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MB OPINION Considering the magni- is also very consistent ENVISIONING GOVERNANCE IN WATERLOO REGION EIT 2 AMALGAMATION NOR 3 DIVORCE WILL ESTABLISH A BETTER GOVERNANCE = FRAMEWORK FOR OUR FUTURE, WRITES JORG BROSCHEK It's unfortunate the ae. bate about JORG BROSCHEK Column reform proposal should be based on empir- ical evidence from re- earch and best practices, Expected benefits need to be measured against three key of demo- terloo Region now revolves id two radical solu- centralization or organize our regional de- mocracy, neither amal- gamation nor "divorce" ala Peel Region willestablish a better governance frame- work for our future. waterloochronicle.ca 'y cratic governance: legiti- macy, effectiveness and ef- ficiency. _ Radical _decentraliza- through “divorce” has the potential to bring gov- ernment closer to the peo- ple. It can strengthen legit- imacy through more re- sponsiveness and_ trans- parency. However, it comes. at the expense of effective- ness and efficiency. tude of interrelated policy challenges we must ad- dress, such as growing so- cial inequality, housing and climate change, small is not always better. For the provision of many public goods, a higher and wider scale mike the region — i: warranted. Radical centralization through al amat has the Potential to fo gmer ate some efficic but empirical. studies sound anote of caution. Al- tho there may be some duplication and overlap underpinning the current system, public services stil hi have to be provided for matical wing 3 pulation ah vliverse needs. So far, amalgam- ation has generated rather , if any, real cost sav Research on the theory and practice of federalism and multilevel governance When it comes to the ques. tio: we know from decades of re- see , main obstacle to amalgamat by Regional Councillor Rob Marc] of archical and contvalized structures lack the capaci- ty of "flatter" organization- al structures. Multi-jurisdictional or- ganizations create political arenas that can serve as a laboratory for new solu- tions, best practice, and policy learning. In short: they serve as a vehicle for innov. there i is no rea- son to expect tha it amalgam- ation will enhance our Tocal e con- will increase the distance between residents and their representatives. The voter turnout in Toron- to's municipal election in 2022, for example, was below 80 per cent, a historic low. The roots of disengagement and nonparticipation are much deeper. Social equality and corresponding representation gaps are, as h, panchice Phil Marfisi mar- shalled good empirical evi- dence that the existing two- tier structure is the better solution. A new study pub- lished i in Policy Options in two-tier structures, comes to the same conclusion. Against this backdrop, the case for radical solutions is based on assumptions, an- ecdotes and wishful think- ing. We should therefore fo- cus the debate on improv- ing legitimacy, effective- ness and efficiency within the two-tier system. There is a lot of potential. lual mandate for mayors, who can vote on both the municipal or township level as we well as on the regional council level, is undemocratic and should be abolished. form efforts should so target the total m ber of representatives of on all levels, a his, admitt- edly, too Finally, there is an ee making the two-tier system more effective and efficient. Ju- risdictions could be retai- lored to better align re- sponsibilities with func- tional needs. Intergovern- mental co-ordination, a key challenge for multilev- el governance, should be improved. And let's not forget: The performance of any gover- nance structure de- pends on the skills ve those who work within it, and who bring its potential to life. Po- litical leadership matters profoundly, in times of crisis more than ever. lorg Broschek is an associate professor and Canada Research Chair in Comparative Federalism and Multilevel Governance at Wilfrid Laurier Uni- versity, Department of Political Science. MOOR FRESH Qik FUND $f) SINCE 1901 en [+ Help send kids to camp. 2023 Goal: 650,000 To donate or learn more visit thestar.com/faf or call 416-869-4847. ‘CHARITABLE REGISTRATION # 119267425 RROOOI The Toronto Star Fresh Air Fund provides grants to camp organizations to subsidize fees for kids who otherwise wouldn't be able to attend. x TORONTO STAR Childven’s Chavities Finduson FO @ fe)