Tories promise review of Halifax amalgamation if re-elected
Last Updated: Saturday, May 9, 2009 | 3:16 PM ET
CBC News
Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald said he would ask for an independent review of amalgamation of the Halifax Regional Municipality if his Progressive Conservative party is re-elected on June 9.
MacDonald made the comment while campaigning in Halifax on Saturday.
He said he wouldn't share his own opinion on the amalgamation but said the review would give residents a chance to share their views on whether the Maritimes' largest municipality is too big.
In 1996, the former cities of Dartmouth, Bedford, Halifax as well as surrounding communities within Halifax County were amalgamated into one municipality as a cost saving measure.
The Tory leader said both rural and urban parts of the amalgamated municipality, which is 165 kilometres long, feel they are not properly represented at city council.
"I believe it's time to end the debate and in that way, we're going to put forward a review, an independent agency to look at the issue of amalgamation and deal with this issue once and for all,” MacDonald said on Saturday.
“There are concerns that people feel that they lost their community of interest, other concerns around the services they get for the taxes they pay and I believe they deserve to have input,” he said.
Wrong issue, wrong time, opponents say
However, leaders for both the Liberal and New Democratic parties said this is not the time to re-open the amalgamation issue, during the current global economic crisis.
Liberal leader Stephen McNeil said MacDonald is playing politics in the wrong arena.
"We're in the worst economic crisis of his lifetime and mine — and the premier is more concerned about trying to do municipal government's work?” McNeil said on Saturday.
“If he wants to be the mayor, he should have been the mayor last year and run in that election and not in this one,” he said.
"If municipalities want to amalgamate or de-amalgamate, that is up to the municipal government and the people of those municipalities and the premier should not be interfering in this,” McNeil said.
NDP leader Darrell Dexter said he feels amalgamation is working but would like to know more details about MacDonald's proposed review.
“(If) it is designed to try and fine tune some of the issues that have been identified, that's one thing,” Dexter said. “If they are trying to unscramble the amalgamation egg, well that's something completely different,” he said.
