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Liberal task force to probe municipal taxes A Liberal party task force will look at the growing burden being placed on Ontario property owners by reductions In provincial government grants to muni Burlington MPP Julian Reed says Reed says he is concerned that Region will get the government a minimum grant increase of per cent this year which lags behind the per cent inflation rate while other municipalities are getting upwards of 16 per cent Hal ton Hills will also get only per cent and the Board of Education only per cent In part because grants from the pro are declining in real terms local property owners face higher increases in axes than had originally been projected in order to pick up the shortfalls The task force as announced last week by Ontario Liberal Leader David Peter son will be headed by municipal affairs critic Herbert who will examine pro blems with the grant allocation formula properly assessment and strains on municipal services will meet with municipal officials and ratepayer associations across the province and make an interim report this fall Because of his responsibility as natural resources critic at Queens Park not sit on the task force but he said ho intends to keep track of its findings Reed soys the provincial government is deflecting the political burden of increas ing taxes to pay for the rising costs of public works and social services by forcing municipalities to accept a greater share of the The result is higher municipal taxes paid for by property owners The province is able to soften the blow to its own revenue sources such as income and sales taxes The game they play is very deceptive says Reed Reed said that years ago property taxes were a good way to fund municipalities but the weakness in it now is that it has become inequitable He said the assessment formulas vary Ontario Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Claude Bennett announced last month that unconditional grants to municipalities would total this year up 5 per cent over 1983 But individual municipalities will gel varying increases 380 of Ontarios municipalities getting the minimum in crease of per cent will get less than if it had received the per cent it expected newsmakers Georgetown Acton Wednesday March 1984 I tf Georgetown I 15 Mountatnvfew N 8775108 Town will honor 1983 achievement When the Town of Hills presents its Honors and Recognition Awards at the Georgetown Library and Cultural Centre on Thursday April the recipients will In etude two teams a swim team three country squads a choir two bowling teams and 17 individuals In all 165 people will bo honored Among those receiving award this season will be the Acton Junior Fastball team and the Hornby Bantam Girls Softball Club The Acton A won the Ontario Junior championship last season while the Hornby squad topped- the Ontario Rural Softball Association Georgetown High School will be represent it the awards night with two cross learns a bowling squad and their swim team The midget boys and girls cross country teams claimed gold at the Ontario championships last year as did their girls bowling team and swim Wrestlers Terry Dixon and Bret Robinson of Georgetown and Actons Steven will be among the recipients as will figure skater Darren Kemp and Actons Urn nick for her cross country skills Jim Manning has earned the award for his track and field accomplishments in 1333 while the Georgetown Atom Girls claimed an Ontario title Gymnasts Gail Eastwood and Sara iioicer player Gary Morrow power litter marksman Mike Pearson motorcyclist Jon Cornwell bowler Chris swimmer Kim and baseball coach Jim Ridley will all accept individual awards Georgetown Youth Bowlers finished second last year in the Ontario Junior Girls division and will be honored for their while Linda Roe and Terry Champ will be honored for their in theatre The strong Stewarttown choir will also receive an award for their accomplishments last season Drea target of daycare plea Ontario social services minister Frank is going to hear about Halt on s desparate need for more daycare funding whether he knows it or not At a recent meeting of area and regional staff on daycare funding Jim Snow was delegated to go and see Mr about holding a meeting to discuss the situa tion in which Hallon may lose private day care operators because the provincial sub sidy is not considered large enough Regional chairman Peter told the administration and finance committee last Wednesday he had been told Mr Snow did go and see Mr Drea but Mr Drea had said he has no money give out But Mr also noted Mr Drea will be at regional headquarters in April to take part in a ceremony to honor volunteers Mr said that would be a perfect time to corner bramptonS In TORONTO iX LAKE ONTARIO A BURLINGTON WELUNO HAMILTON ST CATHARINESV I USA i mm WEUAI FALLS w simcoe CMBOME ERC Note Symbols indicate location only and not size or shape of Three Milton sites on liquid dump list The Ontario Waste Management Cor revealed Thursday that three Milton sites are on Its short list or eight possible locations for an industrial waste treatment centre to serve southern Ontario At a press conference in Hamilton OWMC Chairman Or Donald Chant announced that in addition to sites in West Lincoln and Niagara Falls the Milton sites under consideration are north of and west of Trcmaine south of and west of Hwy 25 and south of and cast of the Fifth Line 1 want to caution that arc possible sites only said Dr Chant After a study of these sites one or two pre sites will be Isolated and the findings of further onsite Investigations will be referred to a hearing panel on Industrial Waste Management Its findings will be milted to provincial cabinet for approval Industrial waste treatment and disposal does not mean dumping raw toxic waste into a hole in the ground explained Chant It does mean treating these wastes properly using high temperature incinera tion and physical chemical processes to produce a solid residue which must be safely stored For every industrial waste stream pro duced in Ontario there Is an effective and proven treatment technology in use else where in the world he said Otto blasts Progressive Conservative spokesman for Small Business and Tourism MP Otto condemned the Liberal government for continuing their practise of blatant porkbarrelling by awarding the full tourism advertising budget of million to Liberal advertising agencies I believe this further example of shame less patronage is a disgrace to the of equal said the and I urge the government to reconsider its future decisions in this regard by utilizing a traditional public tender system in fairness to all potentially interested parties The increased budget of million added to the original tourism promotional budget of million simply brings advertising budget back to the level of a decade ago added Jelinck and does nothing to alleviate the heaviest burden on the industry that of overtaxation The Liberal advertising firms to which this contract was