HALIFAX -- Nova Scotia's municipal relations minister says the government is open to municipal change, including amalgamation, given the financial challenges facing some towns and communities.
Mark Furey says as many as 12 towns and municipalities are facing financial problems similar to Springhill, where the council voted to dissolve its status as a town and join the nearby municipality of Cumberland County.
Furey says he spent the last five weeks touring the province and has heard from several mayors and councils who are ready to discuss options such as amalgamation.
He says any future changes would be done co-operatively between communities and the province.
Progressive Conservative Opposition Leader Jamie Baillie, whose riding of Cumberland South includes Springhill, says the government should move on its own to push through municipal reform.
He says the province is over-governed at a time when property taxes in towns and municipalities are skyrocketing.
