Killing Pontiac to save Pontiac.

[DetroitPlanner]

I believe in Ontario all cities are really just small arms of the Province [[State).

This has allowed 'real change'. When the Government of Ontario decides a city will amalgamate or share services, it happens. They happily function, unionized and liberal [[by our standards).

Its not all peaches and cream. For example, there might as well be a wall around the City of Windsor as it is its own governmental unit totally separate from the County of Essex. Not even the Schools coordinate with the Windsor School Board and the County School Board.

Amalgamation is a step in a rationale direction, but you need to have everyone on board with the amalgamation for it to happen. Thats how we got Sarnia/Lambton and Chatham Kent. You don't see that in Essex with several communities amalamating into Amherstburg, Windsor standing alone and a few other oddities.

Best example we have of rationalization is Grosse Pointe Shores. Up until a few years ago there was a Grosse Pointe Township, a Lake Township, and a Village. By law a Village must have a township that provides some level of services. Cities do not need to have townships and are considered a different animal. All three had thier own boards. The citzens grew weary of this and now it is a City that straddles the county border. This eliminated two boards at the township level.