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Sunday May 23, 1999 Oakville Beaver Weekend 5 Development charges meetings in June Members of the public have been invited to a series of June meetings to air their views on the Halton Region 1998/99 Development Charges Background Study. The new Development Charges Act came into effect on March 1 st last year and requires all municipalities to update their development charge by­ laws and policies. The Halton Study was prepared in consultation with the Development Charges Advisory Committee and the Business Focus Group. The Study and by-laws can be obtained at the Region of Halton Clerk's Division at 1151 Bronte Rd., between 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Written or verbal submissions may be made to the Administration and Finance Committee on Tues. June 1st at 9:30 a.m. or on Wed. June 16th. The final opportunity for input is the region­ al Council meeting on Wed. June 23rd at 9:30 a.m. Regional Council will consider each of the studies and proposed by-laws separately at each of the public meet­ ings. An agenda for the June 1st meet­ ing will be available on May 28th. Anyone wishing to appear as a delega­ tion at any of the public meetings can call Pat Crimmons, Deputy Clerk at 825-6000, ext. 7256. Development charges are levied against developers when a new devel­ opment is built. Halton's current by­ law imposes development charges for a wide range of capital projects for municipal infrastructure including water, wastewater, roads, waste man­ agement, hospitals, home for the aged, police and general administration. The Region regards these charges as a vital source of financing the infra­ structure needed for growth so these costs are not imposed on existing ratepayers. The new Act reduces the scope of services for which municipalities may impose development charges. Essentially, development charges will now only be recovered from water, wastewater, roads and police. Consequently, any future growth-relat­ ed costs related to waste management, hospitals and general government ser­ vices must now be recovered from user/tax rates. Halton's Background Study outlines a number of proposals regarding the imposition of development charges under the new Act. It proposes that the full cost for residential rates per single detached unit be $6,210. In addition, for economic and com­ petitive reasons, the study recommends a reduction of 50% to the non-residen- tial development charge rate. This means commercial/industrial develop­ ment would not pay the full develop­ ment charge rate of $4.78 per sq. ft. FCP favours integrated approach By A drian R atelle FAMILY CO A LITIO N PARTY CANDIDATE The environment; - boring, right? It is for most folks, until they can't eat the fish they caught, can't swim at their favourite beach, and air pollu­ tion is eating the finish off their car. Then they want something done - and right now! The reality is that the environment is a huge interconnected system that resists quick fixes. At the same time, single events can have long-term neg­ ative consequences. If the present dismantling of envi­ ronmental safeguards continues, Ontario's ecosystem is in big trouble. According to the Canadian Environmental Law Association, to cite just one exam ple, pesticide inspectors will no longer test Ontario- grown fruits and vegetables for pesti­ cide residues. Yet, in one case caught by an inspector, samples of lettuce grown in southwestern Ontario were found to have 400 times the accept­ able levels of pesticide residue! My own experiences in recent years with the local MoE office were not positive. While working to ensure the environmental compliance of our manufacturing plant, I encountered staff who were unable to answer my questions, yet never called back as promised. There is no single villain here. The previous socialist government gave their Minister of Natural Resources a double portfolio, which resulted in some shameful compromises. The Family Coalition Party believes in a provincial commitment to sustainable development that bal­ ances and integrates environmental, economic and planning issues. Our environmental regulations must remain firm, enforced and reasonable, while maintaining an open and fast process of amendment and planning through public consultation. We will encourage industries to reduce waste through government incentives and, where necessary, through penalties. Private initia­ tives for reusing and recycling will be encouraged. Expecting environm ental po l­ luters to regulate and monitor them­ selves is a naive mistake. The envi­ ronmental legacy and resources that we will leave to the next generation are too precious to gamble with. We need to invest in their preservation. The FCP will do that. NDP can fund environmental initiatives (Continued from page 3) health and safety, as well as costs to taxpayers. The Ontario M edical A ssociation (OM A) esti­ mates that 1,800 now die prematurely