A report summarizing the results of a financial analysis in regards to the amalgamation of the City of Brantford and the County of Brant, was released to the public on Friday, November 28, 2025.
Kevin Davis, Mayor for the City of Brantford, commissioned the report using his strong mayor powers last December.
“I’m going to direct staff to obtain a fact-based, unbiased assessment done by an outside consultant, economist or accountant, to really give us the facts,” said Davis. “The cost benefits of amalgamation is a debate our communities have had over decades and I think it’s a debate well worth having.”
Now nearly a year later, the report by Hemson Consulting Inc., titled “Brantford-Brant Amalgamation: Financial Analysis” has concluded that County residents would benefit more from the merger.
Under an amalgamation scenario with a shared servicing arrangement, City residents would pay about four per cent more in annual taxes, while County residents would pay about seven per cent less.
“While cost savings for certain services can be anticipated, amalgamation is expected to result in slightly higher costs overall for Brantford’s tax and rate payers. The average Brantford resident would be expected to pay 4 per cent more in annual taxes and utility fees by 2035 as compared with an unamalgamated scenario,” the report stated. “By comparison, residents of Brant County could see their combined taxes and utility fees decline by approximately 7 per cent under an amalgamated scenario, while benefitting by improved service standards more typical of urban communities, such as municipal-wide transit services.”
The report also indicates that under an amalgamated scenario where the two municipalities maintain the status quo is regards to servicing, City residents would “pay an average of just one per cent more by 2035 ($2,171, up from $2,144 per capita), while County residents would pay about 10 per cent less than the $2,400 per capita under an unamalgamated scenario.”
In either scenario, the cost increase for Brantford residents was often related to the higher costs of water and water servicing in the County of Brant.
“While the overall impact of amalgamation is an increase in costs for Brantford residents, most of this increase is related to the difference in water and wastewater servicing costs between the two municipalities,” read the report. “…Brant has a more fragmented and costly water and wastewater system, compared with Brantford’s centralized system.”
Despite higher costs for City residents, Hemson Consulting determined that were some benefits to amalgamating including:
- An improved ability to attract non-residential development and assessment growth, particularly in areas adjacent to Brantford’s current City boundary such as Cainsville and the airport lands;
- Support development of more complete communities where residents can live in closer proximity to their employment;
- Simplified servicing arrangements and elimination of the need for complex servicing agreements; and
- Continued support for service level enhancements and investments in major infrastructure and institutions.
In a post made on the social media site Facebook on Friday, November 28, Davis said, “Given these findings, I cannot support the City requesting provincial action on amalgamation. There is no quantifiable advantage for City residents; only additional cost.”
The County, which has always maintained its position against any sort of amalgamation, released its own statement just days later on Monday, December 1.
“While we acknowledge that the report is founded largely on assumptions, we are pleased that Mayor Davis has concluded that amalgamation is not the answer for the residents of the City, as we have long been aware it is not the answer for the residents of the County of Brant,” said David Bailey, Mayor for the County of Brant. “This is a position we have consistently maintained since this report was directed to be completed by Mayor Davis using his strong mayor powers. We are ready to move on from this conversation and focus on what matters to our residents.”
The statement went on to say that throughout the report, it was suggested that County residents would ultimately benefit from enhanced levels of emergency services, but that the report “highlights a lack of understanding about how the County delivers services to residents.”
“Further, it suggests that our residents are not proud of, or have full confidence in, the dedicated first responders who serve our community with excellence and commitment,” the statement emphasized. “This aspect, along with the hundreds of County employees who remain focused on serving our community and delivering the highest quality services to our residents, businesses, and visitors, could not be further from the truth, and continues to highlight the differences in providing services to the rural and small urban communities that make up the County.”
Nevertheless, the County said that it agrees there is room for it and the City to continue working together on common goals.
“County Council and staff collaboration has always been a cornerstone of our relationship with the City, and there are numerous examples of successful partnerships that have benefited both communities,” read the statement. “The County’s Secondary Plan to develop a premier industrial area in Cainsville would largely not be possible had it not been included in a legal agreement signed in 2016 related to the most recent Boundary Adjustment between the County and the City. With the County agreeing to provide the City with the desired lands necessary for it to expand, along with providing the City with a large-scale user of its existing water and wastewater system, a point highlighted as a benefit in this report, the County can develop lands that create regional economic development benefits. The County looks forward to the City’s final agreement on this matter.”
Bailey added that as both municipalities move forward, without amalgamation, he hopes the report will serve as an opportunity to move forward with the common goal of providing the best possible services to the respective communities.
“The County of Brant will continue to work collaboratively with the City of Brantford and support future discussions that are respectful and constructive,” said Bailey. “When we work together, we can accomplish so much more.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
