Amalgamation

[Midtown Urbanist]

I've given some thought to this since the posts I made on the last page (back in 2015). I agree that the borough system is probably the best way to go. In order to have boroughs that have relatively even populations, it would require splitting some municipalities and combining others. Here's what I came up with:

• Borough of Toronto (Old City + East York + York)
• Scarborough
• North York (including Richmond Hill south of the 407)
  
• Markham (Markham + Richmond Hill)
• Vaughan (Vaughan + Woodbridge)
• Newmarket (Newmarket + Aurora + Stouffville + King City)
• Pickering (Pickering + Ajax)
• Oshawa (Whitby + Oshawa + Clarington)
• Mississauga
• Brampton (Brampton + urbanized area of Caledon)
• Oakville (Oakville + Milton)
• Burlington (Burlington + Waterdown)

So 12 boroughs total, each with a minimum of 100,000, although most would be 300,000+.

Flamborough and Halton Hills would become part of Wellington County, rural Caledon would become part of Dufferin County, rural York Region and rural Durham Region would be combined into a new York-Durham County (similar to Prescott-Russell in Eastern Ontario). The 4 exurban cities of Hamilton (minus Flamborough), Barrie, Guelph, and Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge would remain separate cities.

Forgetting about Etobicoke are we?

I actually think it makes more sense to include North York (south of Steeles) along with the "Borough of Toronto".

 

[gweed123]

Forgetting about Etobicoke are we?

I actually think it makes more sense to include North York (south of Steeles) along with the "Borough of Toronto".

Shit, missed that, good catch!

And I think North York has a lot of unique characteristics, and would be worthy to re-become a semi-independent entity.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Shit, missed that, good catch!

And I think North York has a lot of unique characteristics, and would be worthy to re-become a semi-independent entity.

North York today is the exact opposite to the reasons why the Township of North York separated from the Township of York in 1922. From link:

The Township of North York was formed on June 13, 1922 out of the rural part of the Township of York. The rapidly urbanizing parts of the township remained in that township (York).
​

The Township of East York broke away from the Township of York in 1924. See link. Because of separation by the rural North York, the east portion of remaining Township of York was left with the option to either join the City of Toronto or branch out on its own, 448 East Yorkers voted to incorporate a new township, while 102 voted to amalgamate with Toronto.

In other words, the Township of York and the Township of East York were urban, while the Township of North York was rural. What a change after a hundred years bring.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Before Metropolitan Toronto was formed in 1954, the very last annexation by the old city of Toronto occurred in 1914 when Mount Pleasant Cemetery was annexed. The last "living area" was Moore Park and the Town of North Toronto in 1912.

Because the city didn't want more annexations (until 1954), other towns and villages were severed from the Township of York and went on their own. They were the Village of Leaside in 1913, Forest Hill in 1923, and Swansea in 1924.

See link.

 

[CodeMonkey]

Before Metropolitan Toronto was formed in 1954, the very last annexation by the old city of Toronto occurred in 1914 when Mount Pleasant Cemetery was annexed. The last "living area" was Moore Park and the Town of North Toronto in 1912.

Because the city didn't want more annexations (until 1954), other towns and villages were severed from the Township of York and went on their own. They were the Village of Leaside in 1913, Forest Hill in 1923, and Swansea in 1924.

See link.

Your forgetting that some more annexations happen in 1964.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Is it time to create a super-Metro?

Regional government could play a huge role in helping the GTA compete globally.

See link.

A recent article in The New York Times praised the former Metro Toronto regional government for laying the groundwork for the city’s current prosperity while helping to prevent the sort of local schisms that have damaged many cities in the U.S.

Although the former Metro government eventually gave way to an amalgamated Toronto, it provided much of the critical infrastructure that is now foundational to the local economy.

Mississauga is currently dealing with a similar scenario, having built to its boundaries. Mayor Bonnie Crombie recently proposed that her city leave the Region of Peel and encouraged its neighbour, Brampton, to do the same.

Though Metro Toronto, and even Peel Region, may have outgrown their usefulness, it is time we give upper tier municipal government a major rethink rather than throwing it out altogether.

Toronto Mayor John Tory has just returned from a trade mission that took him to Silicon Valley and Asia. On the tour, he didn’t just tout his own city, but the larger region stretching to Kitchener-Waterloo. This is the right way to go.

Our research at the Martin Prosperity Institute shows that economic competition is now primarily between cities rather than countries. To be successful in this environment, Toronto and its neighbours need to find a way to erase local divisions and solve their problems together. To be sure, there are organizations such as the Toronto Region Board of Trade that are already leading this charge. Similarly, Metrolinx on transportation and the Ontario Growth Secretariat on planning issues also work at this scale.

But what Toronto really needs is an institution that gives democratic legitimacy to the very important decisions being made for the benefit of the wider region.

A new larger regional authority is not the answer to all our problems, but it would certainly help in a few key areas.

The first is the economy. If the wider Toronto region is truly going to be competitive, there must be greater local collaboration. Skilled workers are the most important ingredient of a prosperous knowledge economy. There needs to be tighter co-ordination between the needs of local business and the region’s universities and colleges.

Toronto has a lot going for it, including being one of the most diverse cities in the world. Its cultural diversity needs to be leveraged by making use of existing global networks. We need to aggressively present a more confident image to the world. We need to do this as one region.

The second area is land-use planning. As the region becomes physically larger we need to get smarter about what goes where. This is especially true when it comes to economic land uses which are often secondary considerations to residential neighborhoods.

A recent report published by the Neptis Foundation demonstrated the general lack of understanding and co-ordination in planning for commercial land uses. As the economy becomes more knowledge intensive many businesses will not conflict with residences in the ways that many “old economy” businesses once did. More mixed-use and denser neighbourhoods can be both more sustainable and more productive if done right.

