Province announces amalgamation process near completion

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The municipal amalgamation process is nearing completion with the mergers of 39 municipalities into 19.

"Local leaders submitted the final amalgamation plans they developed to ensure the newly created municipalities will be more efficient, which means more money invested into the services families count on," said Municipal Government Minister Stan Struthers in a release. "By joining forces, these new, larger municipalities will reduce red tape and be better able attract more business opportunities and have better access to and co-ordination of infrastructure funding from the provincial and federal governments."  

A total of 85 of the province's municipalities have fewer than 1,000 residents and are required to submit an amalgamation plan by this spring, the minister said, adding plans are expected to result in a 30 per cent reduction in the number of municipalities outside Winnipeg.

The province is also working with the remaining municipalities to help them complete the planning process.  Independent external consultants are helping those municipalities identify amalgamation partners, work through issues and prepare amalgamation plans. 

Amalgamations include the RM of McCreary and Village of McCreary forming the new municipality of McCreary; RMs of Langford and North Cypress forming the new municipality of North Cypress-Langford; Town of Ste. Rose du Lac and RM of Ste. Rose forming new municipality of Ste. Rose and the Town of Rivers and RM of Daly forming the new Riverdale municipality.

With files from Manitoba news release