Mayor's statement on regional review process announcement

I’m delighted that the provincial government has listened to municipalities and is taking an approach that focuses on being partners rather than providing top-down direction. Today’s announcement certainly provides much-needed clarity after a period of uncertainty around our local governance model.

I would also like to thank all of the Cambridge residents who took the opportunity to provide feedback during this process, helping to protect our city’s autonomy and what makes us unique.

All of the Waterloo Region heads of council have said repeatedly that our region delivers high-quality services to our citizens and, under the current two-tier system, we have built a reputation for being an exceptional place to live, work and build a life. 

We are happy the government has taken us up on two of our suggestions - that this review can be an opportunity to streamline and improve services, and any changes should be designed and driven by the local municipalities. There are changes we can make to the existing two-tiered model that will improve efficiency and benefit our citizens and businesses. The new funding announced today will help us to do that.

It is also good news that the provincial government will keep Ontario Municipal Partnership funding levels the same next year, as this provides important funding to municipalities like Cambridge.