Mayor Doug Measures is pleased with Minister Steve Clark’s announcement that “local communities should decide what is best for them in terms of governance, decision-making and service delivery”. The Ontario Government announced Friday that after an extensive review of regional government, they will not pursue a top-down approach, instead, committing to “empowering municipalities to become more efficient and effective” stated Minister Clark’s release.
In addition to providing funding through the 2020 Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund, Ontario will be considering aligning the municipal and provincial fiscal years and eliminating duplication by combining the provincial and municipal voters’ lists.
Mayor Measures is optimistic about this proposal, stating, “In my first Provincial Ministers delegation as Mayor, I met with Minister Clark to discuss the concerns raised about the Voters List after our Clerk had many complicated discrepancies to deal with during our election. Minister Clark was supportive of our ask to combine the Provincial List with the Municipal List and appoint Elections Ontario as the lead approval agency. I could see that Minister Clark truly understands Municipal government and listened to our suggestions. The Regional Government Review has brought us forward in Municipal cooperation and endorsed the suggestions from the County of Simcoe that we are fully capable to serve the citizens and residents.”
This was echoed by the County of Simcoe in their release Friday, which stated that the extension of the provincial modernization fund is a positive opportunity to shape the future of the growing municipalities within Simcoe County.
“Our community of Clearview Township is a good neighbour. We have built positive relations with our bordering communities and across the Counties of Simcoe & Grey. That’s what we do in Rural Ontario!” said Mayor Doug Measures.
For more information, please contact:
Doug Measures | Steve Sage |