Province asked to pay for transition board

Ford government reversed course last year on separating region into three cities, citing costs

- NOOR JAVED, FERGUSON

Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Paul Calandra said the province will consider picking up “some” of the costs of the Peel transition board, which is expected to continue its work until next January.

Peel Region is asking the province to take on the responsibility of funding the Peel transition board, which the Ford government set up to oversee the called-off dissolution of the region — as new numbers show the flip-flop has cost taxpayers more than $4 million.

“It logically makes no sense that our residents are paying for this,” said Brampton Regional Coun. Gurpartap Singh Toor, who brought the motion forward at Peel Regional Council on Thursday.

“The province asked for this work to be done, so they should be paying for it.”

The region says that in addition to the $1.5 million it has paid out to the transition board, it has also incurred $2.7 million in internal costs to deal with the province’s decision to dissolve Peel Region — and its subsequent reversal.

The motion — which does not call for the province to repay that additional $2.7 million — also asks for a breakdown of all third-party consultants the board has hired, and their associated costs.