Provincial government introduces amalgamation legislation
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- Published on Thursday, May 2, 2013
myWestman.ca
On Wednesday, the provincial government introduced legislation that would allow for municipalities to proceed with amalgamations that reflect contemporary realities and their structures as they plan for the future.
“Most of today's municipal boundaries were established more than a century ago,” said Local Government Minister Ron Lemieux. “We know municipal officials are looking for ways to modernize and evolve to meet today's economic challenges.”
The legislation would give the province the ability to help municipalities move through the amalgamation process so that they're ready for the 2014 municipal election. Through amalgamation, municipalities would become more efficient, which means more money invested into the services families count on, the minister said.
Lemieux said some of the ways municipalities would be strengthened through amalgamation would include:
• reinvesting administrative savings into better services;
• reducing operational costs through sharing major assets like water-treatment and recreation facilities;
• helping to recruit and retain skilled municipal staff;
• providing more opportunities to attract business and economic development with reduced red tape, common regional regulations, infrastructure and services; and
• finding savings and efficiencies through economies of scale.
“Through amalgamation communities will see other benefits. Larger municipalities will have increased opportunities to attract business and economic development with streamlined and simplified processes, regionally prioritized infrastructure and regionally delivered services according to natural communities of interest,” said Lemieux.
“Both provincial and municipal governments are looking for ways of renewing and improving community infrastructure based on what Manitoba families are asking for,” Lemieux continued. “That is why the provincial budget confirmed the province will devote an amount greater than one point of provincial sales tax for critical local infrastructure through the Building Manitoba Fund.”
With files from Manitoba news release
