The provincial government says its vision for regionalization has shifted to a more service-sharing approach.

Premier Andrew Furey and then Municipal and Provincial Affairs Minister Krista Lynn Howell participated in a panel discussion yesterday morning about regional collaboration, hosted by the St. John’s Board of Trade.

Government recently decided not to go with a proposed regionalization model that would have seen something similar to the county system set up.

Howell says regionalization is still happening—they’re just taking another route.

She says the direction they’re looking at is around service-sharing.

Premier Furey says they want to be part of a plan that incentivizes collaboration between communities.

For example, they could offer pockets of funding to two communities so they can grow their services together.

During a cabinet shuffle Late Wednesday afternoon, Krista Lynn Howell was named as Education Minister, while John Haggie moved into the Municipal and Provincial Affairs portfolio.