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The Oakville Beaver, Friday March 31, 2006 - 9 Oakville to get cash for roads and bridges Provincial budget fails to deliver sustainable funding plan for Ontario municipalities By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Oakville should get just over $3 million to build roads and bridges out of $400 million announced for such projects in the Ontario budget last week. "Although we have not had for mal confirmation, the Ontario Budget Web site identified that Oakville will receive $3,075,000 from this $400 million, which is to be used on roads and bridges of our choice," said Town of Oakville corporate communications direc tor Jane Courtemanche. The provincial budget announced a $1.2 billion invest ment in roads, bridges and transit. That includes major transit projects for Toronto, York, Brampton and Mississauga -- and the $400 million for municipal roads and bridges -- most of which will go outside of the GTA. Halton Region is to receive $7.97 million for use on regional roads and bridges while Burlington is set to get $3.2 million and Halton Hills and Milton to get $1.02 mil lion $727,412, respectively. "Oakville received just shy of $4 million," said Mayor Ann Mulvale Monday. "Our finance staff will be look ing at how and when the town will receive this money," said Courtemanche. "The Province is recognizing the travesty of the cuts they' ve made," said Mulvale, noting municipalities have fallen behind on infrastructure as provincial shares on such infrastructure has been slashed over the years. Municipalities like Oakville used to get 50 cents for every dol- M ayor Ann Mulvale lar of road costs from the province and 75 cents on bridges. Mulvale also noted there was method to sticking with the moniker "town." "In the days of yore, you used to get more money if you were a town," said Mulvale. "Oakville received just shy of $4 million." Ann Mulvale, Mayor of Oakville The cash coming to town will have no strings attached, but the mayor said such one-time.funding is not sustainable funding. While the province has appealed to the federal govern ment for fiscal stability, the province hasn't yet offered such a plan from itself to municipalities. Referring to Oakville resident Brian Hopkins' recent budget del egation on the buckets to which property taxes go -- the region, school boards and town -- Mulvale said it' s not the buckets or where the money goes, but the appropriateness of the pocket it's coming from that counts. It' s just one taxpayer, said the mayor, noting property taxpayers may be the wrong pocket to pick for many items. The mayor noted that the province once pulled out of GO Transit funding leaving the .cost of inter-regional transportation to be borne by property taxpayers. Though the province came back to the table, it didn't come back at the same level it had left. Halton Region has recently formed a Transportation Advisory Committee to provide the Region with advice on transportation issues related to provincial trans portation in Halton and through out the Greater Golden Horseshoe. "The establishment of the Transportation Advisory Committee ensures there is a for m al ifiechanism through which the Province can engage Halton residents," said Regional Chair Joyce Savoline. While the one-time funding was welcomed by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), its president Roger Anderson cau tioned the budget failed to address the need to restore fiscally sustain ability for municipal governments in Ontario. "Funding for municipal roads, bridges and public transit is wel come news," said Anderson. "However, the root cause of our deteriorating infrastructure is the growing $3.2 billion provin cial-municipal fiscal imbalance that sees municipal property tax dollars flowing to the provincial treasury." "One-time funding announce ments help with the symptoms of downloading, but they do not pro tect the municipal property tax- payer from the ongoing burden of down loaded provincial costs," said Anderson. AM O- stated the previous Tory govern ment downloaded "billions" in provincial health and social service costs onto municipal, property taxes -- making Ontario unique in North America. "Ontario' s municipalities have waited patiently while the Province got its fiscal house in order and the premier has said he's now ready to work with us to restore sustainable municipal finance to Ontario. This budget does not embrace that com mitment," charged Anderson. S a v e upto^OOO LENNOX) H O M EC O M F O R TSY ST E M S Innovation never felt so oo in INSTANT LENNOX REBATES OR NO INTEREST FOR ONE FULL YEAR OJLC. · Call For FREE In-Home E stim a te * * n t|S 9 0 5 -8 4 5 -4 0 0 9 H.V.A.C. SYSTEM S 1040 Speers Rd. 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