Small towns contributing to their own demise

An exodus of young people seeking education, adventure and success in bigger cities, combined with economic upheaval that has left little opportunity for those who stayed behind, has resulted in a dramatic “hollowing out” of North America’s small communities. And worse, by not adapting to this new reality, small towns are playing a big part in their own demise.

Other regions and communities have created incentives designed to draw back their educated young people. Aniko Varpalotai, a professor specializing in rural education at the University of Western Ontario, says St. Thomas, the town she lives in just outside of London, Ont., has used tuition relief and housing benefits to entice several of the medical students who passed through its hospital to stay. In different areas of the U.S., Carr found free land programs, student loan forgiveness and attempts to improve cultural amenities.

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Canadian cities worry new Tory wastewater policy will punish taxpayers

Letter from Basil L. Stewart, president of Federation of Canadian Municipalities to Prime Minister Stephen Harper re: downloading wastewater treatment costs on to local municipalities and ratepayers.

FCM supports the proposed new federal regulations for the treatment
of wastewater. However, we are deeply concerned that the costs of
implementing these regulations will be offloaded on to local property
tax payers. We are calling on your government to commit to a national,
cost-shared plan to implement the regulations and help municipalities
protect Canada’s water resources.
By the federal government’s own estimates, upgrading wastewater
facilities across the country to meet the new regulations will cost at
least $12 billion over the next 20 years. Municipalities who receive just
eight cents of every tax dollar collected in Canada cannot absorb these
expenses on their own.
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Saint John, NB realtor, property owner aiming to collect 6,300 signatures in bid to force election

Posted by Ian:
Frustrated by the lack of responsibility to voters exhibited by any of our elected municipal representatives? Tired of broken campaign promises and poor fiscal judgment? Are personal agendas and ego the order of the day instead of good governance? You don’t have to wait until the next municipal election to dump the deadheads as exasperated voters in Saint John, New Brunswick flex their electoral muscles in a non-election year. And their frustration rings a familiar bell in St. Thomas.

SAINT JOHN – A real estate salesman and property owner has launched a petition to remove Mayor Ivan Court from office.

Real estate businessman Gerry Webster holds a petition he is circulating in a bid to remove Mayor Ivan Court from office. He wants to present the petition to the common clerk by July 17.

“He’s the mayor, that’s where the buck stops,” Gerry Webster said. “He’s had a year and he’s not listened to the public.”

Webster, who has already expressed his frustration with the mayor and common council, wants to present the petition to the common clerk by July 15.

The petition says, in part, “We the undersigned petition the common clerk of the City of Saint John to recall the below listed mayor” and that “an election be held as soon as possible.”

The reason for the petition to recall the mayor, the document states, is “the failure to address the serious financial situation of the city and the proposed further expenditures on capital projects.”

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Central Elgin Ratepayers Assoc. address to C.E. council July 20/09

Central Elgin Ratepayers Association, CERA, was formed primarily to influence the Council of the Municipality of Central Elgin to do the right thing when it comes to the local property tax burden.

Officially incorporated on May 15, 2009, in just two months CERA now has over 240 members. A recent survey of our members indicated that the Harbour negotiations with Transport Canada was our members’ second priority, after high taxes. Thank goodness, Dan McNeil saw fit to uncover many of the shenanigans in this protracted duel between Transport Canada and Central Elgin Council.

The community is in Harbour negotiation burnout. Only 70 citizens of a population of 12,500 showed up for the re-launched edition Harbour Community Workshop! It’s a sad, misleading commentary when media releases from the municipality and the consultants extol the great turnout at the first session. How can a $100,000 grant from Transport Canada, that’s trying to dump the Harbour on Central Elgin, not positively influence their agenda?

Central Elgin Ratepayers Association adds Port Stanley harbour special advisor

Fishing tugs in Port Stanley harbour

Municipality of Central Elgin, Ontario, June 15, 2009 – Bruce Lemon, President of Central Elgin Ratepayers Association (CERA) has announced the appointment of Dan McNeil as Port Stanley Harbour Special Advisor to CERA .

“We’re very pleased that Dan McNeil has agreed to advise CERA on issues that pertain to the on-going negotiations by the Municipality of Central Elgin to acquire the Port Stanley Harbour from the Federal Government.” ,said Mr. Lemon. “Mr. McNeil has been instrumental in lifting the veil of secrecy surrounding these negotiations and explaining how the Federal bureaucracy deals in these matters.”

Ontario proposes tough new wind turbine rules

The Ontario government is proposing new regulations that would keep wind turbines at least 550 metres away from any house.

