Why Northern Ontario Should Follow BC's Lead in Local Governance
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Research Report No. 45 | February 2021 Time to Reorganize: Why Northern Ontario Should Follow BC’s Lead in Local Governance By: Anthony Noga northernpolicy.ca Northern Policy Institute / Institut des politiques du Nord 2 Time to Reorganize: Why Northern Ontario Should Follow BC’s Lead in Local Governance NPI – Who We Are President & CEO Land Acknowledgement Charles Cirtwill NPI would like to acknowledge the First Peoples on whose traditional territories we live and work. NPI is grateful for Board of Directors the opportunity to have our offices located on these Pierre Bélanger (Chair) Kim Jo Bliss lands and thank all the generations of people who have Florence MacLean Dave Canfield taken care of this land. (Vice-Chair Northwest) Dr. Harley d'Entremont Dwayne Nashkawa Kevin Eshkawkogan Our main offices: (Secretary) Ralph Falcioni Dr. Brian Tucker (Treasurer) Pierre Riopel • Thunder Bay on Robinson-Superior Treaty territory Charles Cirtwill Dr. Donna Rogers and the land is the traditional territory of the (President & CEO) Alan Spacek Anishnaabeg and Fort William First Nation. Suzanne Bélanger-Fontaine Mariette Sutherland • Sudbury is on the Robinson-Huron Treaty territory and the land is the traditional territory of the Atikameksheng Anishnaabeg as well as Wahnapitae Advisory Council First Nation. Jean Pierre Chabot Peter Goring (Chair, NPI Advisory Council) Cheryl Kennelly • Both are home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit Michael Atkins Winter Dawn Lipscombe and Métis peoples. Adam Castonguay Dr. George C. Macey Katie Elliot Ogimaa Duke Peltier We recognize and appreciate the historic connection Shane Fugere Danielle Perras that Indigenous people have to these territories. We George Graham Bill Spinney recognize the contributions that they have made in shaping and strengthening these communities, the province and the country as a whole. Research Advisory Board Dr. Heather Hall (Chair, NPI Research Advisory Board) Dr. Peter Hollings Dr. Hugo Asselin Brittany Paat Riley Burton Dr. Barry Prentice George Burton Leata Rigg Ken Carter Dr. David Robinson Sophie Dallaire Dr. Lindsay Tedds Carolyn Hepburn This report was made possible through the support of our partners, Northern Ontario © 2021 Northern Policy Institute Heritage Fund Corporation and the Township of Terrace Bay. Northern Policy Institute Published by Northern Policy Institute expresses great appreciation for their generous support but emphasizes the following: 874 Tungsten St. The views expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 6T6 the opinions of the Institute, its Board of Directors or its supporters. Quotation with ISBN: 978-1-989343-82-1 appropriate credit is permissible. Author’s calculations are based on data available at the time of publication and are therefore subject to change. Editor: Mark Campbell Northern Policy Institute / Institut des politiques du Nord Time to Reorganize: Why Northern Ontario Should Follow BC’s Lead in Local Governance | February 2021 3 About the Author Anthony Noga Anthony Noga is a former Labour Market Analyst at the North Superior Workforce Planning Board. He was born in Thunder Bay and grew up in the city’s rural outskirts. After graduating from Lakehead University with an HBA in History and Political Science, he spent time volunteering with an economic development agency in Israel before getting his Master of Arts in Political Science from the University of Waterloo. This paper was completed prior to Anthony joining the public service. Any views expressed in the paper are his own and are not reflective of his current employer. Northern Policy Institute / Institut des politiques du Nord 4 Time to Reorganize: Why Northern Ontario Should Follow BC’s Lead in Local Governance Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Methodology ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 9 Data Challenges and Solutions ............................................................................................................................................................. 10 Overview of the Current System ........................................................................................................................................................... 13 Local Services Boards ..................................................................................................................................................................16 Local Roads ..................................................................................................................................................................................18 The Northern Fire Protection Program ......................................................................................................................................19 District Social Services Administration Boards ........................................................................................................................21 Rural Planning Boards ..............................................................................................................................................................22 Umbrella Organizations ..............................................................................................................................................................23 Provincial Land Tax Reform .........................................................................................................................................................24 Summary .......................................................................................................................................................................................28 Regional Government ............................................................................................................................................................................. 29 Why Regional Government? ........................................................................................................................................................30 Why the British Columbia Model? ................................................................................................................................................31 What is a Regional District? .........................................................................................................................................................32 Addressing the Issues .....................................................................................................................................................................34 Service Delivery ..............................................................................................................................................................................35 Efficiency ........................................................................................................................................................................................36 Coordination ..................................................................................................................................................................................37 Fringe Development .....................................................................................................................................................................38 Weaknesses of Regional Districts ................................................................................................................................................39 Additional Benefits of Regional Districts ......................................................................................................................................40 Boundaries ......................................................................................................................................................................................41 Summary .........................................................................................................................................................................................44 A Case Study of Northern Ontario Governance ................................................................................................................................. 45 Conclusion and Recommendations...................................................................................................................................................... 58 Main Recommendations ..............................................................................................................................................................59 Additional Recommendations .....................................................................................................................................................60