News Release Archive
MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS--CONSULTANT CHOSEN FOR PICTOU STUDY ------------------------------------------------------------ Municipal Affairs Minister Sandy Jolly today announced the selection of KPMG Management Consulting to conduct a municipal government study in Pictou County. Robert Radchuck, a partner in the Halifax office of KPMG, will be the project manager for the study. There are six municipal units in Pictou County including the Municipality of the County of Pictou; and the Towns of New Glasgow, Pictou, Stellarton, Trenton, and Westville. The delivery of local government services has been a subject of considerable debate among the county's municipal units over the past number of months. Four of the area's municipal councils passed resolutions requesting that the minister undertake a study examining the merits of replacing the six municipal governments with a single regional municipality. At a meeting with municipal government officials held in Pictou Sept. 26 the minister agreed to initiate and fund a study. "The Pictou study will follow a similar process to the Cumberland study. The consultants will obtain the views and opinions of the citizens in Pictou County through a number of public meetings. They will also consult extensively with the elected and appointed officials of the municipal units," the minister said. The study will review the current financial situation and service delivery methods of the existing municipalities. It will also examine the financial and non-financial advantages and disadvantages of adopting a regional structure taking into account the principles of accessibility, accountability, and cost-effectiveness. "A regional municipality will only be established for Pictou County if, at the completion of the study, a majority of the municipal councils in Pictou County request that one be established," said the minister. She said this is in line with the process set out in bill 28, An Act Respecting Regional Municipalities, which was introduced in the Legislature Oct. 26. The KPMG Management Consulting proposal was selected as a result of a public tender. Proposals were assessed on value for money by comparing study methodology, combined with proposal cost. This contract will commence immediately with a projected completion date at the end of February. -30- Contact: Tom LeBlanc 902-424-5634 trp Dec. 07, 1995