Amalgamation is a top worry

Noting he was “caught off guard” by today’s announcement from Queen’s Park about a review of eight regional governments in Ontario, Durham Region’s newest chairman said he can’t see any amalgamations leading to a more efficient form of regional government.

“I can’t imagine trying to combine a large part of the province into a manageable area,” noted chairman John Henry.

Rumours swirl at Queen’s Park that Durham, York and Peel could be amalgamated. Henry, who won the chairman’s position this past October, noted that area would be bigger than Prince Edward County.

“I can’t imagine adding Durham to neighbouring regions.”

Henry noted regional governments are not allowed to run deficits and already send their budgets to the province for review.

“To drop this announcement as we are doing our budget is very interesting,” Henry said.

He did not oppose the consultation, but noted any review must include the voters.

Pickering Mayor Dave Ryan wasn’t surprised by the provincial announcement.

“It’s been forecast for some time. The premier mentioned it at AMO (Association of Municipalities of Ontario),” Ryan noted.

“We’ll fully participate. It’s a provincial initiative and it will make us all take a hard look at what we’re doing,” the Pickering mayor added.

One concern Ryan has is the possibility of regions or municipalities in regions being amalgamated.

“Anecdotally, they haven’t created great savings. There’s turmoil and angst. There’s no public appetite for amalgamation,” Ryan stated.

Another concern is the short duration of the consultations. The government announced it wants the review completed by the summer.