(Jed Tallo/GazetteStaff)
On May 14, CBC Ottawa reported that developers are “very happy” with the Ford government’s newly promised development charges reform, which will delay developers’ need to pay back municipalities for infrastructure costs.
Under Bill 17, the collection of development charges will be deferred until occupancy of the houses built.
County taxpayers are already concerned about how much our future tax and water bills will be reflecting the enormous costs of new infrastructure as developers seek to profit from unsubstantiated population growth predictions for the County.
The executive director of Ottawa’s Alliance to End Homelessness notes that the $400 million promised by the province to cover the cost of water and sewer infrastructure around developments is likely to mean less than $1 million per municipality. Since the Wellington water systems expansion is already projected to cost us hundreds of millions, what are the implications for local taxpayers of such a deferral?
As a local water systems engineer has pointed out to our Council, “Going from near zero to full 50-year build-out capacity is usually a poor decision – because the ultimate population never appears on Day One. Over-built treatment facilities are inherently inefficient.”
Renia Tyminski, Picton
Re: Ten to Ten (Features, May 14). Thank you for your recent coverage of the exciting new collaboration at The Regent Theatre that will see it serve as a Visitor Information Centre this summer. This partnership is a great example of what’s possible when organizations come together to creatively address gaps and seize opportunities that benefit residents and visitors alike.
I’d like to take a moment to clarify one important point: the Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT) is paid by visitors to Prince Edward County, not by local accommodators themselves. Licensed accommodations collect the tax and remit it to the municipality, which then transfers a portion to Visit The County. We appreciate our local accommodators for their role in administering this tax on behalf of the community — their participation helps ensure the MAT delivers real value for both residents and visitors.
While Visit The County’s core mandate is to promote PEC to potential visitors and encourage year-round tourism that supports the local economy, we are also committed to enhancing the visitor experience on the ground — as our capacity and budget allow. That’s why collaborations like the one at The Regent are so important. By working with community partners like the BIA, County Transit, and the theatre itself, we can pool our resources and ideas to deliver more than any one organization could on its own.
This spirit of partnership is what allows small organizations — each with a specific mission — to become greater than the sum of their parts. We’re proud to be part of a community that understands this, and we look forward to building more partnerships that raise all ships.
Sarah Fox, Executive Director, Visit the County
I read in The Times recently that you had to have been here, in the County, longer than “a cup of coffee” in order to understand what’s going on — never mind write about the issues in a local newspaper. In this case the dismissal was aimed at the new publishers of the Gazette.
But I remember, back in 2004, somebody arrived “from away” and within a few months acquired his local newspaper. The Wellington Times. At least then the coffee was fresh. By now it’s been on the burner for more than 20 years.
But to speak quite seriously, I’ve seen too many assertions that County nativity is the only qualification for good judgment — and good government.
The Facebook community groups, both the well and the poorly managed, are brimming with nativism. Somebody recently said that only property owners should serve on the Wellington Town Hall Working Group. That’s just feudal! The next step will see only the menfolk gathering in the town square, and raising their swords to vote.
In another thread, somebody said that only people born in the County should be allowed to run for office. In other comments, people are not to weigh in on any subject whatsoever unless they can boast eight generations in a secret cemetery.
While our soil is rich and produces a strong culture, our climate will never grow coffee.
Likewise, why should we limit ourselves to the root vegetables, just because they were growing here first?
Robert Alan Bicca, North Marysburgh
See it in the newspaper
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