Two strong local governments working together, not amalgamation, is the best way forward for both communities, says Brantford-Brant MPP Will Bouma.

“I’ve always believed in good, strong local governments,” Bouma said Tuesday. “When you take a look at the things they (Brantford and Brant County) have done together, things like the boundary agreement, the John Noble Home, and the ambulance service, you see how well the two communities can work together.

“I can also say that when you’re trying to convince the government of the importance of a new highway, bridge or highway interchange, it helps to have the voices of several municipal councils behind you.”

With one municipality being urban and the other rural, they have different needs, Bouma said.

He made the comments in response to questions from The Expositor about a spat between Brantford and the County of Brant.

The roots of the dispute go back to an April decision by Brant council to reject a city council proposal to resurrect a joint services committee that would look at animal control, library services and fire dispatch.

Some county councillors called the city’s offer a waste of time and unnecessary given the number of services already shared by the two municipalities. Brant council also decided it would be worthwhile to approach other neighbouring municipalities – Oxford, Norfolk and Waterloo – to look for potential sharing of services.

The county’s response upset some city councillors. Brantford Mayor Kevin Davis called it a slap in the face.

Davis believes there are many issues the two communities could tackle together, including a north-south transportation route and the development of land around the Brantford airport.

If the county doesn’t want to work with the city, Davis suggested amalgamating the two municipalities might be a better form of government for Brantford-Brant.

Davis called for “amalgamation if necessary but not necessarily amalgamation.” He also suggested that if the county doesn’t want to talk to the city through a joint-services committee, the city could look at changing its approach to social services – a shared city/county service – and charging county residents a fee for using city facilities, including the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre.

Brant County Mayor David Bailey said the county is “not interested” in amalgamation, adding that Davis made an error in judgement in advocating for it.

“I’ve been working with both mayors to try to de-escalate the situation,” Bouma said. “We were all at Bread and Cheese together on Six Nations on Monday and I had a chance to speak with both of them.

“The two communities have done a great deal together over the years and I think everyone wants to see that relationship continue and to grow.”

Prior to being elected MPP, Bouma was a Ward 1 councillor on Brant council. As a councillor he had a front-row seat to the boundary negotiations as well as the various city-county committees that work on a range of issues, including public health, care of the elderly and social services.

The two municipalities have worked well together in the past and there’s no reason they can’t continue to do so, said Bouma.

Asked if he believes the county made a mistake in turning down the city’s joint-services committee proposal, Bouma declined to comment.

“That was a decision for council,” he said.

Vball@postmedia.com

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