While it has been contentious, and a number of residents in the town and county are opposed, the reality is that the two municipal units are consolidating.
Despite growing opposition in the weeks and months leading up to the vote, during two separate special council meetings on Oct. 20, both municipal councils, narrowly voted in favour of moving forward with consolidation.
The vote in the Town of Antigonish passed 4-3 with councillors Andrew Murray, Mary Farrell, Deputy Mayor Willie Cormier, and Mayor Laurie Boucher voting in favour of the motion. Councillors Sean Cameron, Diane Roberts, and Donnie MacInnis voted against the motion.
MacInnis said the process “started as a merger,” then changed from a consolidation into dissolution. He also said he has not seen any draft financial statements, and he feels the decision not be left up to two council but put to a plebiscite.
Prior to the start of the town’s meeting, Boucher explained they arrived at the decision after 13 months of research, community engagement, discussion and reflection.
The municipality also voted in favour of the motion, passing it 5-3. Warden Owen McCarron, Deputy Warden Hughie Stewart, and councillors Bill MacFarlane, Remi Deveau, and Donnie MacDonald voted in favour of the motion.
Councillors Mary MacLellan, John Dunbar, and Gary Mattie voted against the motion, while councillors Shawn Brophy and Harris McNamara, who said he was being forced against his wishes, declared a conflict of interest and abstained from the vote.
In a Facebook post, four days before the vote, Dunbar explained he found the “What We Heard Report” to be thorough and did capture the various views, but he had some issues with it, specifically that attendance at the public meetings was low.
Dunbar said his other issue was that the report indicates that the support for consolidation is equal to those pushing for a plebiscite or who oppose it, which he said is not the case, noting that “many” county residents and constituents reached out to him through phone calls, emails, and messages. In fact, he feels a “strong majority” of residents oppose consolidation or want a plebiscite.
With town council approving their one-item agenda, Cameron tried to submit a legal opinion to council, but through a motion, council defeated it with Boucher, Cormier, Murray, and Farrell voting against it.
The same legal opinion was also attempted to be submitted to county council by councillor Mattie, however it was also defeated by council with McCarron, Stewart, MacFarlane, Deveau, and MacDonald voting against it.
The legal opinion from MacPherson MacNeil Macdonald, which was provided to The Reporter, is not intended to address the merits or advisability of the consolidation, but only with the legal basis for the motion.
It concluded that the consolidation process is not authorized by the Municipal Government Act.
During his discussion around the motion, Cameron highlighted the MGA provides two distinct processes to join municipalities and both require that municipalities seek the support of the electors.
Let Antigonish Decide protested at both council meetings. The group said it is not explicitly anti-consolidation; however, its members are unified in their belief that such a consequential and irreversible decision should only be made with direct contribution by the 20,000 people who will be affected.
Both the warden and mayor have disputed the reasoning for a plebiscite, something that would have come with a price tag of approximately $103,000, as divisive.
Boucher reiterated that their exploration of consolidation showed them that taxes won’t increase.
The mayor noted that municipalities are seeing “more pressures” and must meet “different expectations” than they did 15 years ago, as they’re expected to work on affordable housing, the health care system, climate change, and accessibility, to name a few.
Last month, the town and municipality issued a joint press release announcing that if both municipalities were to dissolve and a new consolidated municipal unit was formed, it would result in an increase of $1 million a year in policing costs.
They also announced that they will keep the name Municipality of the County of Antigonish.
After the vote, Antigonish Warden Owen McCarron said the municipality informed the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
The town and the municipality requested the province draft special legislation that will guide the consolidation transition process.
A transition committee will be formed once the provincial legislation is passed later this spring, which will hire a CAO and design a new administrative structure for the consolidated municipality.
During the transition phase, current councils will continue to oversee operations for the existing municipal units, and staff will remain in their current positions while the new organizational structure is determined.
As for what the new consolidated municipality will look like, in terms of council size, the warden advised that will be the work of the transition team.
The committee, along with current councils and the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board (UARB) will undertake another community engagement phase to identify new electoral boundaries, with the consolidated municipal unit being in operation on April 1, 2025, the end of the fiscal year.
This means the current councils will have their terms extended by an extra six months to accommodate the creation of the consolidated municipality.
Now that they’ve voted, Boucher said it’s time to look at the future.
Without any disrespect to those in opposition, the mayor is right; the town and county cannot go back in time.
There were convincing reasons for a plebiscite and general skepticism of the impacts from joining the municipalities, and consolidation will likely withstand any legal challenges.
Although the process has begun, that doesn’t mean opponents and others with questions need to fade away. Now more than ever, they need to make their voices heard as provincial officials and regulators seek public feedback.
Concerns over possible job losses, potential cuts to services, or worries of higher taxes and area rates require the attention of all town and county residents in this transition period.
In this case, it’s not about giving up but accepting reality and staying vigilant.