Provincial Review Underway

Friday, 15 February 2019 08:14

The Township of Zorra is not in favour of having a single-tier government.

OXFORD COUNTY - Zorra Township is happy with having a two-tier government.

While the regional review is underway, Mayor Marcus Ryan says he's happy with the way things are.

"I'm very happy with the way that Zorra and Oxford are structured and I feel the structure that we have of the lower-tier municipalities representing people's needs and hopes and wants in their small and geographically-wide, separated little communities works very well in conjunction with the County, offering services like regional roads and water and waste water in a highly cost-effective manner. I think it's a great combination of small town accountability and high-level government efficiency. And for that reason I just can't support, and our council has debated this and passed a motion on it, that amalgamation for us is not acceptable. We think there would be too much loss in terms of our small town communities and all the things we're be able to do and be flexible and be responsible on their behalf."

Ryan met with the special advisors last week to discuss his reasons and the opportunities he sees for Zorra and Oxford County in the future.

"The two advisors came out to Oxford County last week and met with council of all the lower municipalities, including myself representing Zorra, and we sat down for half an hour or 45 minutes and they asked us their questions about possible changes to the way Oxford and Zorra are structured and operate. And we had a very frank discussion about what I thought and what Zorra thought about the obstacles and opportunities were for Zorra and Oxford in the future."

Ryan says while he might be opposed to the idea, he welcomes the regional review as an opportunity to improve service delivery.

If the province has recommendations or a desired outcome following the regional review, he says it'd be best if a solution was implemented by the municipal government.

"If the Province has recommended or desired outcomes from the review, they would be most
effectively implemented by municipalities and more specifically, a 'made in Oxford' solution
would be appropriate for Oxford County. We want the best future for Zorra and Oxford. We believe we are the best to decide how to achieve that future. "

Oxford County is among the 82 municipalities included in the province's regional review.