On Fire Dept Amalgamation, Ward Consolidation and Other Craziness

Finally.  After months and months of political wrangling, Newmarket Councillors are finally discussing some substantive issues. 

Too bad they have staked out the wrong position on these issues but at least they are talking again.

Fire Dept. Amalgamation

Councillor Chris Emanuel has tweeted about an upcoming motion to explore consolidating all the municipally run fire departments under the umbrella of the York Regional Government. 

Its a dumb idea on a number of fronts

1) Each municipality is different.  East Gwillimbury and Georgina have composite fire departments (relying on both professionals and volunteers).  This suits the needs of their communities and addresses what these municipalities can afford to pay for fire protection.  How anxious would their residents be to shut out the volunteers and assume the higher costs associated with the larger cities to the south?

2) Each fire department requires different skills.  Newmarket has no highways so our fire dept. doesn't address highway related traffic accidents in the same frequency that Markham and Vaughan would.  Newmarket has no lakes so our fire dept. has no experience with drownings or rescuing ice fishers like East Gwillimbury and Georgina would.  Newmarket has fewer high rises, less industrial exposures and so on.  Simply put, the "one size fits all" York Regional solution really isn't a solution at all because the hazards that each municipality deals with are quite disparate. 

3) Left leaning politicians like Councillor Emanuel prefer "Big Government" but our experience with York Region shows that Big Government is failing.  Why would we place our lives and the protection in our homes at the level of government that is most in debt?  York Region can't afford to maintain a consistent level of services with the items already under its purview  If you want a clear example, look at the boondoggle that was the YRT transit strike.  What a disaster exacerbated by the fact that York Region has billions in public debt. 

4) What is Councillor Emanuel saying about his own effectiveness, where as a member of the CYFS board, he is suggesting that York Region can do it better than he can?  Being just 16 square miles, and a community of predominantly single family homes, Newmarket should have the least amount of fire protection challenges of any York Regional community.  If Councillor Emanuel doesn't think he and his fellow board members can handle it, how can we have any faith in them when it comes to other essential services, such as sewers, garbage pick up and recreation?  (Although keep in mind, it was under his leadership at the CYSF that Newmarket hired 20 extra fire fighters so perhaps he can't handle the responsibility after all). 

All in all, there is nothing in this idea that benefits the residents of Newmarket. 

Newmarket Ward Re-Alignment

Councillor Jane Twinney is tweeting that she is in favour of reducing the number of wards in Newmarket and thereby reducing the number of politicians but paying the remaining ward councillors a full time wage.

This is also a dumb idea that has zero benefit for ordinary residents. 

If you were looking for efficiencies and cost saving measures, it makes much more sense to remove the Regional Councillor position and give the Mayor two votes at the York Council. 

Getting rid of the Regional Councillor position serves a number of benefits:

1) It doesn't change the representation each Ward currently enjoys.

2) Although part time, I don't get a sense that Newmarket Councillors are working part time hours, (with the possible exception of one or two Councillors).  The majority of the seven councillors are treating their roles like a full time job.  They are already working significant hours (including weekends) and there is no evidence that paying more money will deliver any better representation. 

3) A Regional Councillor costs Newmarket taxpayers approximately four times the amount of money that one ward councillor costs. 

4) In our system of municipal government, the mayor is considered weak in comparison to American mayors because he/she has only one vote on Council and no veto power.  By giving the mayors two votes at the Regional Council, we accomplish a number of goals:

1. it gives extra power to the role of the mayor;
2. it strikes a balance between towns that have no Regional Councillor presently (like Aurora, Whitchurch Stouffville, East Gwillimbury, and King)
3. When the Newmarket Mayor and Regional Councillor attend the York Council, they either have to vote together on every issue or they cancel each other out leaving Newmarket without a voice.  Giving the Mayor 2 votes and eliminating the Regional Councillor position ensures that Newmakret always has a voice at York Council. 
4. York Regional taxpayers would save costs associated with Regional Councillors by eliminating the role for Newmarket and Georgina, as well as reducing a Regional Councillor position in Vaughan, Markham, and Richmond Hill.  This is hundreds of thousands in savings by giving the Mayors of each York Regional municipality two votes on York Council. 

The balance of evidence shows that there is a far more effective way of reducing costs and improving representation by eliminating the Regional Councillor position in Newmarket and giving the Mayor of Newmarket two votes at York Council.  To eliminate two ward councillors as has been suggested is just crazy.

And speaking of "crazy"

Has anyone seen the Mayor's new blog on his www.vanbynen.ca web page? 

The Mayor writes:

As you and your neighbours have likely heard, Newmarket Mayor Tony Van Bynen is a man of the people – and for the people.

and later he writes:

 In fact, to Mayor Van Bynen, it is within any person of any age to be able to contribute and in some small way, make a difference in the community

Why is the Mayor referring to himself in the third person?  This supposed "man of the people" writes like he is delusional.