Petition launched to de-amalgamate Wallaceburg from Chatham-Kent

Following suit with similar petitions in Bothwell and Blenheim, a petition was launched on January 23, 2025 calling for Wallaceburg to de-amalgamate from the Municipality of Chatham-Kent.

A total of 856 people have signed the petition as of Tuesday morning, February 4, 2025.

Wallaceburg Councillor Carmen McGregor caught up with the Sydenham Current to discuss the matter. Listen to the full interview, below:

Fellow Wallaceburg Councillor Aaron Hall echoed McGregor’s comments.

“After seeing other petitions pop up across the community, I figured it was a matter of time before someone locally would hop on that bandwagon,” Hall said.

“If people want to spend their time working on this, or looking into what it would take, I wish them all the best. I’m going to keep doing what the people in Wallaceburg elected me to do, which is to represent Wallaceburg on Chatham-Kent Council.”

Hall said the de-amalgamation concept has been a topic of discussion for years.

However, he said Wallaceburg gets its “fair share” as a part of Chatham-Kent, pointing to recent projects as great examples, including: the secondary plan for Wallaceburg’s south side, the rehabilitation of the walking bridge, maintaining all of the downtown bridges as movable structures and the reconstruction of Dufferin Avenue.

“We get what we need, in terms of some of those projects and those are some of the big ticket items that Chatham-Kent Council approved and we moved forward with,” Hall said.

“There’s always work to be done, there’s always more that we would like to get to, just like any community.”

Hall said it’s important to stick together in order to continue facing the current challenges facing every community in Chatham-Kent, such as housing and homelessness.

“Those are big issues that are not going away,” he said.

“We need to come together and be united. Let’s stick together and look at some of our commonalities, as opposed to our differences.”

The petition was launched by Wallaceburg resident Brendan Authier.

“As a resident deeply rooted in the culture and history of Wallaceburg, witnessing the ongoing repercussions of our amalgamation with Chatham-Kent has been nothing short of a heartbreak,” Authier said on Change.org.

“The face of our previously autonomous community has since changed dramatically, claiming the loss of 3,500 jobs, disproportionate spending outside our town, a decreased population, and the rampant increase in property taxes. It is disheartening to see our safe and secure town struggling with escalating instances of homelessness and substance abuse, especially disconcerting for our young who bear the hope of carrying forth our narrative.”

Authier added: “This town, rich in culture and history, has long been overshadowed by the bureaucracy of Chatham, leading to a decline in local governance that was once a symbol of pride for us. Standing today, subjected to the inefficiency of centralized governance, we bear the brunt of losing our direct connect to our community – an essence that aligns us as Wallaceburg.”

Authier said he plans to send the petition to Premier Doug Ford, along with Chatham-Kent Council.

“Let us reclaim Wallaceburg’s distinct identity and autonomy,” Authier added.

“Let us work together towards a future where our town thrives, jobs proliferate, and rampant homelessness becomes a chapter in the history books. We must ensure affordable housing for our youth who envision a flourishing future here.”

The full petition can be seen, here.

- Advertisment -