The terms of reference for a review of Mount Pearl's municipal boundaries have an opening wide enough to swallow an entire city, said St. John's Mayor Andy Wells on Thursday.

Wells said he was pleased that the review — to be conducted by lawyer John Roil — includes an option for studying alternative approaches to the City of Mount Pearl's bid to claim land now in neighbouring St. John's.

St. John's Mayor Andy Wells wants one city on the northeast Avalon Peninsula.
(CBC)

For Wells, that means an invitation to consider amalgamating the cities.

"The case obviously is that the proper approach to this thing is a comprehensive amalgamation of the urban core, to reduce expenditures, to save taxpayers' money, and to have a single municipality that can compete successfully in Atlantic Canada," Wells said.

Newfoundland and Labrador Municipal Affairs Minister Jack Byrne announced the review Thursday.

Mount Pearl wants its boundary extended to incorporate largely undeveloped land now in St. John's.

St. John's is vigorously fighting the move, saying that the land — once developed — will mean millions of dollars in annual tax revenues.

The City of Mount Pearl says the extra land is necessary for its economic growth, and that the planned east-west arterial highway will cleave the land from the rest of St. John's anyway.

St. John's almost completely surrounds Mount Pearl.

The provincial government rejected an amalgamation plan in 1991, instead divvying up unincorporated land between existing municipalities.

The issue raged again several years later, when the provincial government turned over an area known as Southlands — now being developed as a large residential neighbourhood — to St. John's. Mount Pearl had been counting on that land for future expansion.

Roil is expected to file a report in March.