After much anticipation, there will be no public election of a regional chair in Peel, after the Better Local Government Act, 2018 (Bill 5) received royal assent on Aug. 14.

The legislation, introduced by the newly-elected provincial Conservative government, also scrapped the election of a regional chair in York, Niagara and Muskoka regions and cut the size of Toronto council.

Peel regional councillors will now appoint a chair at the first meeting of the 2018-2022 term, on Dec. 6, according to an Aug. 15 press release from the Region of Peel.

The position, which pays $190,846.33 a year, including salary, taxable benefits and expenses (2017) attracted a long list of candidates including: Patrick Brown, former leader of the provincial PC party; Ron Starr, Mississauga councillor for Ward 6; and, Nando Iannicca, Mississauga councillor for Ward 7, among others.

Starr has since registered to run as a councillor in Mississauga Ward 6, where he is the incumbent, and Brown has registered to run for mayor of the City of Brampton.

The Oct. 22 municipal election was the first time in the region’s 44-year history, the 1.4 million residents of Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon were supposed to have a say on who would become the regional chair.

Over the past four decades, politicians representing the three communities have locked horns over the future of the region, with Mississauga demanding to become a single city.

But the region provides a wide range of services that include: police, paramedics, water and wastewater, public health, garbage and recycling, roads and transportation, housing support, child care, heritage, income support and long-term care.

In 2018, the region spent $2.4 billion in operating costs providing these services and $700 million in capital costs, for long-range planning of infrastructure.

Now that the election has been cancelled, the region is waiting for the provincial government to provide information for the registered candidates regarding refunds of the nomination fee and filing financial statements. It will be posted on the region’s website once it becomes available.