Heads of council meet with special advisors to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing

The following media release has been issued by the Region of Waterloo; cities of Kitchener, Cambridge and Waterloo; the Townships of North Dumfries, Wellesley, Wilmot; and Woolwich Township:  

Today, the heads of council for each local municipality in the Region of Waterloo, including the regional chair, met individually with special advisors to the Honourable Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing as part of the Province of Ontario’s Regional Government Review.

As part of the Province’s review, the special advisors (Michael Fenn and Ken Seiling) were mandated to conduct initial interviews with all regional and local heads of council in early 2019 to elicit their views on an individual basis and to prepare for group consultations in spring 2019.

The mayors and regional chair thanked the advisors for the opportunity to express their local perspectives and ideas with the advisors, including:

• Highlighting that communities within Waterloo region are working well under the current two-tier system in terms of governance, decision-making and service delivery. Under the region’s current system, area municipalities and the Region of Waterloo have a demonstrated history of successful collaboration on shared priorities. This instinctive and embedded culture of collaboration across municipal boundaries has positioned the region as one of Ontario’s strongest economic engines while also providing residents with high quality and affordable public services.
• Emphasizing that they are open to exploring opportunities that would help to: improve municipal service delivery; avoid duplication of activities; reduce costs; optimize infrastructure investments; and position the communities of the region to compete effectively on the global stage – now, and well into the future.
• Stressing that any potential changes the Province may choose must ensure that the region’s urban and rural communities are well represented; recognize their unique identities and history; and that the responsibility and accountability for service delivery is clear and measurably benefits residents.
• Making it clear that the Province must provide a meaningful opportunity for local municipalities, local residents and local businesses to come together to help define our community’s own path toward any outcome the Province decides upon, versus a provincially mandated change.

It is hoped that this was the first in a series of ongoing conversations. The Regional Government Review  was announced by the Province on Jan. 15, 2019 to review the governance, decision-making and service delivery functions of eight regional municipalities, including Waterloo Region.

The Terms of Reference for the Special Advisors can be found on the Province’s website here.

CONTACT:
HEADS OF COUNCIL – WATERLOO REGION MUNICIPALITIES

• Region of Waterloo: Regional Chair Karen Redman, 519-575-4585, kredman@regionofwaterloo.ca
• City of Cambridge: Mayor Kathryn McGarry, 519-740-4517, mcgarryk@cambridge.ca
• City of Kitchener: Mayor Berry Vrbanovic, 519-242-6666, berry.vrbanovic@kitchener.ca
• City of Waterloo: Mayor Dave Jaworsky, 519-886-1550 x8700, mayor@waterloo.ca
• Township of North Dumfries: Mayor Sue Foxton, 519-632-8800 x120, sfoxton@northdumfries.ca
• Township of Wellesley: Mayor Joe Nowak, 519-504-1834, jonowak@regionofwaterloo.ca
• Township of Wilmot: Mayor Les Armstrong, 519-634-8444, les.armstrong@wilmot.ca
• Township of Woolwich: Mayor Sandy Shantz, 519-669-6003, sshantz@woolwich.ca