Doug Ford reviewing municipal governments now?
I don't know if this is just a stab to make the Toronto meddling look more appropriate or if Doug Ford just hates letting anyone govern anything unless he's the one doing it.
Let me save him the time; he will find that some municipalities are inefficient. If he actually cared about the people though, he would find that many actually WANT it that way. It isn't really that they want to be inefficient as much as it is that they don't want to be part of a larger municipality whose needs and wants vary too much from their own. Think "big city elitists" vs. "average joe".
Amusingly, Ford is now meddling with his base. The major cities largely voted against Ford. It was in the smaller regions where the votes were worth disproportionately more that Ford won his victory. And, it is these exact places which don't WANT to amalgamate with larger municipalities. I know because I live in Barrie.
For those who don't know, Barrie is a city about an hour north of Toronto. It is geographically part of Simcoe Country. But, it more or less operates as its own entity. The rest of Simcoe Country doesn't want the sort of aggressive development plans Barrie has used. They are happy with smaller populations, more farm land and nature. They are happy without the same amenities. And they are happy if the amenities they do have cost more for less. It isn't about tax efficiency. It is about lifestyle.
And that is the crux of this. Just as provincial governance has lead to individual provinces within Canada which have their own image and feel which separates them from the rest of Canada, there is also a municipal layer. Each region within Ontario also has its own image. It's own feel.
Not to mention, each region has it's own physical differences. Some regions are mostly unpaved roads. Some have marshes. Some have longer and harsher winters. Some are flat. Some are mountainous.
I know people in many of the areas outside Barrie within Simcoe County... and I can tell you, they don't want bigger entities messing with their taxes or governance. They like things the way they are.
And, they should. Like I said, there are both tangible and intangible benefits in every town and city. Smaller, municipal governments give more power back to the people. It allows them to have a democratic voice that might actually make a difference. Amalgamate a town 10,000 in with Barrie with a population of over 200,000 and all of a sudden, their voice means nothing.
Each tax dollar spent is likely to go further, but, the actual taxation will increase. That's because bigger cities tend to support more services. So, while individual tax amounts may be lower. The increased number of things being paid for means over all tax increases.
I'm interested to see what effect this has on how people view Ford. By all rights, this should crater his chances for re-election. This is effectively an attack on the lifestyle of his base.
Let me save him the time; he will find that some municipalities are inefficient. If he actually cared about the people though, he would find that many actually WANT it that way. It isn't really that they want to be inefficient as much as it is that they don't want to be part of a larger municipality whose needs and wants vary too much from their own. Think "big city elitists" vs. "average joe".
Amusingly, Ford is now meddling with his base. The major cities largely voted against Ford. It was in the smaller regions where the votes were worth disproportionately more that Ford won his victory. And, it is these exact places which don't WANT to amalgamate with larger municipalities. I know because I live in Barrie.
For those who don't know, Barrie is a city about an hour north of Toronto. It is geographically part of Simcoe Country. But, it more or less operates as its own entity. The rest of Simcoe Country doesn't want the sort of aggressive development plans Barrie has used. They are happy with smaller populations, more farm land and nature. They are happy without the same amenities. And they are happy if the amenities they do have cost more for less. It isn't about tax efficiency. It is about lifestyle.
And that is the crux of this. Just as provincial governance has lead to individual provinces within Canada which have their own image and feel which separates them from the rest of Canada, there is also a municipal layer. Each region within Ontario also has its own image. It's own feel.
Not to mention, each region has it's own physical differences. Some regions are mostly unpaved roads. Some have marshes. Some have longer and harsher winters. Some are flat. Some are mountainous.
I know people in many of the areas outside Barrie within Simcoe County... and I can tell you, they don't want bigger entities messing with their taxes or governance. They like things the way they are.
And, they should. Like I said, there are both tangible and intangible benefits in every town and city. Smaller, municipal governments give more power back to the people. It allows them to have a democratic voice that might actually make a difference. Amalgamate a town 10,000 in with Barrie with a population of over 200,000 and all of a sudden, their voice means nothing.
Each tax dollar spent is likely to go further, but, the actual taxation will increase. That's because bigger cities tend to support more services. So, while individual tax amounts may be lower. The increased number of things being paid for means over all tax increases.
I'm interested to see what effect this has on how people view Ford. By all rights, this should crater his chances for re-election. This is effectively an attack on the lifestyle of his base.
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