The province wants that minimum distance, or “setback,” to be mandatory for wind developers who install one to five turbines emitting the lowest allowable noise level.

Greater distances would be required for larger groups of turbines.

The setbacks are twice as big as what industry officials were expecting. For 15 turbines, for instance, the distance from the nearest house could be 1.5 km, depending on the noise level.
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See also Ministry of the Environment

CERA president blasts Central Elgin council for out of control spending

Municipality of Central Elgin, Ontario, June 08, 2009 – At the Central Elgin Council Meeting tonight, Bruce Lemon, President of Central Elgin Ratepayers Association (CERA) blasted the Municipal Council for out of control spending, lack of transparency and one of the highest lower-tier property tax rates in Ontario.

“Reasons for incorporating the villages of Belmont, Port Stanley & the Township of Yarmouth into the Municipality of Central Elgin were to maximize operating efficiencies as well as minimize duplication with the goal of reducing costs. The results to date have been a total failure with property taxes having at least doubled, water rates have at least tripled and staffing levels have increased dramatically while the municipality has only realized a very small population growth rate.” , said Bruce Lemon.

Buy American retaliation will hurt everyone

Posted by Ian:
Earlier this year a trade unionist spokesman appeared before St. Thomas council urging them to support a Buy Canadian purchasing agenda. Our elected officials wisely declined and here is why such a protectionist stance is dangerous.

Retaliating against U.S. states and cities for adopting Buy American measures is like throwing a grenade in a confined space, says Trade Minister Stockwell Day.

“Everyone gets hurt,” Day told a Canadian Chamber of Commerce luncheon Wednesday.

Day said he was concerned to hear a group of Canadian municipalities want to bar companies in protectionist countries from bidding on procurement contracts in Canada.
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Towns should fight against province imposing itself

Some 2,500 years ago, fable author Aesop opined that, “Persuasion is often more effectual than force.” It is an idea the current provincial government has decided holds no place, at least when it comes to matters it feels are important.

The list of areas where the government has chosen to exert the force of law over the persuasion of education is becoming legion, including but not limited to smoking, cellphone usage and, most importantly, wind power.

Ontario Energy and Infrastructure Minister George Smitherman reinforced the position Monday.

“We passed a law, and the law does not create an opportunity for municipalities to resist these projects just because they may have a concern,” he said.

On the surface, Smitherman’s comment makes sense; after all we can’t have people just running around breaking laws they don’t agree with. Otherwise you will start having black people riding in the front of buses, women voting and native people asking for land back that our forefathers stole from them.
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Municipalities voice concern over budget cuts

The organization representing Canada’s municipalities is trying to get out in front of the issue of potential budget cuts, insisting that a ballooning federal deficit must not be made up on the backs of cities and towns.

The concerns come as lobbying groups and organizations get accustomed to a deficit the government announced last week would hit $50-billion this year – $16-billion more than previously predicted.

Jean Perrault, president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, told The Globe and Mail in an interview Wednesday that the shortfall was leading to increasing concerns that Ottawa would cut spending on municipalities.
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Humility is a more endearing quality than unabashed ego

By George Cuff
Regardless of the size of the community, the role of mayor or councillor is important. It adds to the community’s sense of well-being and its degree of pride. It is not to be mistaken for the importance one should have as a member of their family, nor should it replace the recognition that humility is a more endearing quality than unabashed ego. We all leave elected life eventually – often more quietly than when we entered. The question that should be asked is this: What difference did we make?
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New Association to Monitor Municipal and County Government

Municipality of Central Elgin, Ontario, May 12, 2009 – Dismayed by a lack of transparency from municipal government, ineffectiveness in controlling costs at the municipal and county levels, and the risks of assuming the Port Stanley Harbour, a group of local citizens has formed the Central Elgin Ratepayers Association.

“The Municipality of Central Elgin has one of the highest property tax rates and water charges in Ontario” said Bruce Lemon, President. “To continually base new annual budgets on budgets from prior years rather than actual expenditures is a formula for excessive taxation.”

“We’re particularly concerned about plans to acquire the Port Stanley Harbour” Helen Garton, Vice President of the Association advised. “The acquisition will result in excessive taxes to the community if a proper long-term business plan isn’t finalized before acquisition.”

The rising tide of protectionism in the U. S. risks provoking retaliatory measures in Canada.

When Barack Obama came to Ottawa in February, Canadians lowered their defences and surrendered, seduced by the new President’s promises that the United States would stand by its international trade obligations and resist protectionism.

It was an object lesson in why politicians should be judged on results, not their intentions.

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