Mayors from around the GTA meeting in Toronto on Tuesday were caught off guard after an announcement from the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing informed them the Ford PC government will conduct a review of regional governments.

Both Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie and Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown were in attendance at the meeting in Toronto when the news broke, with Toronto Mayor John Tory saying Crombie read it aloud to the group midway through the conference.

The review will encompass 82 upper and lower tier municipalities including Peel Region, which is made up of Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon.

Crombie told the Mississauga News she’s in favour of the review, voicing her desire to see her city leave Peel Region and go it alone.

“I have been clear for a while that it’s time to re-evaluate Mississauga’s relationship with the Region of Peel and whether or not it makes financial sense for our city,” she said in a written statement. “As Ontario’s third largest city with a population approaching 800,000, it’s time for Mississauga to be able to control its own destiny as a single-tier city much like other large cities in Ontario including Ottawa, Hamilton, Windsor and London.”

“As the largest tax base in Peel, we must ensure our taxpayers’ hard-earned money goes towards our City building priorities, including breaking gridlock and maintaining aging infrastructure.,” she added.

Read more:

By the numbers: the regions under the Ford government’s review

Brampton’s new mayor was similarly open to the idea, and told reporters at a news conference after the announcement that he didn’t believe the announcement had anything to do with his ongoing feud with the Premier Doug Ford and the PC Party he led only a year ago.

“I wouldn’t assume any inappropriate motivation for the change. It is appropriate to look at inefficiencies of wings of government,” Brown said.

“I hope that the municipality and the region will be consulted sincerely as this process unfolds. Obviously, there are savings when it comes to numbers whether it’s waste management or Peel police. We look forward to participating in that consultation,” added Brown.

The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), which represents municipalities, also released a statement on Tuesday, indicating it will monitoring the review process.

“(The review) needs to be open and transparent. It is important that during the review process, the work of the affected municipal governments is not destabilized,” the statement read.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Graeme Frisque is a reporter with The Mississauga News and Brampton Guardian.

Read more about: