Vaughan takes first steps towards calling for independence from York Region

A week after an Ontario mayor called for the consolidation of York Region into one big city, another is seeking its independence.

At a special council meeting Tuesday, representatives of Vaughan voted unanimously to “explore a new governance model.” Specifically, council suggested they look into how to become a single-tier municipality like Brampton and Mississauga.

Mayor Steven Del Duca told council on Tuesday that it is his intention to put the City of Vaughan “into a position where hopefully we’ll be able to shape our own future and shape our destiny as a municipality.”

“When you look at the size of our economy visa vie our counterparts in the region … we are a city that certainly does more than our fair share, recognizing we get a lot back in return but just understanding that I believe its important for us to be in the driver’s seat and to help shape this discussion.”

In a report submitted to council, staff noted that 50 per cent of funds collected in residential property taxes go towards regional services such as police, roads, waste disposal, public health, social housing and transit.

The largest portion of York Region’s tax revenue comes from the City of Vaughan, they added.

At the same time, the report notes certain shared services may have to be funded and administered along with other municipalities.

The motion asks staff to return in September 2023 with a more detailed analysis about what independence would mean for the City of Vaughan. It also says the city can retain a consultant to support the analysis.

As it stands currently, York Region consists of nine municipalities—Vaughan, Markham, Aurora, East Gwillimbury, Georgina, King Township, Richmond Hill, and Whitchurch-Stouffville. It also has a regional government.

The Ontario government has said it will be appointing regional facilitors to York Region, as well as the regions of Durham, Halton, Niagara, Simcoe and Waterloo, to determine if those second-tier governments are “relevant to the needs of its communities.”

Premier Doug Ford said Wednesday the facilitators should be appointed sometime over the “next few weeks.”

“I understand why Mayor Del Duca would want that,” Ford said at a news conference. “They're paying a lot of fees up to the region. A lot of cities want their independence and I don't blame them.”

Peel Region is already set to be dissolved by 2025. In June, the government fast-tracked a bill that made Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon independent, single-tier municipalities.

This means the regional council, which controls core services like EMS, water treatment and garbage collection, will be disbanded. The complete impact of this on the three municipalities is still unclear. The province has said that a transition board of up to five members will be formed to help deal with issues such as finance, governance and shared services.

While the idea of independence appealed broadly to Mississauga and Brampton—although there remain concerns about the financing of services and money owed—the mayor of Caledon has said the dissolving of Peel was not something she wanted.

The dissolving of Peel has forced other regional governments and mayors to consider how their governance could change in the coming years following the review from regional facilitators.

This has been particularly true of mayors in York, who over the past week weighed in on what they wanted to happen to the region.

In a surprise statement released on June 14, Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti called for York Region to be consolidated into one large city.

“Consolidating into one city would result in significant savings in both operating and capital budgets. Municipalities invest millions in cybersecurity, water billing, tax billing and recreational registration systems. A consolidated city will generate substantial savings," Scarpitti said.

Speaking with CTV News Toronto on Wednesday, Scarpitti added that he is open to dialogue with the provincial facilitator as well as other municipalities.

"For me, whatever model gets chosen, I think there's going to have to be three significant tests," he said.

"Is it saving money for taxpayers? Is it streamlining the process on a number of services...and does it actually strengthen or improve the service by having whatever option is currently decided upon?"

Meanwhile, many other mayors disagreed with this idea, arguing that while they are not opposed to looking for efficiencies in governance, a two-tiered region works for their residents.

Aurora Mayor Tom Mrakas told CTV News Toronto that each municipality has its own priorities and challenges.

“We are unique communities. We provide different levels of service individually.”

Richmond Hill Mayor David West, meanwhile, said that he was “shocked” to hear that another mayor would make a public call for a decision impacting other municipalities without consultation.

“This whole announcement caught me very much by surprise,” he said. “No one voted for me or any other member of my council to dissolve Richmond Hill and that's essentially what would happen.”

“Having nine municipalities working together, but still being distinct and unique places for people in York Region is absolutely a good thing, and amalgamating it all into one big municipality would erase a great deal of the work that we've worked so hard to accomplish.”

Speaking to council on Tuesday, Del Duca acknowledged that an independent Vaughan would have significant impacts on the other municipalities within York Region. He promised to speak with representatives from the other eight cities and consult on any changes.