As the dust settles in the wake of the announcement that Peel Region is dissolving, the chair of Durham Regional Municipality says it’s stronger then ever, with no fear of a similar shift here.
With so many different interconnected services among the municipalities, Chair John Henry says there’s no comparison between the two.
“No one region or one municipality in Durham can stand on their own. It takes the collective of everybody working together to meet the needs of all of our residents,” says Henry.
That’s something with which Whitby, Ont. mayor Elizabeth Roy agrees.
“I don’t see how you can fit a square peg into a round hole when it comes to the two, there’s no comparison,” she said.
On Thursday, the province announced plans to dissolve Peel Region, after years of the municipal leaders advocating for independence. But in Durham, Chair Henry says there have been no concerns about how they run the show.
“What I’m proud to say is Durham is a triple-credit-rating region. We manage our finances well.”
Durham is made up of Brock, Uxbridge and Scugog townships, and Oshawa, Ajax, Pickering, Whitby and Clarington Municipality. It’s also home to the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.
Chair Henry says how they work is much like a popular baked good.
“Picture a pie, and eight slices,” he said. “The region is the pie plate and we hold it all together. But you can’t bake one slice of pie.”
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On top of Durham Regional Police, Region of Durham Paramedics, regional roads and waste water management, Chair Henry says its a symmetry, a relationship built over many years that works.
“EMS, that’s through an area that’s 2500 square kilometeres. Managing long-term care homes in Beaverton, and Whitby and Oshawa. So there’s lots of moving pieces,” says Henry.
This comes after an announcement last year in which Housing Minister Steve Clark gave more detail surrounding their Municipal Governance Act. The legislation was announced in addition to the strong mayoral powers act, all in an effort to figure out how to cut red tape when trying to build housing.
“This will help us best determine the best mix of roles and responsibilities, between the upper and lower-tier municipalities in those regions,” he said.
In that Act, the province has the power to appoint chairs in some regions. At the time, they detailed the power to appoint in Niagara, Peel and York. Now, of course, Peel will be dissolved once the act is passed. But the move will also have them assessing the remaining regional governments — including Durham.
In a statement to Global News, the minister said;
“The province will be appointing facilitators to assess the regional governments in Durham, Halton, Niagara, Waterloo, York and Simcoe County – some of our fastest-growing regions,” he detailed of the plan.
“For example, we know that the population of Durham Region is forecasted to grow to 1.3 million people by 2051.”
“The facilitators will help us identify how we can better support local-decision making in high-growth regions across the province to deliver on the government’s plan to build 1.5 million homes by 2031.”
Local leaders are looking forward to finding a more efficient way of doing things.
“We’re certainly very willing to work together to find efficiencies,” says Mayor Roy.
Durham’s chair says they’re ready for when the province comes knocking.
“We’re ready to meet the facilitators to talk about the region,” he says.
It’s not clear how long it will be before an assessment of the region will begin. But Henry says it’s a relationship he hopes will stay together for years to come.
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