In a prepared release, Peter Fenwick, chair of the Southwest Coast Joint Council, said Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador, the organization that represents towns and cities in Newfoundland, has proposed a regional model for the province.
He wonders if that will spell the end of small towns and local service districts.
That question is being added to the agenda for the next meeting of the Southwest Coast Joint Council meeting now scheduled for June 20 in Stephenville.
Representatives from Municipalities Newfoundland Labrador will be on hand to elaborate on the implications of this approach if it is adopted by the provincial government.
“How isolated small towns like Burgeo and Ramea and how local service districts will fit into a regional government structure are of utmost concern to the residents of Southwest Newfoundland,” Fenwick said.
He said the southwest region of Newfoundland contains close to 25 local service districts, more on a per capita basis than any other part of the province. In the past few weeks, the chair of a Port au Port Peninsula local service district put in his resignation, citing the extreme difficulty of operating a committee without legislative support.
“Will a regional government be able to address these problems?” Fenwick asked.
The meeting in Stephenville will also address the recently announced changes to the waste management strategy that has pushed back much of the strategy to 2020 and 2025.
The joint council meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. in the Stephenville town hall council chambers.
