Regional facilitator to be appointed to Waterloo Region by Sept. 11: Minister

Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark said a regional facilitator will be named to Waterloo Region by Sept. 11.

On Tuesday, Clark made the announcement during a speech at the annual conference of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario being held in London, Ont.

“I’m announcing today that the government will be unveiling a slate of regional facilitators in Durham, Halton, Niagara, Simcoe County, Waterloo and York by September 11 of this year,” Clark said.

“Theses facilitators will be tasked with reviewing the structures that are in place in these fast growing areas to ensure that they’re up for the job in delivering efficient, effective and accountable government that residents both expect and deserve.”

These facilitators will be tasked with assessing local governance structures in these communities to ensure they are prepared to support future growth and meet the needs of their residents, particularly when it comes to building homes and housing-enabling infrastructure, the province said in a news release Tuesday.

The move follows a bill, called the "Better Municipal Governance Act," which was tabled in the legislature in November.

“The proposed changes support our bold and transformative plan to get 1.5 million homes built in the next 10 years,” Clark said while introducing the bill.

In response to the announcement, Region of Waterloo Chair Karen Redman released a statement saying she is looking forward to working with the facilitator.

"Our community has been clear since the beginning - we are stronger together. We have an important story to tell in Waterloo Region around collaboration and past successes, but we also need to be bold and aggressive in addressing our future growth. I look forward to working with the provincial facilitator and Ontario Government to drive efficiencies, build more homes and create a stronger community," Redman said in the statement.

With files from CTV Toronto