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Wht6yFè'prePs-, Wednesday March 24,1996: Page 5 Town wants safeguards on ftmding agreement By Mike Kowalski The Town of Whitby wants safeguards to protect municipali- ties when the Ontario govern- ment assumes full responsibility for welfare funding. Town council Monday endorsed a resolution that demands guarantees that muni- cipalities will not suffer finan- cially when the first phase of "disentanglement" occurs next year. Council's resolution calls for regular monitoring of a proposed agreement between the province and municipalities which would see a translfer of financial obliga- tions between the two parties. Whitby wants disentanglement to be "revenue neutral" as the government claims it will be. Earlier this year the province and the Association of Municipa- lities of Ontario (AMO) signed a draft agreement transferring an estimated $350 million in wel- fare spending from municipali- ties to Queen's Park, beginning next January. The province now pays 80 per cent of welfare costs while muni- cipalities fund the remaining 20 per cent. In return for the province pick- ing up the full welfare tab, the agreement stipulates that muni- cipalities will relieve the govern- ment of some of its financial obligations. About 2,200 km. of provincial' highways will become the res- ponsibility of the counties and regions through which they run. ovincial savings are estima- ted to be about $40 million annually as a result. In addition, municipalities will take control of property assess- ment services currently funded by the Ontario Minstry of Revenue. This measure represents a $135-million savings to the pro- vince. The agreement is phase one of a process known as disentangle- ment that seeks to streamline government operations and avoid duplication of services between the two levels. Although disentanglement is supposed to be "revenue neu- tral", a report from the Town's treasury department raises some concerns. The report notes that welfare costs will eventually stabilize and perhaps fall when Canada's lingeringrecession abates. nless there is some means of equating these changes....munici- palities will assume dispropor- tionate financial responsibilities in the longer term, the report states. In its resolution, council calls for an adjustment in the agree- ment every three years to ensure revenue neutrality. Valuable hockey cards stolen Hockey cards valued at bet- ween $50,000 and $60,000 were taken in a break-in at a house on Farnwood St. overnight Friday. Police say the culprit(s) got into the house through an un- locked garage sometime between 11 p.m. Friday and 7:30 a.m. Sunday, and took the cards from a basement office. No one was home at the time. Police say the cards, most of them complete sets, dated from 1951 to 1986; some of the indivi- dual cards were worth as much as $2,000 apiece. Whitby also wants the pro- vince to reconsider its intention to reduce subsidy rates from 90 per cent to 50 per cent on all sections of highway governed by connectinglink agreements. But councillor Joe Drumm ter- med the entire resolution pre- mature. "We haven't been given the full picture yet. There are too many items in disentanglement we haven't seen," said Drumm. "Welfare is at its zenith now. I think it's as high as it will go," he said. Councillor Judi Longf'ield agreed with Drumm's concerns, but said Whitby must participate in negotiations between the pro- vince and Durham Region over disposition of provincial roads within the town. "We must put something for- ward that while we agree with the general principles of dis- entanglement, there are some things we'renot happy with,« said Longf»ield. "If we don't participate, other municipalities wil take on the negotiating responsibilities and may not look-at our concerns," she said. Mayor Tom Edwards said he wished he could share Drumm's feeling that welfare levels had eaked, " but I don't think they ave." Edwards said that if welfare costs are to be "lifted from the backs of property taxpayers," in time for next January, the mechanics must be worked out now. While councillor Marcel Brunelle added that the three- year adjustment review would -a a in a Cce 401 Reynolds St., Whitby Ages 6 to 14 Years Monday to Friday June 28 to July 30 9am to 4pm $95 er week amewr Acrivities include: Swimming, Tennis (Recreational Instruction), Arts and Crafts, Computersfor Fun and Learning, Sports, Music, Drama, Critical Thinking Games and Much More Extended camp hours 8am-9am, 4pm-6pm $20 exsra per week per child Bring your own lunch - Juice and snack wil be provided. protect municipal interests. A copy of council's resolution will be sent to AMO Region waterfront study FROM PAGE 4 Some of Crombie's proposals have already been adopted by the provincial government. One which will have signifi- cant impact on Durham is crea- tion of a public walkway from Burlington to Port Hope, linking the Bruce and Ganaraska trails. "The trail crosses nany muni- cipalities, it will affect many areas," said Yew. Although most cf the study will be conducted within the department, Yew said planners can obtain outside expertise if deemed necessary. Landowners, environmental- ists, ratepayers and other special interest groups will be consulted duringthe process, Yew pro- mised. c MM BUYING OR SELLING? For service and results ask for LILIAN NORTH sales rep RE/MAX Summit Realty (1991) Ltd. 668-3800 686-5865 .9 Member of Oshawa & Toronto Boards ýS Y D S 1ILVIE R dill, d% PW ---- -1-