Transcript Regional Government Initiative - Municipalities Newfoundland and

Regional Government and Local
Fire Departments: Compatible
Structures for the Future
2011 Newfoundland and Labrador
Association of Fire Services Annual
Conference
Gander, June 19, 2011
Robert Keenan
Community Cooperation
Program Officer
MNL and Its Community
Cooperation Office
• Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador represents all
municipal governments in the province.
• MNL addresses all aspects of municipal government,
including fire fighting services.
• The Community Cooperation Office (CCO)was
established in 2005 to actively support regional
cooperation between municipalities on all aspects of
municipal government.
• CCO has worked with municipalities on:
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Joint Councils
Service sharing arrangements
Regional Government Initiative
ICSPs
Amalgamation
Fire Departments and
Municipalities
• MNL is particularly aware of the important safety
function and social/cultural role of fire departments in
NL.
• For many municipalities, the local fire department is a
primary source of pride, community identity, and
socialization.
• From personal experience, the fastest way to lose the
confidence of municipal residents is to be seen as a
threat to the local fire department.
• Fire departments, though an arm of council, are often
a powerful counterweight to the political will of elected
councils.
Regionalization and Local
Fire Departments
• Regionalization is, understandably, viewed
as threatening to many local fire
departments.
• This appears more due to the extraordinary
change that is occurring in rural NL.
• Population decline has drastically altered
the face of local fire departments.
• Many fire departments do not operate from
a position of strength – their long term future
is uncertain (as is that of their community).
Regionalization and Local
Fire Departments
• Also given no choice but to regionalize;
provincial government policy re. new fire
equipment for small municipalities is
focused on regionalization.
• However, there is no guide for
regionalization.
• As a result, regionalization of fire
departments becomes an uncomfortable
combination of local politics, government
requirements, and local need.
MNL’s Regional
Government Initiative
• The same forces that drive fire fighting
regionalization – provincial government policy,
long term sustainability, declining and aging
populations – also drive municipal
regionalization.
• Municipal governments are not approaching
regionalization from a position of strength.
• Municipal governments also have few
regionalization options available:
– Amalgamation
– Service sharing arrangements
– Regional Councils
MNL’s Regional
Government Initiative
• The regionalization options that are available are
not very attractive:
– Amalgamation: too stressful, causes too much
uncertainty, too divisive, too final. It is debatable
whether amalgamations even work, and most
municipalities have no interest in amalgamating.
– Service sharing arrangements: usually too small to
actually enhance local sustainability. Level of expertise
at the local level is often not available to make the
most of service sharing arrangements.
– Regional Councils: available under the Municipalities
Act, but a complete failure in NL. None currently exist,
and the province does not promote them.
Regional Government Papers
• MNL felt compelled to examine options
that currently do not exist in NL.
• Regional government systems exist in BC,
Quebec, Ontario, and a system of regional
government has been proposed for NB.
• The regional governments of BC and
Quebec are very strong and work very
well.
• Also decided to consider a county system,
which exists in Nova Scotia.
Regional Government Papers
• MNL also wanted to avoid some of the
problems of past examination of regional
government.
• We needed to provide context to the urgent
need for municipal reform.
• Therefore, a majority of the space of our
regional government papers is devoted to
providing a broad overview of the current
state of our municipal system.
Regional Government Papers
• MNL’s assessment of the current municipal system
highlighted that the current system cannot be fixed
with minor changes.
• Most municipalities have too few resources, too
few people, and too many responsibilities to
effectively adapt for the future.
• Problems are more acute since the moratorium –
many municipalities have never recovered.
• Provincial government has provided more regional
supports – REDBs, Rural Secretariat, Regional
Service Boards – that exist outside of municipal
control.
Regional Government Papers
• Municipalities are also struggling to
effectively regionalize on their own.
• Joint councils are largely weak and rarely
result in unified action.
• From MNL’s data, we know that service
sharing arrangements are usually entered
into to either:
– Save money; or
– Maintain current service levels.
Regionalization Not
Amalgamation
• It is also clear that amalgamation is not the
answer.
• NL has an extremely unique settlement
pattern and a very small population.
• As a result, amalgamating 3-5 small
municipalities into 1 small municipality
does not result in significantly more
capacity at the local level.
Regionalization is Not
Amalgamation
• It is important to stress the differences
between regionalization and amalgamation.
• Unfortunately many – the media, the province
– act as if the words mean the same thing.
• To MNL, regionalization involves different
individual units working together
collaboratively towards a specific goal.
• Amalgamation is the opposite. It eliminates all
the individual entities and collapses them all
under one entity.
Regional Government Papers
• The focus of our work moved towards a
method of providing extra and better
services to municipalities without eliminating
municipalities.
• Our issue is one of scope – how to create a
structure that is big enough and flexible
enough to provide support at the local level
for certain services.
• Fire and emergency services is mentioned
as an area where regional managements
may be appropriate.
Regional Government Papers
• The only meaningful solution MNL could find
to provide meaningful support was creating
mandatory regional government for the
entire province (including Local Service
Districts and unincorporated areas).
• Our version of regional government would
have purpose, would be fiscally responsible,
and would be municipally led.
• We did not define what would constitute a
region.
Regional Government
Initiative
• MNL launched this initiative at its 2010
Municipal Symposium with the release of
the three regional government papers.
• Initial response to the Initiative was very
positive, though some municipalities had
significant concerns.
• Two copies of the three papers were mailed
to every municipality in May 2010.
• Given the length of the papers, a short
summary was created and seven copies of
that was sent to each municipality in Sept.
2010.
Regional Government
Initiative
• Regional Government Consultations began in
February 2011.
• We currently have completed five
consultations.
• To provide all council members and
administrators the opportunity to submit
feedback, we created a regional government
workbook, several copies of which were sent to
every municipality in February 2011.
• Purpose of the workbook and consultations is
to give participants the ability to construct what
sort of regional government they think works
best for them.
Implications for Local Fire
Departments
• Implications are potentially significant.
• However, no change is imminent; this is a long
term process and we are at the beginning of year
two.
• We need the input of local fire departments. We
are not experts in fire and emergency services –
you are – and we need your feedback on creating a
regional system that will work for the next 50 years.
• Residents are often ambivalent towards municipal
councils; yet, they view fire departments as the
heart and soul of the community.
• We need to hear from the heart and soul of the
community.
Two Options
• To be proactive or reactive.
• Regionalization is taking place with or without
our approval.
• MNL wants firefighters to be proactive and help
us build a regional system. We do not yet know
what our regional government system will look
like, so firefighter can still shape the outcome.
• Simply being reactive to our work will represent
a lost opportunity to provide input. Could result
in some of the same difficulties that fire
departments have with amalgamations.
Lessons MNL can Learn
from Fire Departments
• Many local fire departments are already
involved in successful regional arrangements:
– Many fire departments have mutual assistance
agreements
– There exist municipal corporations that run fire
departments
– NORPEN operates a regional fire service
• These regional arrangements reflect largely
local efforts.
• MNL needs to understand why these
arrangements are so successful and how these
can be replicated.
In Closing…
• MNL has no desire to tell fire departments
how to carry out their responsibilities.
• But fire departments are an arm of council
and will play a critical role in our work.
• Trying to build a movement for change that,
at the end of the process, can put forth a
reasonable and comprehensive plan for local
government.
• Rest assured, our primary consideration is
the best interests of municipalities, and by
extension, local fire departments.
Thank You
Robert Keenan
Community Cooperation Officer
[email protected]