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________ ~ ~ ~p1QJ~4~GE71 PAGE SEVEN N b LIP Governments are getting very creative these days in finding new ways to tax us. So even while they're gouging us for more income tax, they're socking us for double that amount through other channels. The feds took unemployment insurance off tax revenues and Queen's Park did the same with OHIP ... and they still increased taxes. More and more we are paying directly for things that used to be covered by taxes. We-are being devoured by an insatiable bureaucracy. The ability of the government to invent new sources of revenue is only surpassed by their ability to spend it. The municipal level is certainly not exempt from this trend either. Although more limited in what they can tax, they too have found their loophole. The Town's new local improvement policy (LIP) is exactly the same sort of double talk that the senior governments are using. The semantics are particularly seductive. Residents of Newman Ores. will be "allowed" to "contribute" to road improvements. Many residents on Newman want nothing to do with it and hopefully they can nip this new tax grab in the bud. Our councillors promote the idea by citing other municipalities that have used it successfully. Frankly that's irrelevant. The only thing that's relevant to Whitby is, "Is it fair?" The short answer is "No!" Why should residents pay anything extra to upgrade the municipality's property. The streets, sidewalks, sewers, boulevards, traffic lighting, etc all belong to the Town and were installed in conforinance with standards set down by the Town at the time. If those facilities have deteriorated or are no longer up to standards, that is certainly not the fault of the residents either past, present or future and any repairs should be paid for from the general tax base. The residents of Newman Cres. are being told that their contribution will speed up the reconstruction of their street - that if they don't agree, they will have to wait many more years. How long does it take to get into the Town's "now needs" category? Judging by the condition of some older streets, a mighty long time. Besides, why should some streets be repaired fully by general tax revenues and others not? Why should the residents of any street pay for damage done by outside traffic? What about the people living on local streets that because of bad planning are used as throughways ...especially if they've been complaining about that traffic. From the politician's point of view, LIP is primarily a way of increasing revenue without appearing to increase taxes - a way to charge directly for something we've been paying for all along - so they can spend rore! They've done it before. (Remember when the Region removed sewer expenses from the regular tax base and applied it to your water bill - that freed up so much capital the bureaucracy bought two water-billing computers - the first one wasn't big enough - that's how they spend our money.) Newman Cres. residents are supposed to pay about 20% of the cost of their street improvements. What happens if they block it? what happens to the Town's 80% share. Does it go to some other street that is more "co-operative"? (Did it ever occur to anyone that if that 80% were simply invested for two years, it would earn more than enough interest to cover the full 100%?) What about the "now needs" streets - can their priority be bumped because residents somewhere else are willing to "contribute" towards their new sidewalks? Is the local improvement policy just a means of suppling "grease" for the squeaky wheel? The local improvement policy concerns all of us, not just the residents of Newman Cres. They are being told that they can appeal it only at the Ontario Municipal Board. (Obviously designed to discourage opposition since an appeal to the OMB might cost them more than the improvements.) Did we really elect a Council that is so insensitive to the wishes of its electors that it won't even face them directly? Why was a resident on a nearby street told it was none of her business? Why was Newman Cres, singled out? If this goes through, future projects will simply be part of an "established" procedure, just another nuance of living in Whitby that's not worth getting steamed up about ...just sign on the dotted line please and we'll repave your street. If th Town is successful this time, will the resident's portion, b increased to 30 or 40% on future projects? Will priority go¶o those who are willing to pay the most? At the very least thlu policy presents a lot of questions that aren't being answered. Residents throughout Whitby should be opposing the local improvement policy. We should be helping the people on Newman Ores. - we may be next. This should go ta the 0MB even if we have to dig into our pockets ta make sure it does. Certainly they have my support. Whitby has a lot of streets that need work, but this is not the way ta do it. We've already got enough hidden and special taxes from Ottawa and Queen's Park. The Town should simnply accept responsibility for its land, namnely the streets and sidewalks, and get on with the job of fixing them. They should find other ways ta "save" money. J.- CONSTRUCTION OF CONCRETE WHARVES AT WHITBY HARBOR, 1914 The first concrete wharves were installed at Whitby Harbor in the summer of 1914, by P.B. Whitney and Company. The wharves were built of concrete blocks four feet square, backed with six feet of sand and gravel. In the background can be seen the Ontario Hospital, also under construction. Whitby Archives photo 10 YEARS AGO from the Wednesday, July 18, 1979 edition of the WHITBY FREE PRESS • A 14-year-old boy has been charged with the murder of Kathleen Wels. • Mayor Jim Gartshore, Durham Region Chairman Walter Beath and Councillor Gerry Emm opened the Brock Street CPR overpass on July 10. • Members of the Ashburn community have developed a park behind the community centre. • Whitby Psychiatric Hospital is celebrating 60 years of continuous operation as a mental health centre. 25 YEARS AGO from the Thursday, July 16, 1964 edition of the WHITBY WEEIKLY NEWS • Mel-Ron Construction, of Whitby, has the contract to build the new fire hall at Brock and Colborne Streets. • About 600 people attended a funeral service for three Whitby boys killed in a car accident at Stouffville. • Rev. Owen Cochrane is the new curate at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. • Whitby's water pumping station is operating beyond capacity because of a lack of rain. 75 YEARS AGO from the Thursday, July 16, 1914 edition of the WHITBY GAZETTE AND CHRONICLE New concrete wharves are being built at Whitby Harbor. Whitby will proceed with construction of a sanitary sewer system at a cost of $114,000. The barns at "Inverlynn," the home of David McLaren, were destroyed by fire on July 12. Whitby has a swimming club under the direction of Alex Betts, formerly of Scotland. • • Mu "q 1 ..][::> Àpx\ fflqom Nrl jEtcý-ý i dZM6 -1