{"id":18254,"date":"2023-06-15T12:19:19","date_gmt":"2023-06-15T19:19:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/markham-mayor-calls-for-york-region-to-become-one-city-cites-potential-savings\/"},"modified":"2023-06-15T12:19:21","modified_gmt":"2023-06-15T19:19:21","slug":"markham-mayor-calls-for-york-region-to-become-one-city-cites-potential-savings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/markham-mayor-calls-for-york-region-to-become-one-city-cites-potential-savings\/","title":{"rendered":"Markham mayor calls for York Region to become one city, cites potential savings"},"content":{"rendered":"

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MARKHAM, ONT. \u2014 The mayor of Markham is asking the province to consolidate the 10 municipal governments of\u00a0York\u00a0Region, including his, into one city.<\/p>\n

Mayor Frank Scarpitti says the move would bring significant savings and streamline governance.<\/p>\n

York\u00a0Region\u00a0currently has 77 municipal representatives for 1.2 million people, Scarpitti said, while the City of Toronto has 26 municipal representatives for three million residents.<\/p>\n

The municipalities in\u00a0York\u00a0Region\u00a0need an updated governance model, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cConsolidating into one city would result in significant savings in both operating and capital budgets,\u201d Scarpitti wrote in a statement released Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe there are greater benefits to consolidating services in\u00a0York\u00a0Region\u00a0than maintaining the status quo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scarpitti noted that the province recently examined the governance of Peel\u00a0Region\u00a0\u2013 Ontario brought in legislation to break up the\u00a0region\u00a0\u2013 and argued that there was \u201cno rationale\u201d to maintain the status quo in\u00a0York\u00a0Region.<\/p>\n

He also said\u00a0York\u00a0Region\u2019s communities already share school boards, hospitals and services like police, EMS and transit.<\/p>\n

Aurora Mayor Tom Mrakas said he was strongly opposed to the amalgamation of his and other\u00a0York\u00a0municipalities into a mega city.<\/p>\n

He said that each of\u00a0York\u2019s municipalities benefit from their distinct services and programs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is quite disappointing that Mayor Scarpitti made such a statement \u2013 on such a complex issue that has a significant impact on peoples\u2019 lives \u2013 before reaching out to all\u00a0York\u00a0Region\u00a0mayors to better understand their perspectives,\u201d Mrakas wrote in a statement.<\/p>\n

The province announced last year that it would be appointing facilitators to assess several regional governments, including\u00a0York\u00a0Region, and look at the best mix of roles between upper-tier and lower-tier municipalities with an eye to expanding \u201cstrong mayor\u201d powers beyond Toronto and Ottawa.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark told the Canadian Press on Wednesday that facilitators for several regions, including\u00a0York, will be named \u201cin the coming weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the review process has not yet begun, the province has no intention of unilaterally imposing amalgamations on municipalities in these areas,\u201d Victoria Podbielski said.<\/p>\n

York\u00a0Region\u00a0is located north of Toronto and stretches north to Lake Simcoe.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0York.<\/p>\n

The City of Markham has more than 350,000 residents, according to its website.<\/p>\n

\u00a9 2023 The Canadian Press<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n