Amalgamation

[Spokes]

Interesting point.

I only ask this as someone who doesn't use the programs a lot, but are they that locally specific?

[tomh009]

And the city libraries do local things specific to neighbourhoods as well. Acting local doesn't mean that it has to be a separate organization in each city.

But merging the fire departments would be an excellent first step before considering anything else.

[danbrotherston]

Interesting point.  

I only ask this as someone who doesn't use the programs a lot, but are they that locally specific?

For example, the region library provides rural services in a really specific way, i.e., short hours libraries, mobile libraries.

As tomh009 mentioned city libraries do local community things.

It's not impossible to keep these things in a larger organization, but it is easy to lose, especially when focusing on achieving efficiency gains (which won't always be realized if local context must be kept).

Fire sounds like a good example to me, but I don't really know for sure--I'm not an expert, or even really spent any time researching it.  I know rural fire fighting is different from city, I could be missing other things...I shouldn't assume that I know, even though I usually do.

A great example IMO is citizen point of contact.  Right now I have to know what city I'm in, whether the road I'm calling about is regional or city, and how that particular jurisdiction deals with the particular type of issue I'm calling about.  Something that I think would eliminate the majority of calls for amalgamation would be to provide a unified regional contact centre that a citizen can call with any issue, and have that regional contact centre do the proper dispatching.

Yes, not exactly gaining efficiency in government cost, but gaining efficiency in providing better service.

[Spokes]

Well here we go again:  

The Record ran an article asking the question: Should Waterloo Region be one big city?

https://www.therecord.com/news-story/890...big-city-/

I love how they imply that the 2010 election saw a vote on merging - when it was actually a vote to talk about the possibility of merging

[panamaniac]

Although Ford did allude briefly to Ottawa the other day, I don't think he really has anything other than Toronto in his crosshairs, for reasons largely unrelated to effective municipal governance.

[Xiaoming]

Highway 401 separates Cambridge from Kitchener-Waterloo.

[Spokes]

But it's still part of this region, no?

[timio]

Highway 401 separates Cambridge from Kitchener-Waterloo.

With the exception of Hespeler

[panamaniac]

Highway 401 separates Cambridge from Kitchener-Waterloo.

With the exception of Hespeler

And the whole chunk of Cambridge that's north of the 401, although that's separated by the Grand River, I guess.  Is that considered part of Preston, Hespeler, or "other"?

[KevinL]

Highway 401 separates Cambridge from Kitchener-Waterloo.

Hespeler would like a word.

[Coke6pk]

Expressway cuts through both Kitchener and Waterloo and no one uses that as an excuse to separate the cities.... Unless Xiaming's comment meant something else....

Coke

[Spokes]

D'Amato preaching Amalgamation:  https://www.therecord.com/opinion-story/...t-s-merge/

[panamaniac]

If she's concerned, she should move to Waterloo and take up the campaign. It's entirely up to them, unless the Province steps in.

[Spokes]

As long as it's a decision to be made by the people who live here, it won't happen. I genuinely believe that unless forced to do so, we won't see it in my lifetime.

[tomh009]

We can do it gradually, giving the region more powers, step by step. It's time for the region to take on fire services, to start.