Hollow victory

Hopefully the mayor, those councillors who support “bag tags,” and town administration aren’t expecting residents to spill into the streets of Fort Frances in joyful thanks for being graciously allowed one free bag of garbage a week, as well as the continued privilege of using the big green bags and those metal cans like so many of us have been doing for decades here.
First of all, the real bottom line is bag tags are here whether we like it or not. And secondly, the little bone the Civic Centre tossed our way (perhaps in hopes that we’ll all go away) comes with a price tag—an apparent potential two percent increase in property taxes on top of the big hike we already face.
Now granted, many people said during the great “Bag Tag Brouhaha” that they’d be willing to pay more in taxes in exchange for “free” garbage pickup. But two percent for one free bag a week? All because of the projected lack of revenue that would cause? That seems like a rip-off.
And besides, by that very logic, if we all do a better job in cutting back our garbage output (say, by one bag a week), which is what the town says it wants, will that extra lack of revenue in the Civic Centre’s coffers generated by one less bag tag being sold each week translate into another two percent hike next year?
Or, horrors, does this mean the day is coming when we’ll have to tag our “blue boxes,” too, to make up for that lost revenue from bag tags.
On the bright side, what little “concessions” residents did “win” was because people refused to accept bag tags lying down. You attended meetings, signed petitions, wrote letters, and no doubt made a few phone calls.
There is strength in numbers. You can fight city hall. We must never lose faith in that—no matter how hollow the resulting “victory” may seem.