The third key area is transportation, where clearly much work needs to be done. If people are going to be able to go to work and back in a reasonable amount of time, there will have to be a radical remaking of the entire system. Simply expanding the network will not be enough; this will involve weighing more complex and contentious policies such as fare and route integration between transit systems and road tolls.

To be effective, these actions need to be taken in a highly co-ordinated manner while being synchronized with regional land-use planning. No easy task for sure. The cost of not tackling this together however, is potentially catastrophic.

What such an institution would look like is an open question. Simply adding a new “super-metro” level of government is not likely to be well-suited to play the planning and co-ordinating role required. Currently, municipal governments do much of the implementation, the province focuses on the policies and the feds mostly help pay the bills.

A new institution in the place of the current regional municipalities could potentially be composed of elected members from each tier of government. This would help facilitate collaboration across the different levels and could even reach across party lines.

Building the infrastructure the region needs to remain competitive will not be cheap. A new regional authority would require the ability to raise revenues. As the economy would be the main policy focus, a unified commercial tax base would be a logical part of the solution. Such an arrangement could also open the door to exploring new potential sources of revenue, such as a local sales tax.

Toronto is a wildly successful city, world-class in many respects. When our current institutional arrangements were forged, no one predicted the level of growth the region is experiencing. Status quo local government arrangements cannot adequately deliver the level of co-operation and collaboration needed to cope and plan for the future.

If Toronto and its neighbours are serious about competing in the global economy, they will have to get their act together.

Personally, the current Toronto would have to be split into a more manageable size boroughs or cities. Four boroughs or cities (Toronto, North York, Scarborough, and Etobicoke) and then the other boroughs or cities of the GTA joining together for a new Metropolitan Toronto.

 

[King of Kensington]

In other words, the Township of York and the Township of East York were urban, while the Township of North York was rural. What a change after a hundred years bring.

In the 1960s, the Goldenberg report recommended 4 rather than 6 municipalities - with Weston joining North York and York and East York townships and Forest Hill, Leaside and Swansea going to Toronto proper. East York and especially York never really made sense but whatever reason they kept those rump municipalities. York wanted to join Toronto around 1930 and was rejected! Prior to the 1998 amalgamation it was Ontario's poorest incorporated city.

 

[ksun]

Forgetting about Etobicoke are we?

I actually think it makes more sense to include North York (south of Steeles) along with the "Borough of Toronto".

No, most of North York has more in common with Richmond Hill than Toronto. A few km of Yonge st doesn't make the vast North York that urban.

 

[CodeMonkey]

Is it time to create a super-Metro?

Personally, the current Toronto would have to be split into a more manageable size boroughs or cities. Four boroughs or cities (Toronto, North York, Scarborough, and Etobicoke) and then the other boroughs or cities of the GTA joining together for a new Metropolitan Toronto.

They seem to be advocating that Toronto stay as is. More likely other cities and towns around the GTA will lose their city/town status and become boroughs in a super-Metro like region.

 

[stanko]

I've given some thought to this since the posts I made on the last page (back in 2015). I agree that the borough system is probably the best way to go. In order to have boroughs that have relatively even populations, it would require splitting some municipalities and combining others. Here's what I came up with:

• Borough of Toronto (Old City + East York + York)
• Scarborough
• North York (including Richmond Hill south of the 407)
  
• Markham (Markham + Richmond Hill)
• Vaughan (Vaughan + Woodbridge)
• Newmarket (Newmarket + Aurora + Stouffville + King City)
• Pickering (Pickering + Ajax)
• Oshawa (Whitby + Oshawa + Clarington)
• Mississauga
• Brampton (Brampton + urbanized area of Caledon)
• Oakville (Oakville + Milton)
• Burlington (Burlington + Waterdown)

So 12 boroughs total, each with a minimum of 100,000, although most would be 300,000+.

Flamborough and Halton Hills would become part of Wellington County, rural Caledon would become part of Dufferin County, rural York Region and rural Durham Region would be combined into a new York-Durham County (similar to Prescott-Russell in Eastern Ontario). The 4 exurban cities of Hamilton (minus Flamborough), Barrie, Guelph, and Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge would remain separate cities.

Looks good but I would merge Milton with Mississauga since those two municipalities have a lot more in common than Milton does with Oakville. I live in the northernmost point of built-up Oakville (along Dundas St.) and Milton is a 10-15 minute drive away from me yet I can only count two times I've actually been there in the past 10 years (once to check out a used car and another time to check out Target when it opened since one of their first locations was there), Milton is just that much of a non-factor for me even though I am physically closer to it than most people in Oakville

Oakville and Burlington on the other hand form a continuum, would make a lot more sense to have those two as one district

I would also split Mississauga into parts. Malton, Bramalea, and Rexdale should merge into one district. Meadowvale and maybe Streetsville would be merged in with Milton

 

[Johnny Au]

Looks good but I would merge Milton with Mississauga since those two municipalities have a lot more in common than Milton does with Oakville. I live in the northernmost point of built-up Oakville (along Dundas St.) and Milton is a 10-15 minute drive away from me yet I can only count two times I've actually been there in the past 10 years (once to check out a used car and another time to check out Target when it opened since one of their first locations was there), Milton is just that much of a non-factor for me even though I am physically closer to it than most people in Oakville

Oakville and Burlington on the other hand form a continuum, would make a lot more sense to have those two as one district

I would also split Mississauga into parts. Malton, Bramalea, and Rexdale should merge into one district. Meadowvale and maybe Streetsville would be merged in with Milton

Given that, Peel Region should be abolished. Those would make good single-tier municipalities. Caledon could join Dufferin County, since Caledon's character is much more like the rest of Dufferin County than Mississauga or Brampton.