1954-1998: AMALGAMATION OF TORONTO
The amalgamation of Toronto was a very long and historical process. It started in 1950s, and the most recent occurrence of amalgamation was in 1998. This has resulted in Toronto’s current boundaries. Why has this consolidation occurred? After the second world war, in the early 1950s, Toronto and its suburbs had to address its sprawling development that had been held back after two decades of depression and war. As the metro system of Toronto became stronger, it became easier for people to reach those neighborhoods that were beyond the city’s original boundaries. Around this time, each municipality has it’s own government and utility systems, such as water and sewage. Thus, to make the region more efficient, the six, previously independent municipalities were consolidated into one, forming modern-day Toronto.
Source: oldtorontomaps.com
Figure 4. City of Toronto Building Construction Dates
DETAILS
IMPACT
The concept of consolidation was considered, as it was thought better for those municipalities to combine together and reduce the number of elected officials, reduce costs and improve efficiency and communication between municipalities. This caused a significant increase and dispersal of the population, as people could start moving out of the immediate city, thereby, contributing to the post WWII suburban movement. See more analysis, please look at the Metropolitan Dominance and The Gravity Model. This model analyzes the basic spacial interaction of modern-day Toronto.
The amalgamatino has also become a prominent polictical issue in recent campaigns. The article, "Amalgamation: 10 Years Later," states that, "what citizens remember is that taxes went up, transit fares jumped, their city hall moved downtown and they felt less connected to it." However, the article also emphasized that Toronto is "still standing." Amalgamation was supposed to deliever three main benefits: savings, greater equity, and more clout. On equity, the megacity has been a big success, spreading the social safety net across the city. Most notably, the neighborhod of York, which was previously the poorest municipality, has benefited the most.
