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In Manitoba, growth comes from merging small communities into larger ones

But the province's ambitious amalgamation plan isn't endorsed by everyone

In Manitoba, growth comes from merging small communities into larger ones

In the prairie farmlands of Manitoba, a strategy of modernization is about to come into effect that will change the shape and identity of those rural communities and, some fear, cast aside decades of history with the stroke of a pen.

The Manitoba government has embarked on a plan of mass amalgamation, ordering rural municipalities of less than 1,000 residents to come up with a plan by the end of the year to merge with neighbouring communities.

The issue, officials say, comes down to dollars and cents. Fewer, larger community governments mean less overhead. Not only that, but communities with larger budgets will be better poised to benefit from infrastructure spending grants offered by higher levels of government.

“Times have changed. We’ve got municipalities now that are crying out for economic development opportunities,” says Ron Lemieux, Manitoba’s minister of local government.

“I understand why there is a real concern about change. People get upset, people are very nervous about change. But this is not the end of something. This is the beginning of something. This is something new, this is something innovative. This is something futuristic that people can be proud of.”

It is perhaps the single largest regional re-imagining in recent Canadian history. Entire governments will be recast. Council seats that represent handfuls will transform into those that represent hundreds. Rural municipalities made up of sporadic farms and occasional villages will merge with town councils.

Of the nearly 200 municipalities that make up the jigsaw puzzle that is Manitoba, as many as 87 of them have fewer than 1,000 residents and will be forced to comply.

The order has not been universally celebrated. Several rural municipalities (RMs) have pushed back against the government strategy. In the RM of Glenwood, a community of 600, Coun. Walter Finlay has been vocal in his opposition to provincial intervention in how the community governs itself.

In reality, we’ve got far more in common with Saskatchewan in the western part of the province … than we’ve ever had with Winnipeg.

— Greenwood Coun. Walter Finlay

Finlay made headlines when, earlier this year, he called for Glenwood to secede from Manitoba and join Saskatchewan, where he feels they would be more respected.

“In reality, we’ve got far more in common with Saskatchewan in the western part of the province … than we’ve ever had with Winnipeg. They just don’t seem to care what is happening outside of the city,” Finlay says.

“We balance our own budget, we draw up our own budget. We designate where any money is going to go. We are the ones that keep the doors open, and yet they want to slam everything shut.”

Like it or not, the community will be getting its makeover when the province’s round of amalgamation gets underway at the end of the year. General elections held next year will fill new council seats across the province, cementing the shape and style of each newly-formed community.

The idea is being pitching as an update to the province’s antiquated municipal boundaries, which were drawn up more than 100 years ago. Back then, the borders were established based on the rudimentary needs of the time. Needs that share little in common with the needs of today.

"Back then, boundaries were defined by how far a horse could carry a bushel of grain," explains the province’s website detailing the amalgamation.

"Today, towns and municipalities are modernizing and evolving. Better roads and modern transportation are connecting more of our communities. And new technologies are changing how we do business.

Manitoba communities contend they shouldn't be forced to amalgamate by politicians in Winnipeg.
Manitoba communities contend they shouldn't be forced to amalgamate by politicians in Winnipeg.

Five Manitoba communities have voluntarily amalgamated in the past decade-and-a-half, the most recent of which was the Municipality of Shoal Lake — 300 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.

Before its amalgamation in 2011, there were 1,250 residents spread evenly between Shoal Lake the town and the surrounding rural municipality. This set-up called for a total of 10 councillors, one mayor and one reeve — meaning one elected representative for every 100 people in the area.

After amalgamation, the government was able to reduce the total number of office workers that were necessary and cut the size of council by five seats. Overall, the changes freed up an extra $60,000 to be spent on community projects.

Doug Dobrowolski, president of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities, says the association is not specifically against the idea of amalgamation, only having it forced on communities that don’t want it.

“Some of the municipalities have gone through all their numbers and it does not make sense for them to amalgamate. This 1,000 number is artificial,” he said, adding that you can’t conclude whether or not a community is viable based on how many people live there.

Dobrowolski adds that much of the negative reaction to amalgamation comes from a sense that the province hasn’t taken regional identities into account.

Bigger isn’t necessarily better. It is the service delivery. A lot of people that we have talked to want that local contact, they want that local councillor not a bigger entity.

— Doug Dobrowolski, president of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities

“That is one of the biggest arguments, the local identity. Bigger isn’t necessarily better. It is the service delivery. A lot of people that we have talked to want that local contact, they want that local councillor not a bigger entity.”

Lemieux, who represents the rural riding of Dawson Trail, says the amalgamation plans address rural Manitoba’s need for improved infrastructure. Central to the argument is the country’s Building Canada Fund, which provides local governments embarking on infrastructure projects with matching funds from the province and federal government.

A fresh kitty of $54 billion will become available next April. But smaller municipal governments have a harder time reaching the financial threshold needed to qualify for the fund. Ergo, larger local governments.

Lemieux said it was time for rural Manitoba to reconsider itself. Not with the focus on change, but with the focus on growth. Rural municipalities already work closely with their neighbours, he says, and amalgamation is simply meant to trigger more conversation and more consideration on how to do it better.

“I feel I do know rural Manitoba. My mother and family still live in rural Manitoba. She still lives in Dauphin. I have an appreciation. When people say, ‘We are really afraid we are losing our heritage and our culture,’ I understand that. But with amalgamation, the people and the towns have not lost their identity. They have not lost their heritage,” Lemieux said.