Ken Seiling, one of two provincially appointed advisors tasked with heading the regional review in Ontario, says change is part of government.“My experience has been...that no government should be static, there is always change because times change,” said Seiling, who stepped down as chair of Waterloo Region in November after 33 years in the role.“You can’t stay frozen in time,” he said.He said he has no preconception of what the review should conclude.“I am going into this with an open mind. All of the regions have some nuances, some differences, so we want to hear from everybody.”The Ontario government under Premier Doug Ford announced the regional government review on Tuesday, appointing Seiling and Michael Fenn as special advisors.“It’s important work, and I’m optimistic that we will produce some results that people are going to be pleased with,” said Fenn, who was a deputy minister under three Ontario premiers and a municipal chief administrator in Hamilton and Burlington.Read more:Ontario mayors greet regional reform news with excitement, dreadFormer Waterloo Region chair Ken Seiling to help lead review of regional governmentsBy the numbers: the regions under the Ford government’s reviewThe review will examine Ontario’s eight regional municipalities (Halton, York, Durham, Waterloo, Niagara, Peel, Muskoka District, and Oxford County), the County of Simcoe, and their lower-tier municipalities.Neither man is the type to bend to political pressure, said Harry Kitchen, professor emeritus, Trent University, who has worked closely with them.“I don’t know if the premier has a preconceived notion of what needs to be done, but if he does, he’s picked the wrong two guys,” said Kitchen.“They’re honest, thorough, fair, I’ve never seen them in a position where they got pushed around in any political manner. I don’t expect it now.”Kitchen wa ...
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