The Ontario government is moving ahead with its review of regional governments, including the Muskoka District.
It announced in a release today that Michael Fenn and Ken Seiling have been appointed as special advisors on the review.
The regional government system has been in place in the province for close to half a century. The provincial government says the review is part of a process to ensure they are running efficiently and effectively.
The review will examine Ontario’s eight regional municipalities (Halton, York, Durham, Waterloo, Niagara, Peel, Muskoka, and Oxford County), the County of Simcoe, and their lower-tier municipalities. All told, the review will cover 82 upper and lower-tier municipalities, including Bracebridge, Gravenhurst, Georgian Bay, Huntsville, Lake of Bays, and Muskoka Lakes.
The province says Fenn and Seiling “will consult broadly over the coming months and provide recommendations to improve governance, decision-making and service delivery.”
They’ll be looking for things like ways to make it easier for residents and businesses to use municipal services, cutting red tape and duplication to save costs, and delivering efficient and effective local services. There will be consultations with residents and businesses in the spring.