Liberals claim Hudak going to whack taxpayers with an annual $168. per household tax hit. Real or just a scare tactic?

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON September 14, 2011 – The press release said “urgent” and the sender apologized for the short notice but there was going to be a press conference outside city hall. Wow – we thought, must be something hot. Burlington city councilors Craven and Meed Ward were going to be on hand.

Then we wondered – did the people organizing the press conference know that the plaza in front of city hall was being torn up while repairs were being done? Guess not.

Moments later there was an email from Liberal Media people in Ottawa with mention of a breakfast the Premier attended in Ottawa where he talked of the tax increase that would hit Ontario municipalities if a Hudak government were elected.

The picture was suddenly quite a bit clearer – this was a concerted effort by the Liberals to take their municipal message to every city and town across the province. The Liberals are well organized – they pump out several press releases every day.

So, the press conference was on – we gathered on the part of the city hall plaza that wasn’t being torn up and three media people, one photographer, two candidate staffer, the two council members who identify themselves as Liberals and the candidate and listened as Liberal Candidate Karmel Sakran read a prepared statement. And that was it – they are called photo ops and an opportunity for a candidate to communicate with the larger community. Democracy in action.

Liberal candidate Karmel Sakran has a real race on his hands.  Last week he held a short notice press conference on an issue that was being raised across the province

Liberal candidate Karmel Sakran has a real race on his hands. Last week he held a short notice press conference on an issue that was being raised across the province

What was it Sakran wanted to say ? Basically the same thing the Premier said to the people at the Mayor of Ottawa’s Breakfast – “we won’t down load anything on you.” We won’t do what those dastardly things the Tories did to you. But gosh guys – Mike Harris has been gone for some time and while you are working at pinning a “Harris Lite” label on Tim Hudak – and that isn’t hard to do, can we not get some balance in here?

The Premier said:

“We believe the provincial government should pay for provincial responsibilities — so municipalities have what they need to provide a great quality of life for their people. Ontario Liberals get that. The Harris-Hudak PCs didn’t,” said McGuinty. “Now the PCs are at it again. They want to go back to the days of downloading to balance their own books — costing taxpayers money and robbing cities like Ottawa of vital public services.”

The PCs have already proposed the first of their new downloads — making municipalities pay for hazardous waste disposal. Their scheme would make Ottawa property tax bills skyrocket by at least 6% — costing the average family about $186 per year.

The last PC government stuck municipalities with a $3 billion bill for provincial programs like seniors’ drug costs and services for the disabled or unemployed. This left less money in municipal budgets for other services like policing or snow removal, and made property taxes rise.

Ontario Liberals partnered with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) on a plan for uploads that would reverse the damage from the last PC government. When finished, it would put communities on stable footing so they can plan for the future.

Ontario Liberals are committed to finishing that job — and honouring that commitment.

Sakran was a little more blunt. He said the contrast between the Liberals and thhe Progressive Conservatives is pretty clear. They down load …. We upload

They cut – we build

They believe in the politics of division. We believe in working together to move Ontario forward.

Sakran mention a tax increase of $186 per household that would be needed to fund the plans the Tories have put out in the Change Book and refers to it as a “hardship”. Hardly! It amounts to less than fifty cents a day 0 a little perspective would help here.

Sakran adds this line: “Or the local library will be closed.” Really, there isn’t a hope in hades of this city ever closing the library. That kind of statement is divisional.

This election is about leadership and making alarmist statements isn’t leadership. They amount to scare tactics which we don’t need. Put the facts before the votes and they will figure it out.

Councilor Rick Craven, thought to be a Liberal, let his colours show when he appeared at a press conference with Candidate Sakran to decry any possible end to the funding agreement the municipalities currently has with the Liberal government.

Councilor Rick Craven, thought to be a Liberal, let his colours show when he appeared at a press conference with Candidate Sakran to decry any possible end to the funding agreement the municipalities currently has with the Liberal government.

Downloading costs to the municipality in the Harris years did a lot of damage to Ontario municipalities and the Liberals deserve credit for reversing a lot of that damage. McGuinty deserves credit for what he is doing for education and his green energy initiative is admirable. Does he have it right? We don’t know that yet but he is doing something positive and showing that he is working his way through difficult times.

The municipalities, through their organization, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, AMO, worked out an understanding with the Liberal government that amounted to $1.5 billion of which $1 billion has been delivered. Tim Hudak, leader of the Progressive Conservative opposition has said that he isn’t committed to following through on the last half a billion and that does have municipalities up in arms. The municipalities fear a return to the days when the province stiffed them by down loading all kinds of services to the municipal level. Harris’s government just said – here you deliver these services and find a way to pay for them.

Marianne Meed Ward, the Liberal candidate in the last provincial election gave then MPP Joyce Savoline a real run for her money.  She then decided to run municipally where she now gives city council a real run for its money.

Marianne Meed Ward, the Liberal candidate in the last provincial election gave then MPP Joyce Savoline a real run for her money. She then decided to run municipally where she now gives city council a real run for its money.

Because municipalities are creatures of the provincial government they have to do what the province tells them to do. That’s what had Councilors Craven and Meed Ward out in public with Sakran warning there is a serious problem with any suggestion that the AMO agreement might not be followed through on. No one wants a return to the Harris days and the fear is that Tim Hudak, who was part of that Harris government, is going to take the province back to the days when downloading was the rule.

Locally, McKenna, the PC candidate had nothing to say about Hudak’s thoughts on the downloading issue. The community is not seeing nearly as many press releases from the Progressive Conservatives.

 

 

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