Area growth anticipated from amalgamation.

• Author: Wareing, Andrew
• Position: Timiskaming & region: special report

Come the New Year, there will be a new council for all of Haileybury, New Liskeard and Dymond Township.

"Currently, Dymond, Haileybury and New Liskeard are satisfying the (Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing's) order," says Haileybury Mayor Tom Wells. "We are moving full steam ahead for the next election. People who are elected will be at large so people in the whole municipality will elect them.

"The benefits of this are legion," he says, adding that much of the duplication of services that occurs between the three communities will be eliminated.

A single municipality of 10,000 people is also going to have a stronger voice than several municipalities with only a few thousand people each, adds New Liskeard Mayor Jamie Hawken.

"There are a number of advantages, but the main one, the one that is key, is in looking towards our economic development," he says. "Rather than having a constant tug of war, if we're working together toward a common goal, we will get a lot further.

"If you look at our community, we are strongly intertwined economically anyway," Hawken adds. "We need to eliminate the borders between our communities that begin with a municipal boundary."

Negotiations toward amalgamation first started back in 2001 with an order from the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. An advisory committee was struck to develop the amalgamation agreement between the three municipalities. A group of volunteers are currently discussing what to name the new municipality and its logo. Recommendations from the group to the transition board were expected in late July.

Although Dymond Township Reeve Danny Wbalen and councillor Randy Winters are both in favour of the amalgamation, there are three councillors who are seriously questioning the move and have even caused the hiring of a lawyer to investigate the township's options.

Councillor Glenda Labelle, when approached by Northern Ontario Business, would not comment on the group's concern or the status of their investigations.

"According to the province, this is going to happen," says Whalen. "According to the restructuring committee, this is going to happen. We've spent a lot of money on this process."

Hiring is already underway for a new chief administrative officer, as well as other top management positions in the new municipality. November's election will consist of a ballot for councillors to the new municipality.

"We've made a commitment that no one will be out of a job because of...