Offer Premier Ford solid regional reforms
There are times when the best defence is a strong, aggressive offence.
For all the local politicians trying to prevent Doug Ford from rolling Waterloo Region’s eight municipal governments into one big, supercity ball, this is one of those times.
If they don’t want to be dictated to by the provincial government, if they hope to fend off amalgamation, they need to put something meaningful on the table to satisfy the premier’s demands for change — fast.
Unfortunately, that’s exactly what the seven city and township mayors along with regional chair Karen Redman failed to do last week at a meeting with the provincial advisers on municipal reform.
Our leaders insisted the system is firing on all cylinders and that Ford should not mess with this success. While open to possible reform, they offered no concrete suggestions for what that might entail. Moreover, they asked to have a lead hand in implementing any reforms the province eventually decides upon, which based on past performance would end in political gridlock.
Sorry. This isn’t good enough. Our municipal leaders shouldn’t simply justify what we have today. They need to justify what they want this region to look like in the future.
Yes, Waterloo Region can boast a dynamic economy, livable communities and huge opportunities for its people. But without being unfair to our current, often confusing two-tier system of government, it’s not the major reason for that success.
Surely being an hour from Canada’s biggest city — Toronto — on Canada’s busiest highway — the 401 — and the region’s reputation for hard work and entrepreneurship make it a desirable place to locate. Surely our world-renowned schools of engineering, math and computer studies laid the foundations for our burgeoning tech sector in a way that having 59 municipal politicians, seven local fire departments and four local library systems did not.
We would give the seven mayors and regional chair credit for being open to municipal reforms. They would serve their cause better by listing specific areas where reform could happen, where money might be saved and operations streamlined.
Why don’t they agree to a change recommended by no fewer than five previous reviews, for instance? Why don’t they empower the regional government to take over the entire water system instead of splitting water services among six municipal governments, as we do today?
We can and should use this as a generational opportunity to overhaul Waterloo Region to meet the challenges of the 21st century. What if the regional government handled the so-called “hard” services, such as water, public transit and waste disposal while the cities and townships managed “soft” services such as parks and recreation?
Those who consider this too big a leap should consider the alternative. Premier Ford wants change. In his lightning-fast cut to the size of Toronto city council, Ford showed he will act quickly, decisively and unilaterally.
The fact that he initiated the current review of municipal governments in places such as the regions of Waterloo, Niagara, York, Peel and Durham indicates he expects something significant to follow. Can anyone imagine this premier saying, when the review report is written, that what we have now is Utopia and no further action is required?
Ford is not going away. Waterloo Region’s municipal leaders need to see where he is taking us and then try to help direct this journey in a positive, meaningful way. Amalgamation is not and should not be a foregone conclusion. But the less our local politicians do to provide Ford with real options and solutions, the more inevitable Amalgamation Day will become.