September 24, 2025

25 Years of amalgamation in Grey Highlands: Where do we go from here?

BY SOUTHGREY.CA STAFF — Grey Highlands Council has recently revealed that plans are underway to celebrate the 25th anniversary of this municipality in 2026. We ask, “Are 25 years of amalgamation really worth celebrating?” This is the fourth instalment in a four-part series that investigates.

For earlier instalments, visit:

25 Years of amalgamation in Grey Highlands: A four-part investigation

25 Years of amalgamation in Grey Highlands: The Promises of Amalgamation

25 Years of amalgamation in Grey Highlands: Unexpected Failures

Where do we go from here?

Well, there’s always the option of de-amalgamation. But undoing the structure of local government to recreate smaller community governments is a costly proposition with no guarantee that things would be any better. As Yogi Berra once said, “It's déjà vu all over again.” In addition, political will to follow through on such a plan, would be hard to come by.

So, it is what it is. But there have been more favourable studies extolling some of the virtues of amalgamation.

In 2013, researchers from the Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance at the University of Toronto, penned a study titled Does Municipal Amalgamation Strengthen the Financial Viability of Local Government? A Canadian Example. In their conclusions, they stated that “amalgamation increased the financial ability of the smaller and poorer municipalities in the newly created city by increasing their access to the tax base of the amalgamated city as a whole.” In other words, smaller communities had a newly created opportunity to draw support from a greater pool of financial resources.

The theory for better outcomes exists!

In another study — this one from the Political Science Research Center, School of Economics and Management in Portugal — researchers found that “an increase in the average size of local governments enhances their ability to deliver more diverse and better-quality services to citizens.”

If it can work elsewhere, then why not here?

The ability to make amalgamation better is in our hands and while it may not have lived up to its promises, the municipality has potential. Progress is slow but some things are underway.

By example, Grey Highlands is currently updating its comprehensive Zoning By-law. The update is in its final stages — an exercise that took several years to reach the finish line. The revised By-law should give planning applications an easier route through the system and slash administrative slowdowns.

Also, the jury may still be out on encouraging allegiance to a larger municipal banner. As the Brock University study noted “a significant minority (of respondents) did feel a sense of attachment to their new municipality.” There’s every chance that sentiment could grow.

Grey Highlands Mayor Paul McQueen is hoping that’s the case. “Celebrating Grey Highlands 25th anniversary will (establish) a sense of pride-of-the-place where we live, work and enjoy our lives.” He continued, describing the virtues of “a place where multiple generations support our community hubs, facilities and parks — a place of beauty, of visas and water."

2026 is the year to celebrate the culture and people that make this great place a community of communities. Believe it or not, who doesn’t love a good party?

 

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