each year from the effects o f inhalable par­ ticulates alone, which later costs our health care system over $1 billion each year. The theory that Mike Harris is saving us money by allowing polluters off the hook is absolutely laugh­ able. It will end up cost us MORE in the long run because of increased health risks and deaths. The David Suzuki Foundation also reports that 6,000 people die in Ontario prematurely every year directly from the effects of air pollution. It is important to note that this is not only confined to the big cities o f Ontario. Studies show that some areas of Oakville have more air pol­ lution than downtown Toronto. This must come to and end. Only the NDP will once again make the envi­ ronment a top priority. We will hire back 500 new sci­ entists and environmental officers to inspect, monitor and enforce strong environ­ mental regulations. Unlike the Liberals (who only went to re-hire 100 personnel), the NDP knows where it is going to get the money to pay for them. The Harris tax cut will be cancelled on the richest 6% of income earn­ ers in Ontario and this $1.5 billion in extra revenue will be re-invested back into health care, education, housing and our communi­ ties where it can do the most good for the most people ($50 million of this will be directly put into protection of the environment). The NDP will also implement preventive action (thus sav­ ing taxpayer dollars in the long run) by following the Ontario Clean Air Alliance targets to reduce emissions and eliminate harmful tox­ ins by 2005. Our health depends on it. Liberals would beef-up enforcement (Continued from page 3) become a challenge. It is a challenge a Liberal Government and I will meet by: •Creating the new Ontario Clean Air Act. We will convert Ontario's five coal-burning plants to cleaner burning natural gas. Ensure Ontario has the cleanest gas in North America instead of the dirtiest by reducing the allowable sulphur content. •Creating the Ontario Safe Drinking Water Act. We will make it clear that clean water is far too precious a com­ modity to sell off. Set and enforce stan­ dards for drinking water. Stop the Harris privatization plan for the Ontario Clean Water Agency which provides five million Ontarians with their drinking water. •Creating the Hazardous and Toxic Waste Act. We must stop Ontario from becoming a dumping ground for American hazardous waste. Give Ontarians the right to know which haz­ ardous chemicals are stored in their communities. •Hiring an additional 100 environ­ mental enforcement officers and hav­ ing an independent annual report on the State of Ontario's Environment. A government has moral and social responsibility to protect the environ­ ment for the citizens of today and tomorrow. If you wish to preserve the beauty of this province, if you love this province, Vote Liberal! Vote Flynn! Q> O A K V I L L E "KNOW YOUR COMMUNITY" @ m te d ! The Town of Oakville is pleased to present our " Know Your Community" contest! To celebrate Oakville's new corporate identity and promote awareness of Oakville's history, heritage and landmarks, residents have the chance to win a Town of Oakville Gift Pack th a t includes 2 TICKETS TO THE OAKVILLE CENTRE, $50 CERTIFICATE COURTESY OF MARY'S KEEPSAKES AND A $50 DINING CERTIFICATE TO AN OAKVILLE RESTAURANT! Look for clues in the next 6 editions of the Oakville Beaver. Save the clues until contest details are revealed on Friday, May 28, and you could be a winner! Hint $ 5 ................Save the hints to improve your chances to W in! Contest details Fri. May 28 "Oakville's New Corporate Identity" The new v isua l id e n tity fo r th e T ow n o f O akville conveys an open and in v it in g fee l th a t e m b o d ie s the va lues o f th is T o w n in se rv in g its res iden ts and bus inesses. F u rth e rm ore , th e new id e n tity w as created to a ss is t in O akv ille 's m a rke tin g in itia tives, and in c la r ify in g T ow n serv ices. In an understated elegant style, the m odern stylized oak leaf, com bined w ith the trad itiona l style " 0 " , is sy m b o lic o f heritage m ixed w ith co n te m p o ra ry realities and the aspirations o f the new m illenn ium . The circle represents the cycle o f change, and the oak leaf illustrates both w ater and nature, and sym bolizes an active, natural grow th. The new id e n tity has been d e s ig n e d fo r use on T o w n s ta t io n a ry , p u b l ic a t io n s , s ig n s , f la g s , v e h ic le s , In te rn e t, a n d o th e r m a te r ia ls , i t is th ro u g h th is c o n tin u e d a nd repeated use th a t it w ill b e co m e w id e ly k n o w n . LOOK FOR HINT # 6 IN THE MAY 26th EDITION! W in! A Town of Oakville Gift Pack th a t includes 2 TICKETS TO THE OAKVILLE CENTRE A $50 CERTIFICATE COURTESY OF MARY'S KEEPSAKES AND A $50 DINING CERTIFICATE TO AN OAKVILLE RESTAURANT! SP O N S O R E D BY TH E T O W N O F O A K V IL L E 1225 Trafalgar Road • Oakville L6J 5A6 • 845-6601 The Oakville Beaver