Opinion Piece

Posted on May 22, 2014 under News & Updates with one comment

IF YOU ARE A FIRST TIME VISITOR TO THIS SITE, THIS IS NOT A TYPICAL STORY. MOST OF MY STORIES ARE LIGHT HEARTED AND HUMOROUS. THIS STORY IS NEITHER. IT IS A SERIOUS STORY ABOUT A SERIOUS SUBJECT MATTER. IT APPEARED IN OUR LOCAL PAPER “THE CASKET” THIS WEEK AND IS REPRINTED HERE.

I DO THIS A COUPLE OF TIMES A YEAR. AND WHILE THIS IS OSTENSIBLY A “LOCAL STORY” , SIMILAR DYNAMICS ARE BEING PLAYED OUT IN SMALL COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THIS PROVINCE AND I DARESAY THIS COUNTRY.

 

I read with considerable interest two articles that appeared in The Casket recently.  The first was jointly authored by the Mayor of the Town of Antigonish and the Warden of the County of Antigonish.  The second was penned by the President of the Chamber of Commerce.  The theme of both pieces was municipal cooperation.

Both articles referred to the Ivany Report and the need for action by all citizens in Nova Scotia.  In case you haven’t noticed, the Province is in a perilous financial state and with tax payers leaving by the thousands each year to seek work,  it is only going to get worse.

I have read the Ivany Report.  This is not something you are going to tackle in one sitting, but if you care about the fate of your children and grandchildren, you might want to read it or get a synopsis.  Plenty has been written about it since its release.

While I applaud the efforts of our two municipal units and the high level of cooperation in certain areas, there is much more that could be achieved if we were one unit.  There.  I’ve said it.  I said the same thing 10 years ago when I ran for mayor on a similar platform.  The last dust up over amalgamation and annexation at that time had cost the taxpayers of the two units 2.2 million dollars in legal fees, consultant costs and the like.

I would argue that these may be two of the best run municipal units in the province.  They are well governed and staffed by some of the most talented and capable people I know.

The question is; would we be stronger if we could speak with one voice, or will the status quo be the norm for the next generation?

Up until a few years ago, my wife and I ran a reasonably successful financial planning business, as did my current partners, Shane and Ron.  We looked at the changing landscape in our field and decided that joining forces made a lot of sense.  Has it been a perfect marriage?  There are no perfect marriages in the business world or elsewhere.  Did we realize savings by trimming staff?  No.  Just the opposite.  We had to make changes, but the net effect was to expand our team in order to manage a growing business.

We didn’t do this to save money.  We felt that the synergies of merging our businesses would pay dividends over the long haul.

This brings me to our municipal units.  Can they survive another 25-50 years on their own?  No one can answer this.  Would the citizens of the town and county have lower tax rates and better services if two units became one?  Unlikely.  In the short term it might cost a little more, but what we have to focus on is the long view.

If both units were pulling the oars together on all issues and had a common vision for the area, we would see some amazing things happen.  Instead of spending money on lawyers and consultants, how about spending those dollars on a regional marketing strategy?  If the town and county were one, and could trumpet the merits of the region as a whole, we would attract new businesses and residents to the area.  What would one portal of entry for all licensing and regulation in greater Antigonish look like?  To an entrepreneur wanting to set up shop in this community it would look like a big WELCOME mat.  With increased activity and commensurate tax revenues we would be able to address some of the crucial problems that beset our community, such as affordable housing and transportation.

Someone once said “Nothing good comes easily”, and merging the two units would not be without some difficult discussions and tough decisions.  At a minimum, a study should be undertaken to weigh the merits of such an undertaking.

If one could distill the 258 page Ivany Report into two words, those words would be attitude and action.   In order to affect the changes that are required to turn our economy around, it will require a change of attitude with every citizen of this province.  We have to stop relying on others (governments in particular) to solve our problems.  And we must take action.  We have to roll up our sleeves.  If every citizen found one small way to contribute we could change everything.

The challenges are enormous but the opportunities are also there for the taking.  We live in one of the most amazing places in the world.  We are blessed with an abundance of talented people and a natural environment that has no rival.  If we can pool this collective wisdom and move forward together, the possibilities will be endless.