There will be no 'City of Halton,' says Burlington mayor

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward says there will “absolutely not be a City of Halton.”

She told BurlingtonToday that Burlington council has agreed to support an assessment of Halton Region and be an active participant in that process, after passing a motion at its May 16 meeting.

“Everything else is on the table,” she said, adding things like transit could be uploaded to the Region and other things downloaded, “but it must deliver better service for better value.”

On Nov. 15, 2022, the Province introduced Bill 39, a provincial review of regional governments. Since then, it has appointed provincial facilitators to assess regional governments to determine the best mix of roles and responsibilities between the upper and lower-tier municipalities for Durham, Halton, Niagara, Peel, Waterloo and York.

Burlington council’s motion to work collaboratively with the Province comes on the heels of the announcement earlier this week that Peel Region will be dissolved, and the cities of Brampton and Mississauga will be independent.

The focus of Bill 39 aligns with the province’s commitment to build 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years to address the housing supply crisis in Ontario.

Council supports the priority given by staff of Halton Region and the four local municipalities, including the City of Burlington, to work collaboratively to address the implications for land use planning services should the Region of Halton no longer be considered a municipal jurisdiction with land-use planning authority under the More Homes Built Faster Act. This process would include the transfer of regional and conservation authority responsibilities to Burlington, Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills.

Burlington City Council is committed and prepared to actively participate, the mayor added.

“If there’s better value, okay,” Meed Ward said. “But don’t fix what’s not broken. I want to see how it will benefit the residents for the long term.”

She said an evaluation of the major services is a good thing, as it would look at who should have ultimate control and avoid duplication.

“They need to demonstrate that the community will be better off,” Meed Ward added, in terms of making any changes to service delivery.

Halton Region serves Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton and Oakville and is governed by a 24-member council that includes those areas' mayors and coucillors under the leadership of chair Gary Carr.

BurlingtonToday reached out to Carr, who did not immediately respond to provide comment on the process.

Halton Hills Mayor Ann Lawlor echoed Meed Ward’s position, and agreed: “Don’t fix something that isn’t broken.

“Yes, we will cooperate; we’re always interested in finding more efficient and effective ways to serve local residents,” she said. “We’ll be on board, but the Region of Halton has been an effective partnership and effective level of government, with a triple A credit rating. We have a cooperative relationship with all the municipalities in the Region. We have valued the relationship we have, and work well together. And, we want to make growth happen in as efficient a way as possible.”

Lawlor said it would be nearly impossible for Halton Hills to grow and accommodate the new housing the province expects without the Region.

“Halton Hills is going to be doing the same with shovels in the ground in the next few years,” she said. “We are counting on the management and the infrastructure the Region provides. We need the Region to help manage that significant growth. If they’re not here to do that, we will be hard-pressed to manage those growth expectations.

"We need all these houses, but without roads and sewers and streetlights, without that, it’s just a bunch of houses in a field.”