[getsmart-l] residents know it brings transportation, health and housing problems.

[John O'Gorman]

True for all municipalities - "Over the last couple of years, the province has paid lip service to reforming the way infrastructure costs are funded, but nothing has happened yet and it looks like nothing is on the table."

http://www.yorkregion.com/yr/yr4/YR_News/Newscentre/Regional/story/3826159p-4426227c.html

      Tax reform could fix region's troubles

      Dec 28, 2006
      David Fleischer, Staff Writer 
      More from this author 
       (York Region) - If you live in York Region you probably fit into one of these categories: Your family's been here for 20 years and you're amazed at the population explosion taking place; or you moved here recently, part of a wave marking the area as the fastest growing area in the country. 
      While there is a perception growth brings unadulterated wealth, residents know it brings transportation, health and housing problems. 

      The good news, as this year approaches its end, is progress is being made. The bad news is it's rarely coming fast enough. 

      Development charges, for example, are something that might strike you as esoteric or boring, but they proceed from a simple principle: New growth requires new investment in roads, community centres and other infrastructure. 

      During the Mike Harris era, however, rules were changed so municipalities had less choice as to where money they collected from development charges could be spent. 

      At the same time, municipal downloading forced GTA municipalities to begin helping Toronto pay for social services while their own shelters, social housing and other projects fell by the wayside. 

      If you want to know why Vaughan can't afford a new hospital, development charges are a good place to start. 

      "The current act does not permit municipalities to fully fund the cost of growth from growth. This puts pressure on municipalities to increase property taxes in order to maintain service levels to our residents and businesses," said former Vaughan mayor Michael Di Biase in a June, 2006 plea for reform. 

      Across York Region, municipalities are crying poor and asking for a fair slice of the pie. Over the last couple of years, the province has paid lip service to reforming the way infrastructure costs are funded, but nothing has happened yet and it looks like nothing is on the table. 

      The province is conducting a "who does what" fiscal review that won't be complete until 2008. But as we approach an October 2007 election, hope remains the purse strings will loosen sooner, rather than later. 

      One of the areas in which the region is most lacking is affordable housing. 

      Projects in Vaughan and Newmarket are adding 135 units to the mix, but with 5,500 people on the waiting list, there's a ways to go. As part of a cost-sharing effort, Ottawa and the provinces have given the region $26 million to spend, provided it can complete projects by 2010. Several facilities are in the pipeline, but money is short and the clock is ticking. 

      "We certainly hope to use all of our allocation," said Gabe Tropea, the region's manager of housing development. 

      "We're making progress to the extent we can, given our funding and resources," he said.
     
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