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6- The Oakville Beaver, Friday February 23, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-3824, ext. 224 Circulation: 845-9742 Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS A DIVISION OF Media Group Ltd. NEIL OLIVER Publisher JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director TERI CASAS Business Manager MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution ALEXANDRIA CALHOUN Circ. Manager IAN OLIVER Group Publisher Beyond growing pains Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr and the municipalities' four mayors are hoping there is strength in numbers. They are also acutely aware an Ontario election campaign is only months away and nothing gets a politician's -- especially a premier's -- attention better than a potential firestorm of bad press and voter outrage. That is why they have chosen now to challenge Dalton McGuinty's government's Places to Grow plan and to vow that it will meet stiff resistance from Halton -- unless the province comes through with cash, and lots of it. To be sure, the main numbers in the plan are staggering -- 312,000 more people for Halton by 2031. More frightening is the fact that Burlington and Oakville will be built out by 2021 leaving between 100,000-150,000 people to be accommodated in Halton Hills and Milton alone. To put that growth in perspective for the north, over the past 25 years Halton Hills has grown by 20,000 people -- a rate many residents feel was too fast. Potentially, depending on Milton's growth rate, Halton Hills could grow by a rate five times as fast as it did over the past 25 years. How the province expects Halton municipalities to pay for this influx of people, and the related need for more schools, hospital beds, infrastructure, roads, transit etc. is murky, at best. What is certain is that the estimated cost (by Halton officials) to implement Places to Grow would be $8.6 billion -- and we're willing to bet that does not account for inflation. Halton Region has prepared an itemized summary that lists how the combined $8.6 billion would be spent. It includes 1,100 new hospital beds, 50 elementary schools, 14 secondary schools, 1,650 acres of parkland, 22 firehalls, 11 local transit facilities, 175 municipal buses and more. "I think the numbers certainly shocked a lot of us," Carr said. "It just shows you the magnitude of the situation we face. Taxpayers just can't afford to pay for these services." The province hasn't even met the current funding requirements of Halton and admits it is playing "catch-up". We're certain McGuinty and company don't have the extra $8.6 billion needed for Halton or the money that Durham, York and other municipalities would require. To address the shortfalls, Halton Region is asking the province to provide an enhanced municipal infrastructure funding program and make changes to the Development Charges Act, GTA pooling (the system that helps Toronto pay for its social services) and provincial cost-sharing requirements. It also calls for a funding plan to provide for the needed provincial infrastructure. Halton municipalities are right to send the province a "Hell no, we won't grow" message at this time. We hope other regions will muster the courage to join this fight. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. Turner trying to keep from `slipping beneath the waves' I have followed with interest the numerous articles in The Oakville Beaver concerning Mr. Turner. The latest in the Feb. 17 edition of The Oakville Beaver (Turner responds to critics) speaks volumes in the penultimate paragraph when Turner castigates political masters for seizing and keeping power. Perhaps he should take a look in the mirror and accept that his actions of late portray him as suffering this malady. We have his vitriolic comments with respect to members crossing the floor then he has the unmitigated gall to do the same. His espoused duty is to his constituents (his words). After his ejection from the Conservatives he stated he was now in a much better position to serve his public! If this was his honest opinion then why did he not stay the course? Turner is like a drowning man who will seize on anything to keep from slipping beneath the waves. He is "preaching" to his constituents, and anoints himself as their savior. Mr. Turner please have the decency to expose yourself to an election. Let the people judge! J. DENNIS TOEWS Pud BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council.The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206,Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline.