Critics of our government’s review of regional governance are claiming that we have already made up our minds on the outcome of this review. That is simply not true. The following appeared recently on the website of We Love Oakville:
“The Ford Government wants to scrap Oakville and merge it with Burlington, Milton and Halton Hills to create a new MEGACITY of HALTON.”
This is a categorically false and misleading statement.
Ontario's system of regional government has been in place for almost 50 years, without any significant review. In fact, Halton Region was formed in 1974 with a population of around 200,000. Today, we are fortunate to live in a wonderful community of more than 580,000, with needs that have changed and grown over time.
I want to clarify that the outcomes of the review are not predetermined. The government has made it clear that we have a duty to ensure best value for your tax dollars. Our focus is on the task at hand: taking the time to better understand how regional government structures are currently functioning and in what ways we can improve governance, decision-making and the delivery of the municipal services residents rely on.
Like you, my family and I are proud to call Oakville our home. My wife and I live and work in Oakville, and our children attend publicly funded schools, and participate in community sports and activities in Oakville. We are fortunate to live in such a wonderful community with so many engaged citizens who are passionate about Oakville.
I am honoured to represent our community as your Member of Provincial Parliament. Let me be perfectly clear, I love Oakville and I believe that we will remain a distinct municipality in a two-tier Halton as a result of this review.
I have always aimed to be accessible to constituents and responsive to their needs. It is for this reason that I have prepared a petition to the Ontario Legislative Assembly which advocates for Oakville to remain a distinct municipality in a two-tier Region of Halton. Oakville residents are encouraged to consider signing this petition at my constituency office: 74 Rebecca Street, Unit A, Oakville.