Scarborough-Agincourt ward councillor Norm Kelly is speaking out against a petition calling for Scarborough to formally separate from the City of Toronto.
Kelly called the petition “ridiculous” on Twitter after learning about the proposal.
In an interview with Global News, Kelly doubled down on that assertion and had a message for supporters of the petition: “Do your homework.”
“Amalgamation, frankly, was misunderstood,” Kelly said.
“If you’re informed, you know that amalgamation has worked out, not only for the city as a whole, but for Scarborough in particular.”
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Robert McDermott, a local realtor, is leading the charge to have Scarborough formally separate from Toronto.
McDermott created the Free Scarborough Campaign because amalgamation hasn’t benefited the east-end community, according to a statement on the campaign’s Facebook page.
“Taxes have continually increased, services have declined, transit fares have jumped and our city hall has moved to downtown Toronto,” the statement read.
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The Facebook page also said the community’s priorities are different from the rest of the city.
“While people in Scarborough are interested in garbage collection, transit and fixing our roads, people in downtown Toronto are interested in waterfront development, social services and culture,” it said.
About 50 people have signed McDermott’s Change.org petition as of Monday afternoon.
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