Ontario is reviewing 82 municipalities, a move that raises the possibility of amalgamations and comes not long after the Progressive Conservative government slashed the size of Toronto's city council nearly in half.
The province has tapped two experts to conduct the review of Halton, York, Durham, Waterloo, Niagara, Peel, Muskoka District, Oxford County, the County of Simcoe and their lower-tier municipalities.
One of the questions the experts will consider is whether two-tier structures are appropriate for all of the municipalities.
Municipal Affairs Minister Steve Clark said the government wasn't ruling out amalgamations.
``People are open to talk about whatever they feel is their local priority,'' he said in an interview. ``If that's something they feel should be looked at in their community then they can use the advisers for that purpose.''
The regional government model has been around for nearly 50 years, so it was time for a review, Clark said.
``Things have changed, populations have grown, infrastructure pressures have mounted, taxpayer dollars have been stretched, and I think it's really important that we look at the regional level,'' he said.
Michael Fenn, a deputy minister and founding CEO of regional transportation agency Metrolinx, and Ken Seiling, who recently retired as Waterloo Region chair, are set to give their recommendations to the province by early summer.
The experts' mandate also includes examining the ways regional councillors and heads of council get elected or appointed and whether the distribution of councillors represent the residents well.
The review will also look for cost-saving opportunities and ways to deliver services more efficiently.
Premier Doug Ford introduced legislation in July that cut Toronto's council from 47 to 25 and cancelled elections for regional chair positions in Peel, York, Muskoka and Niagara regions, turning them back into appointed roles. At the time, critics questioned why only those municipalities were being targeted