(Supplied by County of Newell)

By David Opinko

County of Newell withdraws from amalgamation plans over concerns of “losing their identity”

Sep 9, 2019 | 11:06 AM

COUNTY OF NEWELL, AB – Plans to amalgamate the City of Brooks, Town of Bassano, and County of Newell appear to be off.

Late last week, the County of Newell voted to end their participation in the Regional Working Group that was spearheading the movement to join the three municipalities together.

Newell’s Reeve Molly Douglass says the decision was made after they heard concerns from several residents that amalgamation could result in them losing their identity as a community.

“It’s been an interesting exercise, and change is always a challenge for people to wrap their heads around, so [it’s] understandable that we didn’t get as far as we hoped.”

She adds that the voices of rural settlements are often ignored in decision-making, or at least, are given minimal weight. Those in opposition felt their voices would be lessened even further, especially as the County’s population is so spread out.

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Douglass admits that she did not really understand those concerns, but felt that it was only fair to respect the wishes of her constituents.

The Reeve explains that amalgamation would have allowed them to find greater efficiences in what she believes is a rather bloated set up.

“When you have under 25,000 people and 32 councillors and five sets of administration, it’s a lot for the population.”

The City of Brooks, by far, has the largest population of the three with 14,451 as of 2016. 7,542 people make up the County of Newell, while 1,206 reside in the Town of Bassano.

Douglass remains confident that, while the Regional Working Group will no longer meet and will no longer discuss amalgamation, the municipalities will continue to work together and grow closer, particularly in regards to developing their Intermunicipal Collaboration Frameworks and Intermunicipal Development Plans, as the Municipal Government Act requires.

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