Regional council passes resolution to stall growth of new developments if province doesn’t pay
With his council's backing, Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr will go to a planned meeting with Infrastructure Minister George Smitherman in early December to make his case that growth has not been paying for itself – and things have to change.
On behalf of all Miltonians who have put up with lack of infrastructure in Milton relative to the Town’s feverish growth in population over the last 8 years, kudos to Gary Carr for laying down the gauntlet to Queen’s Park.
This has been a huge issue in Milton and elsewhere in Halton Region for years now, so it’s great news that Carr, backed by his council, will have a meeting in early December with Infrastructure Minister George Smitherman. Of course, Smitherman is on record as saying that Carr is simply “grandstanding.”
Right.
He’s just been “grandstanding” – of course there’s no issue in Halton (specifically Milton — Canada’s fastest-growing city) with things like traffic, daycare availability or funding for Milton District Hospital.
From MiltonSearch.com news:
“The tipping point for Halton, which has had to hike property taxes repeatedly to make up the difference, has been the issue of hospitals. With two new hospitals needed in the region and two expansions in the works, councillors are balking at being forced to pay what the province considers the region’s share – as much as one-third, or about $300 million – to provide facilities sufficient for an expected population growth of 100,000 over the next 13 years.
Gary Gregoris, vice-president of Mattamy Homes, the GTA’s biggest builder, was present at yesterday’s meeting and said he believes regional councillors are serious.
He warned, however, that development charge increases would just be passed on to consumers when builders factor them into the price of a new home. If housing prices continue to tumble “and the costs don’t go down, then something has got to give.”
Anyhoo, stay tuned and we’ll see where this all goes. In the meantime, we invite you to read previous opinions and news on this topic on MiltonSearch.com’s blog and news pages, including the most recent article.
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