Mayor to province: review Hamilton's amalgamation

Hamiltons mayor is hoping the province will take another look at amalgamation in light of new evidence showing it hasnt saved on municipal staffing.

But Bob Bratina also saidhe doesn't want to be the mayor who breaks up the amalgamated city of Hamilton.

Bratina hosted Western University researcher Tim Cobban at the Sheraton on Wednesday. Cobbans recent study found that since 1995, amalgamated municipalities added new employees at roughly twice the rate of ones that didnt amalgamate.

Bratina has sent those findings to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs. He wants the province to examine it.

The mayor said he wrote to the ministry on his own, outside of city council, with the question would you consider a review of amalgamation?

Bratina said he would like to see the province do a serious review of amalgamation. But he doesnt believe it will lead to a reversal of it.

I dont believe in my term or the next term that that will happen, he said. Nothing can happen until the province gets serious about reviewing the material.

Six Hamilton-area municipalities Hamilton, Flamborough, Ancaster, Dundas, Glanbrook, Stoney Creek amalgamated in 2001 to form the new city of Hamilton. Cobban didnt have exact Hamilton figures on hand, but estimates that staffing has increased at a rate of about 22 per cent since then.

Bratina mentioned revisitingamalgamation in his 2010 mayoral campaign. Since then, he said, hes been looking for solid research on the impact of the restructuring.

For this mayor now to try to rip the scab off and create divisions again is unfortunate.- Coun. Terry Whitehead

His goal isnt to see it reversed now, he said. Im not the mayor of Hamilton to break Hamilton up.

But Cobbans study, he said, allows an intelligent discussion based on real data.

Western University funded Cobbans study, which looked at 445amalgamated municipalities. Bratinas office funded Cobbans appearance, as well as the rental of the room at the Sheraton, although Bratina didnt have an estimate Wednesday on how much it cost.

Not everyone was happy to be talking about amalgamation again. Councillors have worked tirelessly to mend fences and heal wounds caused by amalgamation, said Coun. Terry Whitehead, one of four councillors who attended after hearing of the session on Wednesday.

For this mayor now to try to rip the scab off and create divisions again is unfortunate, he said.

Its an election year. Its cheap politics. And its unfortunate that he feels the outlying areas are going to buy it.

Coun. Maria Pearson was skeptical of the findings. Her Stoney Creek ward has seen millions in capital improvements it wouldnt have seen without amalgamation, she said.

Shes disappointed the issue has come back too.

We need to close this door and let people get on with their lives, she said.