Still need for gun controls

Stephen Harper has had the gun registry in his sights since his days in opposition. Upon becoming prime minister in 2006, he quickly set about angling for its demise. That change, however, has not been quick in coming, …Read more

HST would shift tax burden

At a time when governments should be lending a hand to its citizens, we’re getting just the opposite. This week’s Ontario budget is no exception.

The most controversial issue is a plan to harmonize the provincial sales tax with the federal GST, a massive tax grab pitched as a boon for the beleaguered business sector. To be sure, the proposed HST would …Read more

Opportunity knocks for the Elmira BIA

These are exciting times for the Elmira BIA. Or they could be. The opportunity exists to stir itself out of its long reverie.

The arrival of $90,000 – essentially a settlement for the organization to drop its stance in the OMB fight against Wal-Mart – could be the catalyst for renewed interest in the core …Read more

Community shows its true spirit

The real upside of Woolwich’s bid for the Hockeyville title was the massive display of community spirit.

Yes, winning the big prize would have been great. Finishing third was undoubtedly a letdown of sorts, there’s …Read more

Uniform policy for pesticides

Ongoing efforts to reduce the use of pesticides for cosmetic use got another boost this week, as the Ontario government announced more than 250 products will be banned effective Apr. 22.

The ban prohibits the sale and use of pesticides for cosmetic purposes on lawns, gardens, parks and school yards …Read more

And now the work begins

Woolwich residents have had plenty of fun showing their support for the township’s Hockeyville bid. The community support has been fantastic, showing what can happen when we rally around a common goal. There may be more noble causes, …Read more

Tempered growth the best option

Compared to the detrimental population numbers in most of the world – a planet of 6.5 billion and counting – growth in the townships seems rather sedate indeed. Still, the growth figures bandied about as Woolwich councillors this week discussed the Waterloo Region’s official plan are a reminder that some dramatic changes are coming.

Over the next couple of decades, by 2031, Woolwich’s population is expected to hit 32,500 residents, up from 21,500 today, while Wellesley will reach 13,000, up from about 10,000.
The largest of Waterloo Region’s four rural townships, Woolwich will still hold that place 20 years hence. With Wilmot and North Dumfries seeing much larger jumps, Wellesley is expected to be the least populous in 2031, when the region’s overall population is forecasted to be 729,000, an increase of 53 per cent over the 2006 census figure of 478,000 (438,000 in 2001).

Such growth in the region is bound to put pressures on available land, especially in the townships where farms are still the norm.

On the growth and expansion front, the region has its growth management strategy in place, calling for fewer greenfield developments and more intensification in the downtown cores of the three cities, Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo. Attached to that goal is the light rail transit scheme designed to encourage public transit over private automobiles.

While the rail line may eventually extend to St. Jacobs and Elmira, the intensification plan doesn’t particularly apply to the townships, where much of the residential growth is typical single-family suburban homes. In Elmira, the trend is particularly at play – even in the past five years, the town has changed noticeably; with five significant residential developments underway, more changes will come soon – it’s difficult to picture what another 25 years will bring.

Breslau, of course, represents the most dramatic changes in the offing. With plans for some 1,000 new homes and hundreds of acres of industrial land awaiting development, the village is likely to be completely altered over the next two decades.

On the growth front, the township will continue to be squeezed by the need for development and the push to retain the small-town feel and rural qualities that brings new people here in the first place.

Growth brings an increased tax base and, in the case of commercial/industrial projects, jobs and opportunity. But growth also increases demand for municipal services, boosting costs. Then there are the quality-of-life issues.

Unbridled growth, while paying short-term dividends, would ultimately become counterproductive.

We do not have to look far to see the downside of sprawl – the region itself is looking to control the negatives developing in the cities bordering on Woolwich, most notably the western and northern edges of Waterloo and the Kitchener’s west side. The long boom that preceded the current downturn made the region’s economy something envied across the country. As the cities run out of developable land, more eyes will be on the townships – Woolwich’s geography making it the prime space.

That, however, is all the more reason not to rush in, to make sure the development plans for those remaining lands are the most effective for the region and, particularly, the township.

Crisis likely cover for poor deals

In Rafe Mair’s column last week, he rails against the lack of public input as the government, acting against the will of the people, moves to privatize BC Hydro. Also last week, a report surfaced recommending the privatization of Hydro Quebec, despite public opposition to such a move.

It’s no surprise these suggestions came from a right-wing government and right-wing think tank (aka lobby group) respectively.

We can expect to see more of this kind of nonsense as those opposed to democratic institutions look to capitalize on the current economic crisis – the timing of both hydro privatization schemes takes a page out of the playbook adroitly illuminated by Naomi Klein in The Shock Doctrine. The shock therapy relies on troubled times – natural disasters or manmade crises, it matters not – to push through an agenda contrary to the public interest.

Given his government’s record, Prime Minister Stephen Harper will undoubtedly attempt to weaken government institutions he opposed on ideological grounds, using the recession and mounting deficit as cover.

Even before the financial meltdown, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty was pushing for the sale of assets, including real estate holdings, as a way to shrink government and to make up for shortfalls in a policy that combined lower taxes (particularly for the upper brackets and corporations) with massive spending increases, largely to buy votes and support ideologically acceptable programs.

Ontarians will recognize this formula as the one cooked up by the Harris government to cover deficits and to advance its financial agenda. As part of that government, including a stint as finance minister, Flaherty advocated the sale of Hwy. 407, which proceeded at great cost to the taxpayer, and also pushed for the privatization of the LCBO, a foolhardy plan that thankfully did not go ahead.
With the blessing of Flaherty and other Harris ministers now in Harper’s cabinet, Ontario saw the fire-sale deals in which assets were traded away for pennies on the dollar. Much of the current mess in the electricity market can be tied to the Tory’s dismantling of Ontario Hydro in preparation for privatization.

We’re still hearing rumblings from Ottawa about the sale of various government office buildings across the country.

On the surface, the move would see the government rid itself of costly upgrades it says are unaffordable.

Selling the buildings would, of course, provide only a one-time cash infusion, certainly at far lower rates than the market would dictate, especially now. In return for the cash from the sale of buildings, the government would then lease back the same office space at a high enough price to cover the new owners’ expenses: mortgage, upgrade costs, taxes and a tidy profit. Only an ideologue could argue that would cost less than renovating buildings that are for the most part paid for, with no mortgages. Put simply, the argument is akin to saying it would make sense to sell your mortgage-free home to somebody else, then continue to pay exorbitant rent to live there.

It’s essential the public not be distracted by the recession and the snow job coming out of Ottawa, which will try to convert public assets to private profit for a well-connected few.

Increase vocabulary, not taxes

In approving a four-per-cent tax hike (plus another two for recreation capital projects), Woolwich councillors maintained they kept the budget as tight as possible: they could go no further.

Then came the familiar refrain that the increase will only amount to about $30 a year on the average tax bill. Well, on the municipal portion, which represents 20 per cent of the total. …Read more

Tories winging it with new budget

If Preston Manning were dead, he’d be rolling in his grave this week following the release of the new federal budget. The massive amounts of spending and huge deficits are anathema to the Reform party and its followers, the core supporters of Stephen Harper’s Conservatives …Read more