While the provincial government is seeking comments from residents and councillors about amalgamating municipalities, the decision is probably already a done deal, some York Region mayors believe.

“I think they’ve already made up their minds,” King Township Mayor Steve Pellegrini said.

Municipal Affairs Minister Steve Clark has said many times there is no predetermined outcome of a provincial governance review of York and seven other regional governments and Simcoe County, ministry spokesperson Praveen Senthinathan said.

Among other considerations such as making better use of taxpayers’ money, the province is considering amalgamating municipalities, including Georgina, East Gwillimbury, Newmarket, Aurora, King, Whitchurch-Stouffville, Markham, Richmond Hill and Vaughan, and whether to cut the number of local politicians.

The province’s short time frame is making some York mayors suspect Queen’s Park may already have at least the broad strokes of its plan already in place.

The public has until April 23 to respond to an online survey found at Ontario.ca/regionalgovernment.

Clark’s advisers, Michael Fenn and Ken Seiling, have been interviewing municipal officials and are expected to bring recommendations to the minister by early summer.

On March 21, York Region launched a task force, made up of the region’s nine mayors and regional chair Wayne Emmerson, to consider the region’s governance structure, decision-making processes and delivery of service.

While York’s task force can look at finding new efficiencies, there’s little point in spinning its wheels coming up with recommendations before the province announces its intentions, mayors said.

The “heavy lifting” will come in the fall after the province determines the future of the eight regions and Simcoe County, they said.