Some disappointing news out of last night’s Council meeting in Waterloo – our elected city councilors think its best to not ask the citizens our opinion. Hmmmmmm….. Regardless of if you’re a pro or con on amalgamation, shouldn’t the voters get to debate and decide?
Waterloo votes down merger question
By Brent Davis, Record staff
WATERLOO — The prospect of merging the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo may have died Monday night with Waterloo council’s decision not to ask for a referendum on the issue.
After hearing from several delegations — most of whom spoke against the idea — and speaking passionately about the issue themselves, councillors ultimately defeated the motion in a recorded vote.
A group of more than 60 local business and community leaders asked Waterloo and Kitchener to seek permission from the provincial Minister of Municipal Affairs to hold a referendum in this fall’s municipal elections.
The question the group proposed is: “Would you support members of council engaging in a dialogue about the merits of merging Kitchener and Waterloo? Yes or No?”
Kitchener council has already voted in favour of the move.
Two weeks ago, Waterloo asked for more time to consider the issue. Last night, Mayor Brenda Halloran and councillors Mark Whaley and Ian McLean voted for the motion. Voting against were councillors Scott Witmer, Jan d’Ailly, Karen Scian, Angela Vieth, and Diane Freeman.
Freeman said the issue had been considered and rejected several times in the past, and only served to divide the community.
“We say things about each other that are hurtful and that are destructive,” she said.
Halloran, on the other hand, said it was necessary for the citizens of Waterloo to have their say.
“How do we move forward if we don’t allow people to have a voice?” she asked.
Prior to the vote, council heard from several members of the public.
“There is no groundswell of support from either the citizens of Kitchener or Waterloo,” argued Stan Rektor.
Several people voiced their concerns about differences between the two cities, especially when it comes to conflicting approaches to environmental preservation and urban development.
Rosemary Smith, executive director of the Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation, and a member of the group advocating for merger talks, had urged council to pass the motion.
“I believe it is a discussion we must enter into in earnest,” she said. “Help us set the stage for an important conversation about our future.”
After the vote, Smith expressed her disappointment with the results, but said there was still work to be done.
“The citizens of Waterloo have not yet spoken, and until they do, I think it’s still alive.”
I am in favour of the referendum; what do you think?
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What a shame. Hope it doesn’t die on the table.
While I am not so sure an amalgamation of KW was good for Cambridge, it would have put us on our toes. We are going to miss out on the glorious discussions and debates re:
1. where does Cambridge fit within this region?
2. How could Cambridge leverage it’s interests against the almighty (really married) (instead of the currently “just dating”) KW neighbour?
3. would the oft-talked about option of a “two-city” structure work for the region (ie. KW & Cambridge as the two primary nodes)
4. In case of emergencies, which city has the rights to the bat-signal?
So if we are all going to put our feet up on the ottoman and grab a beer, might as well watch the game play on a bit more. I’m afraid that the winner, however, will find that the cup has been snatched and found it’s way to some other region already.
Well, there’s always a next season.
Why does this all remind of “Grumpy Old Men”.
Ben,
It was a great spirited debate at council last night. I think it is a bit off to suggest that they didn’t let the voters decide. Over the past 2 weeks they have been inundated with e-mails from residents on the issue of amalgamation.
All councilors identified that their residents were not in favor of an amalgamation question by large margins. Councilors took a smart approach; they listened to concerns of their voters and acted accordingly.
It’s worth noting that there were a handful of pro amalgamation discussion delegates before council last night, compared to a large contingency of anti merger delegates. Representation by population is a good gage of what it important, and not so much.
At any rate, Councilor Jan d’Ailly offered a very fair solution. Setup a Mayor Taskforce to seek feedback on the issue and weigh the pros and cons. The discussion has not ended.
Cheers!
Paul