions noted previously and who in representing ridings that traditionally have a record of electing Conservatives won’t want to upset the apple-cart. Halton is very different that the one-tier, largely socialist quagmire that is Toronto. I’m not foreseeing any changes here.
If it happens, and who knows with this government, I would think there might be great interest in grabbing Milton with its annual multi-million dollar contribution from the Mohawk Racetrack slots.