There will be no amalgamation of Halton, announced the Ontario Conservative government after a regional review that caused serious concerns among Oakville residents. The announcement was made at 8:45 AM on October 25, 2019.
The decision to do a regional review was announced in late 2018 and sparked considerable anxiety across the region. The region along with each of Halton's municipalities came out strongly against any form of amalgamation when the review was announced.
We Love Oakville - No Amalgamation GroupWe Love Oakville - No Amalgamation Group
In Oakville a group of residents came created a group called "We Love Oakville" who advocated strongly against any form of amalgamation.
The province also announced that the it will provide up to $143 million to municipalities to help them lower costs and improve services for local residents over the long term.
Steve Clark, Ontario's Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing stated, "Municipalities are the level of government closest to the people, but every community is different - one size doesn't fit all."
One of the founders of the "We Love Oakville - No Amalgamation", Nancy Robertson responded on Facebook with, "HOLY SMOKES! Big news this morning from the Provincial Government. Hurray to We Love Oakville who fought so hard to bring attention to this."
The 2nd top read story in 2019 posted by OakvilleNews.Org was by Nancy Robertson - "From We Love Oakville - Stop Amalgamation"
"There will be NO Amalgamation, as has been my belief all along," stated Oakville MPP Stephen Crawford. Mr. Crawford had been facing significant pressure from the community to resist any attempt by the Conservative government to amalgamate Halton and dissolve the Town of Oakville.
“Thanks to Premier Ford and Minister Clark for recognizing that Halton Region is a safe community, with low taxes, the highest credit rating and where 97 per cent of residents are satisfied with the quality of Halton Region services,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. “We appreciate the Minister’s recognition that municipalities are best positioned to determine what works for their communities and for not imposing a top down approach."
The Government of Ontario news release: Ontario Helping Make Municipalities Stronger