By Pepper Parr
November 14th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
There are some people who find themselves in a very awkward position when they differ with an approach the city takes but are limited in what they can say because the work they do involves working with several city departments.
A respected professional sent us the following:
We are hearing from a number of people who were frustrated with the way the Mayor’s Budget Telephone Call in went. More than 5000 people are reported to have been on the call. Several felt it was rigged.
“I heard nothing last week on the Burlington Mayors budget telephone meeting about the fact that property tax assessment growth has only been hovering around 0.75% annually in the last 5 years…it does not take a financial genius to know that taxes will be increasing a lot in the near future to catch up to inflation.
“This lack of growth is a direct result of the mayor’s control over development ( remember the interim control bylaw) and pandering to senior voters who care nothing about new housing……well the chickens will come to roost soon as those senior homeowners get the property tax hikes created by council stymieing development and having their foot on Planning policy and staff. ”
There is a lot of this going around.
Ageism is one of the most pervasive forms of prejudice today and appears to be alive and well in Burlington. I am a senior and I certainly don’t feel that Meed Ward has pandered to me. I also care quite alot about new and affordable housing. Do I want a Cityscape that mimics the Toronto waterfront? Absolutely not but I, and my colleagues, recognize that not only is growth inevitable, it is necessary. We have delegated, advocated and participated. We have been involved. Can you say as much for the 30 and 40-somethings? The abysmal 2022 voter turnout was not in the ‘seniors demographic’.
I and my colleagues are critical of the Mayor and this Council because of the way in which they have mismanaged development in this City not because of the development itself. The ICBL was an absolute mistake as was the failure to address the UGC and the MTSA at the beginning of their tenure.
I am reluctant to ascribe to broad groups of people, such as “Seniors”, singular or specific attitudes or characteristics. Accordingly, I am sure that there are many “respected professionals” in Burlington who do not feel as you do.