County pushes to move on from amalgamation talk

Casandra Turnbull

Managing Editor

County of Brant officials say a newly released amalgamation report, commissioned and authorized by Brantford Mayor Kevin Davis under Strong Mayor Powers, reinforces what County residents have long argued: merging the two municipalities is not in the County’s best interest.

The Brantford-Brant Amalgamation: Financial Analysis prepared by Hemson Consulting, released November 25, outlines the projected financial impacts of forming a single-tier municipality. The report concludes that while Brantford residents would likely face higher taxes and utility fees under an amalgamated government, Brant County residents could see modest savings - though those savings would come with significantly higher urban-style service levels and substantial structural changes to rural governance and service delivery. 

County of Brant Mayor David Bailey said the analysis confirms what County Council and residents have consistently voiced.

“While we acknowledge that the report is founded largely on assumptions, we are pleased that Mayor Davis has concluded that amalgamation is not the answer for the residents of the City, as we have long been aware it is not the answer for the residents of the County of Brant,” Bailey said. “We are ready to move on from this conversation and focus on what matters to our residents.”

County officials pushed back on a key suggestion within the report - that residents would benefit from “enhanced levels of service,” particularly in emergency services, transit and policing. The County says that framing misrepresents both how rural services are delivered and how satisfied residents are with existing models.

“These insinuations highlight a lack of understanding about how the County delivers services,” the county-issued statement said. “It suggests our residents are not proud of, or have confidence in, the dedicated first responders who serve our community…This could not be further from the truth.”

Two Paris councillors also publicly echoed that position last week. John Bell and Steve Howes both issued online statements supporting the County’s stance, adding they were pleased to see the amalgamation discussion coming to an end. 

The Hemson report notes significant structural and geographic differences between the two municipalities, including Brant’s much larger land area and its extensive rural road network—over five times Brantford’s road lane kilometres on a per-capita basis—which contributes to higher rural servicing costs. 

According to the report, if the two municipalities were amalgamated and service levels remained unchanged (“status quo scenario”), Brantford residents would see little financial impact, while County residents could experience tax and utility savings of roughly 10% per capita by 2035. 

Under a “shared servicing” model, where Brantford’s transit, police and fire services extend into rural Brant, the fiscal picture shifts:

Brantford residents would pay 4% more in combined taxes and fees than if they remained separate.

Brant residents would pay about 7% less, but would move toward a fully urbanized service model.

Brant’s water and wastewater fees, already higher due to fragmented infrastructure, would be blended with Brantford’s centralized system over time.

The Hemson report notes the financial pressures for Brantford largely stem from the County’s costly water and wastewater system and its significant growth-related infrastructure needs, including a $150-million expansion of the Paris wastewater treatment plant. 

The report also emphasizes that amalgamation could place the combined municipality in a negative net fiscal position—between $5 million and $9 million—if tax rates remained unchanged through 2035. 

While the report signals the end of the City’s political push for amalgamation, Bailey said there remains considerable room for regional cooperation between the two municipalities.

The County pointed to long-standing shared servicing agreements and a history of productive collaboration, including the most recent 2016 boundary adjustment, which enabled Brantford’s northern expansion and supported the County’s plans for a new industrial district in Cainsville, an area identified in the Hemson report as a future opportunity for regional economic development. 

“The County’s Secondary Plan to develop a premier industrial area in Cainsville would largely not be possible had it not been included in the 2016 agreement,” the statement said. Bailey said he hopes both municipalities can now redirect their attention to constructive priorities.

“Looking ahead, we hope this report serves as an opportunity to move forward with a common goal: providing the best possible services to our respective communities,” he said. “When we work together, we can accomplish so much more.”