awarded are Vickers and Benson Advertising Ltd and Ronalds- Reynolds and Co Ltd Both agencies are part of Red Leaf Communications the Liberal Partys advertisement agency headed by Gerry Graf stein the lawyer recently appointed as a Liberal Senator noted United Way to be studied The Social Planning Council plans to give to a Halton Hills committee this year to study the feasibility of building ft a United Way organization in town While members of the committee vary in opinion on the chances for success of such community fundraising group all feel the pressure to find a solution to the growing frustration of regional politicians over the rising cost of funding social services in The politicians fee that the agencies should work harder to tap the community for private donations and they have warned that unless a coordinated effort is made to do this they may be less willing to give grant increases in future years They want to see the United Way Hills and also a region wide organization I would expect hat a United Way would be feasible said committee member Peggie who also works as executive director of the Acton Social Services and Information Centre The centre l one of those agencies in we Hading It hard to live with JO par cent grant increase given by the this year She said she feels that a United Way organization be the way to effectively scour the Car financial support Ward Councillor Marilyn Serjeanslon who is also on the committee Isnt as con saying she and others on the com mittee arc very skeptical We feel obliged to do a feasibility study to sec If would fly she explained We realize that government funding of social services is being reduced all the time Ma or Russ Miller also on the com admits he has his doubts also but is convinced The study is very much The committee plans to hire a consultant to canvas local social service agencies fundraisers and citizens to see if they would support a United Way The United Way which currently operates in Milton and Burlington raises money for participating agencies through blitzes and more importantly by getting people to join a payroll deduction plan The funds are then allocated to the participating groups Balkind said many residents of the town already are signed up in United Way payroll deduction plans with only one hitch People who are giving are doing so out of the community most people work out of the community That money is being tost to us The biggest hurdle to establishing a United Way Is convincing established agencies who do their own fundrabisg to join forces and getting citizens to make their donations to an umbrella organization rather than their favorite charily Barb Stephens a committee member who works for Helping Hands said that in a lime of recession donors and fundraisers may be reluctant to take a chance with a new concept If this were lOyears ago I think everyone would be very enthusiastic about it she said She added Unless a more reliable method of funding from the community is found we are going to have to go to a United Way The fundraising organizations In town want to guard the turf they have already carved out for themselves said Mayor Miller and citizens may prefer to continue with their habit of making numerous small donations rather than in one lump sum The study committee hopes to hire a consultant soon and have the feasibility study done this fall The results likely then be presented at a meeting of local service agencies and the United Way Task Force of the social planning council If Ihe results happen to prove positive it will be up to the agencies to form a United Way Aim to make school centre Despite declining enrolment residents ore determined to keep their school open and make il a focus for com unity activities In an attempt to do so the School Support Group was formed a few months ago with Fran Sandra Williams Jim Kenzic Freicr and Ruth Kronen donk spearheading the group Goodkey explained a major change at school last June sent the group to Board of Education Director Beevor She said he told them if they could show the school was used by the community its chance of remaining open would be Im proved After taking a survey in the area II was decided to start offering fitness and also cake decorating March at in the morning the first fitness class will be held in the school gym under the leadership of a rained in Fee will be SIB for 10 weeks Cake decorating will be introduced Tuesday March 12 Fee here will be for eight Tin Support Group intend hold courses in first aid Inter Registration forms for the groups first Acton side store and school Grant not enough for Acton agency The Acton Social Services and Infor mation Centre may get about 000 less than it had hoped for from regional council today when a grant from Halton Region is proposed The regions Health and Social Services Committee is recommending the grant which is per cent more than the centre received last year It is the per cent but it is not enough said the centres Executive Director Peggie The centre hoped for a to help fund on extra parttime staff person who is needed to handle drop ins and calls which Increased per cent last year over Wo need a second worker here said Balkind The centre offers information about community and government services and aid Regional council will also be asked to set up a reserve fund which will be available to the centre and Helping Hands if they can increase the donations they get from private sponsors said the centre originally pro posed a goal of to be raised in Acton The centres board of directors will decide tonight If an extra staff person can be af forded I am fully confident that will be able to raise Ihe money from the Acton com munity said Councillor Dave Whiting at last weeks committee meeting where he proposed the reserve fund The committee is also recommending a grant of John Ambulance or Hills The committee wants council lo turn down a request for from the North Distress Centre because the centre had a budget surplus at the end of 1981 I just tant sec us giving funds an agency which already has funds to bock them up said Whiting at the meeting Look for outstanding farmer The Halton Federation of Agriculture is seeking an out standing farmer to be re cognized as Farmer of the Year Prospective winners must have achieved something out standing during the past year in his or her Held of agriculture The applicants contribution In the past as well as involvement in other community activities and farm organizations will be weighed by judges Application forms are avail able at the Ministry of Agricul ture and Food office Wilson Dr and must be submitted to that office by the due date The deadline for nominations is Friday March OTOeen of Halton Chapter Masons No who were installed recently are Ex Camp Coding Ex Camp James Blair Es Camp James Ea Camp Sam Ex Camp Joan Long V Es Camp James Bingham Es Camp McDostaUL Camp HslmLaarsen Camp WUUam Anderson Fred Dean Camp Jack rank Camp Jobs EUacaU Camp Rajmoad Clarke Camp RadJger Ex Camp Comp Jsmea Bennett