A renewed push by the mayor of Birch Falls, a small municipality on the shore of Georgian Bay, has resparked a long-standing debate. The question is whether the town ought to amalgamate with the neighbouring city of Port Selwyn. Birch Falls, a community of fewer than nine thousand residents, has long constituted a point of interest for planners in the larger city. Indeed, this latest proposal marks the third occasion in twenty years on which local politicians have endeavoured to fold the town into its bigger neighbour. Possessing a tranquil harbour and stretches of unspoiled shoreline, Birch Falls would certainly represent a welcome asset.

Mayor Helen Cardoso hailed Port Selwyn as a role model of careful budgeting from which her own municipality could learn. The accolades were warmly received at a recent regional summit dedicated to improving shared services. When asked whether amalgamation was genuinely on the table, the mayor skirted the issue. She declined to rule it out completely, yet she offered supporters a glimmer of hope with the tantalizing remark that "no partnership ever works without a good deal of trust built up first."