Duane Hicks
Whether the issue is the inequity in property taxation on railway right-of-ways or recent property assessments, local delegates will speak out on various issues at the annual Rural Ontario Municipal Association conference next week in Toronto.
Couns. Wendy Brunetta and Ken Perry, along with Fort Frances CAO Doug Brown, are scheduled to make presentations to ministers and parliamentary assistants on Monday.
First they’ll meet with Han Dong, parliamentary assistant to the minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development, about the Summer Job Services program that was cut last year, Brown told the Times.
“We still don’t want to believe that because we hire a lot of students,” he said.
“It was a $2 [an hour] subsidy so basically it’s another download to our town and every other community,” lamented Brown, noting the town had to pay more from its coffers to employ summer students last year which, in turn, meant more taxpayer dollars were spent.
On that same note, other local employers also felt the sting of the $2 wage subsidy loss, so it’s not just the town that’s unhappy with the program’s demise.
The delegates then will meet with Yvan Baker, parliamentary assistant to Finance minister Charles Sousa.
One topic will include the Municipal Property Assessment Corp., the recent assessment drop here, and why some properties have gone up considerably in assessed value.
They’ll also be demanding the province address the inequity in property taxation on railway right-of-ways collected by municipalities in Ontario.
A third issue for the finance minister revolves around the cost of the misuse of alcohol, including a request that the province make Ontario producers of alcohol pay a surcharge, with the extra money coming to Northern Ontario communities.
This money would be used to help pay for alcohol-related problems more prevalent in this region than in the south, such as policing, court costs, and health care.
“It’s a proven fact and we just want our fair share,” said Brown, noting it’s no different than recycling where manufacturers pay municipalities to recycle.
“The people that produce alcohol should pay the cost of what it’s doing to society,” he reasoned.
Next up will be a meeting with Natural Resources and Forestry minister Kathryn McGarry to make sure the province is still committed, just as town council and administration is, to moving forward with any viable opportunities to get the mill here operating again.
The local delegates also will meet with Northern Development and Mines minister Michael Gravelle.
He’ll be given all of the town’s briefs for all of its presentations made at the conference so he’s up to date with what the issues are.
