Lambton County Council is backing away from the suggested merging of the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership (SLEP) and Tourism Sarnia-Lambton (TSL).
The plan to combine resources was raised last October and staff were directed to talk with the boards of both groups and report back.
While various pros and cons were presented by the merger committee Wednesday, Mayor Mike Bradley says strengthening both organizations seems to be the best outcome.
"They both have different objectives and I think they've both come a long way in the last couple years," says Bradley. "I think SLEP still needs some reform. I don't think it's as well known in the community as it thinks it is. I think its board needs to be downsized to a more reasonable size... insider things. But, I think the fact is these two groups have spent quite some time working together trying to find if there was a commonality of interest to merge, and really when its all said and done, it wasn't there."
County council complimented SLEP and TSL for improving their communication and has encouraged the groups to continue their open dialogue to explore area's where collaboration could be beneficial.
