Previous Issues
The fourth level
In many, or probably most, parts of Canada, there are only three levels of government - the local municipality (rural or urban), the province or territory, and the nation. In many parts of Ontario, however, including our own, we are blessed - or burdened, depending on your point of view - with an extra level, the super-municipality, which undertakes many of the traditional roles of the municipality (such as garbage collection or public transit), but also assumes some of the usual function of the provincial government, such as public health or social services. The name of our super-municipality is the Region of Durham, and it has existed since 1973.
We haven’t done a scientific survey, but we’ll bet there is a fair proportion of Uxbridge’s population which doesn’t have a very clear idea of all the roles the Region plays in their everyday lives. They may know we have a regional police force, but do they know how it’s governed? They know there are buses that travel to and from Uxbridge, but do they know some are operated by the province and some by the Region? Do they know that two governments plow, pave and maintain our roads, and which roads belong to whom? Are they aware of how the Region’s social service agencies directly or indirectly impact our Township; we have several seniors’ residences in Uxbridge, for instance, do they know which one is operated by the Region?
Is the Region involved in parks and recreation; if so, what facilities does it operate in our township? Who runs our sewage treatment facilities, the Township or the Region? Why does the Region operate the police and the ambulance, but not the fire department? Does the Region have a role in hospitals, or arenas, or day care centres? How much of your tax dollar goes to the Region, compared to the Township, Queen’s Park or Ottawa?
If you, our reader, are uninformed or misinformed on exactly how our regional government operates and what it does, we take part of the responsibility. And we intend to do something about it. In the coming months, we will dedicate a number of feature articles first to a broad overview of the Region of Durham, how it’s structured and funded, then to a detailed examination of each of its departments and how they make their presence felt in Uxbridge.
We have also approached Uxbridge’s two representatives on Regional Council, Mayor Bob Shepherd and Regional Councillor Howie Herrema (whose father Gary was Chair of the Region for many years) to see if they would consider contributing a monthly report for the Cosmos on Regional news generally, and specifically with regard to its activities in Uxbridge. If they decide they can’t afford the time to do it, we’ll find another way.
Finally, after we’ve fully informed you on what the Region does and how it works, we’re going to take a hard critical look at that role. Are we getting our money’s worth from what we contribute? Is the 35-year-old experiment working?
We’ll complete the series well before the next municipal election in 2010. We expect that we, and you, will learn a lot.
