Defining Characteristics of Ontario’s Regions
1) No identifiable leader is elected to any public office in them… there is no one to blame for anything since each Councillor has only one vote.
2) Part time City/Town elected representatives… each too busy and more concerned with local City/Town issues which they can be directly blamed for and therefore do not care much about larger Region issues that they can be simply blamed on others as a majority vote or group. No direct accountability to elected individuals or sub-group.
3) Fragmented democratic power by too many individuals personal votes on all decisions... No democracy because they act as pure business corporations and not Government Corporations.
4) No one City or Town has a majority say on any decision, so everything for one City or Town depends on the will or decisions of another City or Town regardless of the needs or wants.
5) Staff has complete autonomy and control over majority of public affairs and services because no individual City or Town can direct any decisions.
6) Significantly higher paid staff… normally advancing up from lower City/Town level jobs.
7) Money managed is many folds more than any component City/Town.
8 ) Services delivered felt by more people than component City/Town
9) Councillors are paid extra money above a regular Council pay for similar elected offices i.e., personally appealing to keep Regional Governments around for the extra pay.
10) Public erroneously perceives Regions as higher form of government than a City/Town …when they are really not governments at all, but only Federations or Associations of the smaller local governments with power over each of their component Governments.
11) Can manipulate public perception of City/Town under them with service delivery
12) Controls policing forces over City/Town, directs investigations and rules of order under the direction of Police Service Boards.
13) Controls main arterial roads and water supply to direct all land development indirectly but not subject to OMB review of Planning which occurs at lower component Government levels.
14) Many fold more politically and financially powerful than any City or Town under them.
15) Much more politically influential at Provincial and Federal levels than any City or Town.
16) Receives much less public scrutiny and attention than any City or Town.
17) Powerful media influence by regional news services since it is the larger area payer of advertising for any small local area media
18 ) Acts as middleman between City/Town and Provincial/Federal levels receiving money and services downloaded and directs its distribution to Cities/Towns
19) Very close small group of interconnected administrators (only eight people) working together with the neighbouring and distant Regions on common purposes and agendas
20) Supports and bolsters weak elected representatives over more competent people by manipulating public images with the local media and by directing quality of service delivered to individual electoral districts.
21) Since municipal services are what the general public feels most, a Region controls the public opinion of all Governments; Municipal, Provincial and Federal in the area.
22) All government officials, elected and non-elected, at lower and higher levels are respectful of Regional public authority and unfettered control, and collectively refrain from reviewing, scrutinizing or challenge regional decisions and practices.
23) Whole Cities/Towns can live or die, and/or prosper or not; by Regional decisions
24) Collective decisions of Region acting as a group can allow the whole Province to live or die, and/or prosper or not.
25) In Ontario most specifically; which governs most business done in Canada, these organizations can shape our whole Country.
1) No identifiable leader is elected to any public office in them… there is no one to blame for anything since each Councillor has only one vote.
2) Part time City/Town elected representatives… each too busy and more concerned with local City/Town issues which they can be directly blamed for and therefore do not care much about larger Region issues that they can be simply blamed on others as a majority vote or group. No direct accountability to elected individuals or sub-group.
3) Fragmented democratic power by too many individuals personal votes on all decisions... No democracy because they act as pure business corporations and not Government Corporations.
4) No one City or Town has a majority say on any decision, so everything for one City or Town depends on the will or decisions of another City or Town regardless of the needs or wants.
5) Staff has complete autonomy and control over majority of public affairs and services because no individual City or Town can direct any decisions.
6) Significantly higher paid staff… normally advancing up from lower City/Town level jobs.
7) Money managed is many folds more than any component City/Town.
8 ) Services delivered felt by more people than component City/Town
9) Councillors are paid extra money above a regular Council pay for similar elected offices i.e., personally appealing to keep Regional Governments around for the extra pay.
10) Public erroneously perceives Regions as higher form of government than a City/Town …when they are really not governments at all, but only Federations or Associations of the smaller local governments with power over each of their component Governments.
11) Can manipulate public perception of City/Town under them with service delivery
12) Controls policing forces over City/Town, directs investigations and rules of order under the direction of Police Service Boards.
13) Controls main arterial roads and water supply to direct all land development indirectly but not subject to OMB review of Planning which occurs at lower component Government levels.
14) Many fold more politically and financially powerful than any City or Town under them.
15) Much more politically influential at Provincial and Federal levels than any City or Town.
16) Receives much less public scrutiny and attention than any City or Town.
17) Powerful media influence by regional news services since it is the larger area payer of advertising for any small local area media
18 ) Acts as middleman between City/Town and Provincial/Federal levels receiving money and services downloaded and directs its distribution to Cities/Towns
19) Very close small group of interconnected administrators (only eight people) working together with the neighbouring and distant Regions on common purposes and agendas
20) Supports and bolsters weak elected representatives over more competent people by manipulating public images with the local media and by directing quality of service delivered to individual electoral districts.
21) Since municipal services are what the general public feels most, a Region controls the public opinion of all Governments; Municipal, Provincial and Federal in the area.
22) All government officials, elected and non-elected, at lower and higher levels are respectful of Regional public authority and unfettered control, and collectively refrain from reviewing, scrutinizing or challenge regional decisions and practices.
23) Whole Cities/Towns can live or die, and/or prosper or not; by Regional decisions
24) Collective decisions of Region acting as a group can allow the whole Province to live or die, and/or prosper or not.
25) In Ontario most specifically; which governs most business done in Canada, these organizations can shape our whole Country.