Amalgamation ... it's coming!

It's coming and we'd better figure out how to do it or the province will do it for us. We know the Province wants a City of Northumberland with only 12 councillors and probably seven wards. Is that what we want?

Amalgamation discussion has been around since 1967. County Council has been at it since 1974. Cobourg and Hamilton Township tried it in 1989. The towns of Campbellford and Seymour actually achieved it in 1997. The Province has now told the municipalities in the county to get a local plan adopted by December 31st. The Province has four goals: reduce politicians, reduce municipalities, reduce taxes and increase accountability! However inside those goals is a carrot……do it
yourself and we will not bother you. Given the policy directive that municipal size should be no less that 50,000 people we in West Northumberland do have a choice: the City of Northumberland or a City of West Northumberland.

Let me establish my credentials: this is one time I have to declare my bias. I have been an active participant in restructuring since 1978, well before most of the present crop of politicians entered office, so I am extremely interested in the topic. My role in 1978 was to help persuade the NDP critic for municipal affairs, Mike Breough, of the merits of the County of Northumberland Act, (the NDP held the balance of power in that legislative session). I remember it well, Wilf Day and me explaining that this act was not "regional government". We succeeded and the Act was ready to be passed: a two-tier system of county government with seven amalgamated municipalities. But, on the day of proposed passage the County Council voted the motion down and the act was not introduced. We have been talking amalgamation ever since.

If the meeting held on the 8th of November, where the County Councilors had an opportunity to be lectured by the Deputy Minister of Municipal Affairs, about the need for speed, is any indication this crop of municipal leaders will still be bickering and whining for another thirty-six years. For example, the Reeve of Haldimand Township got up to complain that correspondence and action from the Province takes months, if not years to complete, but his township can do it in a night by calling a meeting! The Mayor of Cobourg, by her first remark demonstrated why the rest of the County hates Cobourg's superiority attitude. "I am pleased that you chose Cobourg to have this meeting in" she told the Deputy Minister, "Because we think this is the best place for it!" Charles DeGaulle could not have shown more chauvinism on a Bastille Day parade than that.

Given this acrimonious background I attended the next County Council meeting, and learned that they only meet one more time this year and that's to elect a Warden! Don't expect much progress, but then that's what the rural majority wants .. nothing. Their idea of restructuring is for the Minister to create a City of Northumberland, the county administration would rule us all and nothing would change and then they could blame the Minister for doing it..

There are better ways but do not expect our politicians to show us the way, egos, fiefdoms and prestige stand in the way of progress. This topic is too important for the politicians to decide, the public must be involved, the public must demand that Town Hall meetings be held, discussion papers be read and debated because if this doesn't happen we will wake up one day and find that the County has taken over.
 

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