A local petition has inspired residents in Chatham-Kent’s smaller communities to advocate the de-amalgamation of the municipality.
A petition asking the Ontario government to release Bothwell and Zone Township from Chatham-Kent gained media attention earlier this month, leading to two other petitions calling for a similar separation from the municipality in Wallaceburg and Blenheim.
The Blenheim petition was posted in the town’s municipal building last weekend, while the Wallaceburg petition was created online through Change.org on January 23.
Ward 5 Councillor Aaron Hall said anti-amalgamation sentiment is nothing new in Wallaceburg.
“I figured it was a matter of time before someone locally would hop on that bandwagon,” he said of the recent petition. “If people want to spend their time working on that or looking into that and what it would take, all the best to them. I’m going to keep doing what the people in Wallaceburg elected me to do, [which] is to represent Wallaceburg on Chatham-Kent Council.”
Individuals behind the recent petitions have stated that they feel the smaller Chatham-Kent communities are overlooked by council and the municipality. There is also a feeling by many that funding and services have been reduced in rural areas, while Chatham has reaped the benefits of amalgamation.
“I remember when I first ran for council back in 2018, I heard that concept… it’s been prevalent since amalgamation,” said Hall.
While that negative perception exists, Hall said Wallaceburg still gets its “fair share.” The councillor pointed to the ongoing redevelopment plans for Wallaceburg’s south side, the rehabilitation of the LO Stonehouse Walking Bridge in the downtown core, and the reconstruction of Dufferin Avenue.
“We get what we need, in terms of some of those projects and those are some of the big ticket items that Chatham-Kent Council approved and we moved forward with,” said Hall. “There’s always work to be done, there’s always more that we would like to get to, just like any community.”
Hall added that he would rather look to the future at the current challenges facing each community such as housing and homelessness, rather than dividing up the municipality.
“Those are big issues that we need to come together and try and help,” he said “If we can look at being a little more united, that would be helpful when we’re tackling some of these issues.
“Hopefully we can stick together and look at some of our commonalities, as opposed to our differences.”
