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The reason it exists is that it is costly, inefficient and in some cases, impossible for local municipalities to provide these vital services on their own. Rural municipalities in Ontario have known this for a long timeandtheyorganimdthemgeMsirttnrmionalgrrw errtmentatxtlledtmntiFprthurrtintheeassof grtmirgarea0'heWaterloowasthattheeitie-re notpartofthisuppertier. Tremendous amflittand amfimion resulted. The system didnt work. Rather than quoting the "Besmomiae magazine, the GlobeandMailsndaChamherd‘Counnemesurvey, my advice to Fred is to spend s Saturday at the library reading the Waterloo Area Inca] Government RevGr,amtnuyknmmasrthesyrettworeHewi1t What Regional government does is provide police service, deliver health and social services, supply water, treat sewage, recycle and dispose of garbage, build and maintain major transportation arteries, coordinate capital financing and do the overall plan- ningthatuioetasntialidarspidbgrrmingatr> politan area like Waterloo Region. Inhitsthtahtir19artideheakd"1heRegionMuat Go', Chronicle ahannist Fred Sagel notes that Yer ple are getting fed up with politicians and too much government." His solution is to abolish the regional level ofmunicipd government. The reason Fred cites for his illogical amdusion is that 'Nobody knows what it does. Nobody knows why it exists.” Well, I admit i'm nobody and Red’s right, I doknow.AndIguessl’mnaiveemughtothinkthata prominent lawyer and newspaper columnist should know too. Look up the Regional Municipality of Waterloo Act (RSO 1973), Fred Despite what Sagel says, the region’s role ts clear Canada (pardon my terms) would mylike a lot more “1% n'est pass? 867 '0mfederation", for that matter, of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia with the Canada, should have been called (and considered) the Tiuion" - it ,rtsuldhavesavedutsallalotofgn'ef, All this talk about eliminating regional government has got me thinking - liner: Why not dismantle our provincial government? Just imagine how much money eliminating the daeimating make of pubhc' service would put back in our pocket; It may be unlikely or impossible and in the final analysis it may not be a wise move, but it seems atmttgetottttsthatnootttomrdiaeu-ite_ comparative purposes. Whttttkthaseprrwintia1udemmeantpanyotui, aptymV?8tms,0ntan'ohatsapemimialfug(toemi. British relic), a provincial flower, etc. but our "one. ness’ is a Joke - just ask anyone living north of Sudbury, where the utterance of 'Toronto" is greeted by I combination ofhogha" and shrugs. Even in supposedly distinct, French Quebec, much ofthektmeeitvrtussettledanddevelopedbyimni grantahtmttheBritiahuesandItalyandthisnorth. em two-thirds of the land continues to be exclusively aboriginal. The pmvinas's present borders are mean- ingless, except tn greedy separatists who have no real ease for keeping them. 1)1tinkitrasamiistaketoeverrxsaeparate Upper and Lower Canada in time for Confederation. For Quebecere to secede from little Canada and big Weaken provinces to strengthen Canada C,atty,,iittertt, Fred may wish to 'hill all the politicians" to invoke his regionlesa vision. We amid presumably be more efficiently governed by General Motors. Yes Fred, t#rnotmeyeanbearmlnuisanasuntil,toparaphrase Chumhill, you consider the alternative. Fred is correct in saying that political accountability is a problem at the regional level. Rather than throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater, it would be much simpler to change the bathwater. Bathwater coincidentally provided by the Region! Fred suggests we need more competition. not coop eration, between municipalities. Competition is a healthy condition in business. Part of our national problem however, is that we have too much competi- tion among governments and too little among busi- nesses. More cooperation among all levels of gotemment is absolutely essential if we are to survive " a nation. The current competition between Quebec and the Federal government is not in my view, very Andimteadofamtpan'nguommdon,Engiand,a more apt comparison would be with London, Ontario, 3 community with a similar population. London. Ontario does, not have Regional govemment. What it does have however, is higher property taxes than the Region of Waterloo. Regional government has not him dered economic development as Fred infers but it has in fact facilitated it by building the necessary infra- structure that local municipalities could never have built on their own "gionalarprepikd irror.stmvart6tetuimiing exhaustive consultations with load govemmenta and the public. It's not a pretty picture. '3' It becomes more obvious every year that the Fatima of Confederation (and later federal govern ments) should never have given the provinces so much more power than, for example, each of the United States has. Except for periodic rumblings from Alaska (whose governmenthasaease, alheitonetxsntredonasmmty headed anti-environment, anti-native vision), you dont hear about American states seeding these days. thtthigreatsonisthattrthe50gtatm,oilyCawrfu'a and Texas would have any chance of successfully going it alone. Not so in Canada, where British Columbia. Ontario andttuettsadthavetheeamomicmuxletoiightit out internhtionally. 1thinkse'dallbebetterofrifCanaaeonautednot of 10 provinces and two territories, but of 12 territo- ries - or even no provinces or territories at till. Although it may sound ludicrous, what better way aMd there be to reduce the chames of Canada split- ting up? Take away the provincial borders and no one would know who they were breaking away from and whotheymsrehreakirgamxvvith ... rea.d a Jim vintage ferent tlf thtmsWrriotyr pre- Tom Bmckelbank Angles» Brim Huebeeger WItea-ioo A STRONG VOICE FOR YOUR CHILDREN AND YOU AuihoruMttytNsCFOforttteLthn" Emn Carmangn flmm Association Volunteer - . Minor Sports Volunteer . Married, two children, lifelong K-W resident lives 8. works in Waterloo F 0 R W . President Lexington District Neighborhood Association . Representative at OMB, City Council and School Board . Ontario Special Winter Olympics Committee 1994 . Heart and Stroke LEXINGTON (WAR D S) ON NOVEMBER 14 SEPARATE SCHOOL TRUSTEE Representing the incur-u of anerloo citizens for six years RE-ELECT LOUISE ERVIN For Experienced a Effective Leadership Your Full Time Councillor wATirtux.?S'E9iE,ieteetvmovEaeerta mo. PAGE 7 Am by m crd w. ooin Facing: aaF Please Call 885-6685 AMhottmrttryttt.CFOtnr1tt.bumArtamsortrmreF1 WATERLOO COUNCIL