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Tillsonburg's regional review committee reaches out

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One tier government, two tiers, or something all together different.

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Does it matter in Tillsonburg? Do you want to give your opinion or hear what other people think? You can at tonight’s 6-8 p.m. open house at the Tillsonburg Community Centre.

The Ontario Government is reviewing Oxford County, one of eight regional governments going under the microscope in terms of governance, decision-making and service delivery.

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In an effort to present their own ‘Made in Tillsonburg’ viewpoint, Tillsonburg Council recently created a Regional Review committee that includes three members of council – Mayor Stephen Molnar and Councillors Deb Gilvesy and Chris Parker – and three members of the community representing the Chamber of Commerce, BIA and Economic Development Committee – that will submit a report to the Minister.

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“We had preliminary discussions, we all brought forward our own ideas,” said Councillor Chris Parker. “The committee has to stay along the lines of a two-tier government with Oxford, and finding efficiencies. However the committee agreed we need to come together with our other options if that is not possible. It was a very productive meeting.

“We still need to come together to decide what our options are going to be. That is going to be based on what we hear at the community engagement meeting on Thursday. We’re going to be taking the information we have, as well as what we hear from the community.”

THURSDAY OPEN HOUSE

The new Tillsonburg committee is also seeking input from the broader community – the public has been invited to an open house, Thursday, May 16, at the Senior Centre Auditorium where the community can give its feedback on the efficiency, effectiveness and cost of the various municipal services that the upper-tier (Oxford County) and lower-tier (Town of Tillsonburg) municipalities provide.

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“We want to hear from the people, from the town, that’s why we’re having the public open house,” said Councillor Deb Gilvesy. “I would encourage people to please come out. This may be one of the most important decisions that is going to be made, that is going to affect everyone.”

“I think it is probably the greatest (importance),” Parker agreed. “The people, the taxpayers, they would be essentially losing if they were to go to a one-tier government. They would essentially be losing the power to elect people to govern the town. We would have less representatives at the County level than we have on Town Council, so we would have less opportunity to have decisions made for us here. We do not want to see ourselves end up like Norfolk County. We want to ensure that the stuff we have built in town, stays within the community. If not – if Tillsonburg is not governing Tillsonburg – there is a chance that we would lose facilities.”

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“We want to hear from the public,” Gilvesy stressed. “I have a few times put it on social media saying ‘please call me or email me your thoughts’ and I have had different people email me their thoughts.”

Oxford County supports the current two-tier system, but a one-tier system, similar to Norfolk County, or merging of municipalities similar to Essex County, might be something the provincial government is looking at.

“You have to think back to what the government is saying… less politicians, less red tape. The red tape seems to be a big one, and inefficiencies. If you’re planning a subdivision, how do you make things easier. They want to make things faster and easier.

“At this point, being a one-tier Oxford government would be the biggest fear because there would be such a disconnect in the south end. I’ve already had a lot of people say that. Can you imagine if it was one tier?

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“The committee is looking at alternative options and this is why we want to hear from the public who may have ideas they can bring forward.

“The survey really outlines what they are looking for,” she noted. “They are asking questions like, ‘Do you think your lower tier and upper tier are handing down decisions in a timely manner?’ And ‘is it an efficient system?’ The survey (https://www.ontario.ca/form/survey-regional-government-review) helps identify the different things they are looking at.

“Even if you don’t feel comfortable answering the survey questions, there is an area where you can comment. Or you can just email comments directly. Do you think your tax dollars are being spent efficiently? Do you think services are giving you value for your money?

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“I am a believer that if you sit back and you don’t put any palatable options forward, you’re going to get the option that the government decides for you. What’s the easiest for them? I am very fearful of that.”

“There’s a deadline to submit to the Regional Review Panel (May 21), but you can still submit directly to the Minister after that deadline,” Gilvesy noted. “The two individuals on the Regional Review Committee will be making recommendations to the Minister moving forward.”

Individuals will have a maximum of 10 minutes to present, although Gilvesy anticipated most presentations would be three minutes or less.

Individuals are encouraged to pre-register by emailing clerks@tillsonburg.ca or by calling 519-688-3009 ext. 3221. Those who pre-register will be given priority and will be called upon in the order in which they pre-registered. Once all pre-registered individuals have been given an opportunity to present, any individuals who did not pre-register will be invited to speak. Participants are asked to provide a written copy of your feedback when finished presenting.

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For more information regarding the regional government review visit https://www.ontario.ca/page/regional-government-review.

The Provincial Government is accepting feedback from the public until May 21, using the following methods: Submit comments online at https://www.ontario.ca/form/survey-regional-government-review, or email comments to regionalgovreview@ontario.ca. You can also write to Local Government Policy Branch; Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing; Local Government Policy Branch; 777 Bay Street, 13th Floor; Toronto, ON M5G 2E5.

REGIONAL REVIEW TIMELINE

  • July 27, 2018: Steve Clark notifies 82 municipalities there will be a regional governance review in the coming months.
  • Jan. 15, 2019: Clark indicates a review of governance, service delivery and decision making will begin for 82 municipalities.
  • Jan. 27, 2019: Oxford County council has a delegation meet with Clark at the ROMA Conference to learn more about expectations of the regional governance review.
  • Feb. 4, 2019: Oxford sends their chart of services to Municipal Affairs after it was requested.
  • Feb. 8 and March 8, 2019: Nine council leaders in Oxford meet individually with government advisers Michael Fenn and Ken Seiling.
  • March 13, 2019: Clark announces an online consultation website for people to give feedback on the regional governance review.
  • March 20, 2019: Clark announces one-time funding for more than 400 municipalities with all nine in Oxford receiving it. The purpose is to find efficiencies in government.
  • April 4, 2019: All nine Oxford CAO’s meet in Tillsonburg to discuss the regional governance review.
  • April 16, 2019: Ken Seiling and Michael Fenn visit Woodstock where they hear from 10 delegations supporting the current governance system remain.
  • April 24: 2019: Oxford Council creates a delegation to meet with Clark May 13. They also approve spending $20,000 each on creating a third-party report for improving service delivery.
  • May 13, 2019: The Oxford County delegation meets with Agricultural and Oxford OPP minister Ernie Hardeman and Municipal Affairs minister Steve Clark to discuss the regional review process.
    – with files from Greg Colgan
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