HawthorneVillager.com

It's an idea that Mayor David Miller's blue-ribbon fiscal review panel earlier this year hinted might help Toronto out of its current economic jam – that is, sell part or all of Toronto Hydro to pay off a $2.6 billion debt.

The sale would not affect consumer electricity rates, which are regulated by the province.

In Mississauga's case, said Councillor Carolyn Parrish, it could offset the need for an annual 5 per cent infrastructure levy contemplated by council to help offset millions of dollars in extra infrastructure costs over the next 10 to 20 years.

"Council is contemplating putting the money away in an infrastructure fund because the two senior levels of government don't seem interested in our plight," said Parrish, who represents the city on the board of Enersource.



SO WHATS NEXT, MILTON COUNCIL WILL BE BLAMING THE PROVINCE AS WELL.....

the time is NOW to put a moratorium on new construction...until the roads have time TO BE BUILT...not 10 yrs from now

just ask the folks who live near THOMPSON...Derry is next, and Main will be a nightmare

goodluck

I can't agree with this because it would make us a bunch of hypocrites...

No new construction now that I'm here?

So shall we have a third tier of Miltonian's, Old Milton, New Milton, and Newer Milton? As a part of New Milton should I oppose all Newer Miltonian's, perhaps the entire HVE project?

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14C - Lot 82 - Upland B
Roleplaying Game Software for your iPhone: RPGTouch

The province has been downloading responsibility for more and more infrastructure on the Citys and Regions, without providing any mechanism for them to pay for it, other than property taxes. The Province has mandated in its Greenbelt and Places To Grow legislation that Halton is going to grow, like it or not, and grow really quickly. I am not defending the Town or the Region, but they have been given really big problems by the Province, who are basically doing next to nothing to assist in implementing their grand plans.

Marc

Nothing? How about reopening 4th line as James Snow Parkway with 2 lanes and an underpass?

Or expanding Derry to 4 Lanes from between Bronte and James Snow.

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14C - Lot 82 - Upland B
Roleplaying Game Software for your iPhone: RPGTouch

GC, you read my mind! Every time I hear this argument I think 'wouldn't we just be hypocrites?' It's like, 'now that I'm in my nice new home, played my part to kill off nice, fertile land and make traffic worse, we need to stop because it's wrong!?'. I agree the infrastructure sucks at the moment, but it's growing pains. All you can do is leave if you don't like it. A moratorium isn't going to happen. And it won't suddenly make things any better either.

I don't think that stopping construction in town is the answer. I, like many of us here, moved to Milton in the past few years and am considered "New Milton". And I am very grateful that the town is expanding because I truly believe it is a great place to live.

I just wish that whomever is in charge of approving new plans of subdivision, expansion, etc. would learn from the past and put plans in place to grow infrastructure along with new homes. Milton has been growing rapidly for almost 10 years. Why hasn't someone figured out that when we build 200 new houses, we also need to expand access and services? It seems to me that it shouldn't be too hard for a planner to say "if we approve x number of houses to be built this year, then we need to add so many new garbage trucks, so many plows, and there needs to be a wider access road to get to them". And then that person needs to set the wheels in motion to get those things done.

I don't want to make a sweeping accusation like it is all town council's fault. It just seems to me that somewhere along the line communication between the levels of government has broken down and the result has been that it seems to those of us actually living in town that there is no common sense involved in planning our growth.

The problem is paying for new infrastructure to support an incoming tax base on the shoulders of the existing tax base can be perceived as unfair. You can either tax me more up front, or wait until those people are in and then tax them. You could argue this from both directions, if you wait until the people are in everyone suffers including the old tax base, but if build first then only the existing tax base pays for it.

You also don't want to go in to debt to build, as that costs more (in the long run) for interest and the like. Now I am pretty sure that some of the builders offered the city a lower interest loan to advance some of the infrastructures, because they wanted happy new home owners to tell all their friends how great their home is, and knew that traffic was affecting that happiness.

Of all the infrastructure pieces that scare me, it is the hospital, Milton hospital is old and small, and Milton probably already far exceeds the hospitals capacity. Are we getting a new hospital, or expanding the old one?

I say it scares me, because I am ignorant of any planning in process. The roads I can see in progress, or have heard about the plans. Construction is always delayed, it is a fact of life that you can't control the weather, but it is happening.

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14C - Lot 82 - Upland B
Roleplaying Game Software for your iPhone: RPGTouch

we do pay it through our taxes.....

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Valerie

I agree with you-- the old milton shouldnt have to pay for it...but we did substantially help with the value of their homes increasing......

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Valerie

Which means they are paying for it, because until you sell your home that increased value means more taxes...

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14C - Lot 82 - Upland B
Roleplaying Game Software for your iPhone: RPGTouch

Every new house / commercial building / industrial building etc pays "Development Charges" to the city / school boards / region to pay for the new infrastructure that they require. The charges in Milton are amongst the highest in the country for many types of development. The old tax base is not responsible for paying for new development in the town, per the provincial Development Charges Act. The killer is in the lag between the charges being paid, and them being put in place. With the rapid growth in Milton, the lag time is even more obvious but this is what the provincial laws dictate.

If the city were to front end the costs in the form of debt there would then be the risk that the existing tax base will have to pay for the debt in the event that the growth didn't happen as quickly as anticipated.

The developers in town front-end a lot of their Development Charges well in advance of starting construction... in town many are going well above and beyond what is required, but unless there are changes in how the Province dictates that development is paid for there isn't much that the city or region can do.

Marc

and its a simple problem to solve.

WIDEN THE ROADS then we issue permits, it falls upon the members of council to have the LEADERSHIP AND FORESIGHT to see whats happening,

everyone see its and you dont have to look to far to see it...

ill predict this, and you will read about one day...."person dies while waiting for train to cross"

then you will here all the complaints...

but where is all the money?? to build all these roads....just look at the new town council building that they just had to build over 5 million dollars...thats ok, we'll just tax the crap out of everyone isnt that right WENDY...council is incompetant

ask any long time resident of Milton, if they are happy with whats happening.

I guess maybe we should build bridges at Thompson, and James Snow so that people and Trains interact less.

Oh wait those bridges are done, just a nearly record winter snow has prevented most construction.

Yes they are behind schedule, but they are being done.

There isn't a magic wand that makes roads expand and build bridges, even infinite money can't make it happen over night.

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14C - Lot 82 - Upland B
Roleplaying Game Software for your iPhone: RPGTouch

Drive less...bike, walk and take transit more.

We can't keep expanding roads ad infinitum. Four lanes is more than enough. Any more and it would make the environment hostile to anyone but a soccer mom or single commuter their SUV (drinking coffee and talking on the phone, of course).

The reason they don't do these road changes BEFORE everybody moves in is because they need the tax money from the new home owners first! It's the same way that all cities do it like Brampton, Mississauga, Burlington, Oakville etc...it will all get done everybody just has to be patient and get used to giving yourself some extra time. I live in HVE and I agree that the underpass will be nice but I can also wait for that job to be started...it's going to be a nightmare.