The 2015 municipal amalgamations in Manitoba was the result of new legislation (''Municipal Amalgamations Act'') in

the province ''The Province'' is a daily newspaper published in tabloid format in British Columbia by Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network, alongside the '' Vancouver Sun'' broadsheet newspaper. Together, they are British Columbia's on ...

that required a minimum population threshold of 1,000 people in order to

incorporate Incorporation may refer to: * Incorporation (business), the creation of a corporation * Incorporation of a place, creation of municipal corporation such as a city or county * Incorporation (academic), awarding a degree based on the student having ...

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

. To meet this new threshold, Manitoba's smaller

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

—those with a population of less than 1,000—

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with one or more neighbouring municipalities by 2015.

Background

In 1997, the

Government of Manitoba The powers and structure of the provincial Government of Manitoba (french: Gouvernement du Manitoba) are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867. In modern Canadian use, the term "government" referred broadly to the cabinet of the day (formally ...

established a minimum population threshold of 1,000 in order to

As of the 2011 census, 93 of the 197 municipalities in Manitoba had populations less than 1,000. In 2012, the Manitoba government announced that municipalities would be required to amalgamate in order for them to meet the minimum population threshold and make them more sustainable communities moving forward. Soon after, ''The Municipal Amalgamations Act'' was enacted in 2013, requiring that municipalities with a population less than 1,000 amalgamate with one or more neighbouring municipalities by 2015. The provincial government justified such by arguing that amalgamation would be more efficient and would increase capacity for economic development, thereby strengthening Manitoba's rural communities. Between 2013 and 2014, regulations under the Act would amalgamate 107 municipalities (65 rural municipalities, 25

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, and 17

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) into 47, effective 1 January 2015. These amalgamations therefore reduced the total number of municipalities in the province from 197 to 137. Despite having populations less than 1,000, two municipalities—the

Rural Municipality of Victoria Beach Victoria Beach is a rural municipality in the Eastman Region of Manitoba, Canada, located on the southeastern shores of Lake Winnipeg, approximately north of Winnipeg. It lies on a small peninsula that extends into Lake Winnipeg, and is almost ...

and the Village of Dunnattor—were exempted from the requirement to amalgamate due to their uniqueness as resort municipalities. The provincial government also allowed some new amalgamated municipalities to form with a combined population under 1,000.

Criticism

Bill 33 (the ''Amalgamations Act'') received considerable pushback, primarily by the

Association of Manitoba Municipalities The Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM) is an organization of municipal governments in the province of Manitoba, Canada. All municipalities in Manitoba are members. The AMM was founded in 1999, by a merger of the Union of Manitoba Municip ...

(AMM).Standing Committee on Social and Economic Development. 2013 September 9.
Hansard vol. LXV No. 8
" 2nd Session, 40th Legislature, Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. Among others, concerns regarding amalgamation included the deadline of 1 January 2015, which was seen as too short to complete the process; the arbitrary nature of the proposed population threshold; and questions over administrative and financial efficiency. In court, the AMM argued that the province ought to have allowed voluntary participation in amalgamation; however, the case was overturned. Speaking before the Standing Committee on Social and Economic Development of the

Legislative Assembly of Manitoba The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba (french: Assemblée législative du Manitoba) is the deliberative assembly of the Manitoba Legislature in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly at provincial gen ...

in September 2013, the AMM president, Doug Dobrowolski, made the following argument:

Our members have expressed many concerns since the Province of Manitoba announced its intentions to force amalgamations. Although some members support amalgamation and some do not, it is our position that the decision to amalgamate should rest…with the municipal government and its residents. The AMM is not opposed to amalgamation. What we are opposed to is forcing our members to choose a path that may not be right for their community. Beyond the forced aspect of this bill, our members have numerous other concerns. First, the proposed timeline of January 1st, 2015, is unreasonable. We believe successful amalgamations occur at a pace that is comfortable for all parties, including the citizens of the affected municipalities. Forcing amalgamation is undemocratic and forcing them within a tight time period causes additional unnecessary stress on everyone involved. The bill does allow
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to extend the timeline for amalgamation to a date no later than January 1st, 2019, as long as the amalgamation plan has been submitted by the deadline specified. However, we believe there is little potential for flexibility in this bill; it is completely at the discretion of the minister. Furthermore, we believe that the use of 1,000-citizen threshold to determine who must amalgamate is not only an artificial number, but an inaccurate one. We are aware of the many municipalities currently under this population that function at a very high level. We're also very concerned with the proposed elimination of the public input through the Municipal Board. Although the bill states that amalgamating municipalities must provide a reasonable opportunity for members of the public to comment, there is no requirement to involve the Municipal Board. The bill does not mention what would happen if members of the public are opposed to amalgamation. Finally, although Bill 33 includes provisions to initially keep all policing arrangements the same despite any amalgamations, the AMM has concerns about how it will work in practice. Where one amalgamating municipality has its own police force or is policed by the
RCMP The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal and national police service of Canada. As poli ...
, a new arrangement will have to be made within three years. If a new arrangement is not made after the three years to have one police service for the amalgamated municipality, the minister will enter into an agreement with the RCMP to provide policing for that municipality.…

While the municipalities are now larger as result of amalgamation, governing bodies are still challenged in curtailing population decline, and encourage growth.

List of amalgamations

References

External links

Manitoba’s Municipal History: Municipal Amalgamations (2015)Manitoba’s Municipal History: Manitoba Communities
{{Subdivisions of Manitoba Mergers of administrative divisions in Canada

Background

Criticism

List of amalgamations

See also

References

Further reading

External links