Markham mayor calls for York Region to become one city, cites potential savings

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This article was published 14/06/2023 (1200 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The mayor of Markham is asking the province to consolidate the 10 municipal governments of York Region, including his, into one city.

Mayor Frank Scarpitti says the move would bring significant savings and streamline governance.

York Region currently has 77 municipal representatives for 1.2 million people, Scarpitti said, while the City of Toronto has 26 municipal representatives for three million residents.

The municipalities in York Region need an updated governance model, he said.

“Consolidating into one city would result in significant savings in both operating and capital budgets,” Scarpitti wrote in a statement released Wednesday.

“I believe there are greater benefits to consolidating services in York Region than maintaining the status quo.”

Scarpitti noted that the province recently examined the governance of Peel Region – Ontario brought in legislation to break up the region – and argued that there was “no rationale” to maintain the status quo in York Region.

He also said York Region’s communities already share school boards, hospitals and services like police, EMS and transit.

Aurora Mayor Tom Mrakas said he was strongly opposed to the amalgamation of his and other York municipalities into a mega city.

He said that each of York’s municipalities benefit from their distinct services and programs.

“It is quite disappointing that Mayor Scarpitti made such a statement – on such a complex issue that has a significant impact on peoples’ lives – before reaching out to all York Region mayors to better understand their perspectives,” Mrakas wrote in a statement.

The province announced last year that it would be appointing facilitators to assess several regional governments, including York Region, and look at the best mix of roles between upper-tier and lower-tier municipalities with an eye to expanding “strong mayor” powers beyond Toronto and Ottawa.

A spokesperson for Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark told the Canadian Press on Wednesday that facilitators for several regions, including York, will be named “in the coming weeks.”

“While the review process has not yet begun, the province has no intention of unilaterally imposing amalgamations on municipalities in these areas,” Victoria Podbielski said.

York Region is located north of Toronto and stretches north to Lake Simcoe.

It is made up of the communities of Aurora, East Gwillimbury, Georgina, King, Markham, Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Vaughan, Whitchurch-Stouffville and the Regional Municipality of York.

The City of Markham has more than 350,000 residents, according to its website.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 14, 2023.

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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.