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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, A pr il 4, 20 19 | 4 In its ongoing crusade to make growth pay for growth, regional council is calling upon the province to beef up the Development Charges Act. Halton councillors unanimously passed a mo- tion during their March 27 session urging the provin- cial government to im- prove the act to ensure all growth-related costs of mu- nicipal infrastructure and services are recovered through development charges. According to the resolu- tion put forth by mayors Rob Burton and Marianne Meed Ward, Halton, its lo- cal municipalities and school boards have a col- lective estimated funding gap of $87.7 million annual- ly due to the inability to ful- ly recover the cost of growth under the current legislation. "It's really important that constituents know the stark reality that growth doesn't pay for growth," said Burlington Coun. Ro- ry Nisan in support of the motion. The resolution was orig- inally penned by the Large Urban Mayors' Caucus of Ontario (LUMCO), which is comprised of the leaders of Ontario communities with a population of 100,000 or more. The group advo- cates to the federal and pro- vincial governments on policies and issues that af- fect large urban municipal- ities. The resolution re- sponds to the provincial government's current re- view of the impact munici- pal development charges have on housing supply - a move that has some politi- cians worried the act will be amended in favour of de- velopers. "We mayors (in the LUMCO) were concerned that we might be looking at a shift of the cost of growth off developers and onto the backs of taxpayers, specifi- cally local property tax- payers," said Burton. "The only alternative to pay for growth, aside from devel- opment charges, is taxes." "We know that growth currently doesn't pay for it- self, so any step to make growth pay even less is a step backwards," added Meed Ward. Of particular concern to the mayors are any poten- tial changes to Section 27 of the act, which permits mu- nicipalities to collect devel- opment charges prior to the building permit stage. The motion deems this measure "critical in Halton for the delivery of infra- structure to support addi- tional new housing." Regional chair Gary Carr will now write a letter to Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Municipal Af- fairs and Housing Steve Clark expressing council's serious concerns regard- ing changes to Section 27 of the act or a reduction in the use of development charg- es. "Halton would welcome the opportunity to work with the provincial govern- ment to find creative solu- tions to increase the stock of affordable housing while ensuring that growth pays for growth," notes the mo- tion, which will also be sent to Halton local municipali- ties for endorsement. The region has long been calling for changes that would facilitate growth paying for itself through its Advocating for a Strong Halton campaign. COUNCIL HALTON CONTINUES FIGHT TO MAKE GROWTH PAY FOR ITSELF MELANIE HENNESSEY mhennessey@ metroland.com SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT THEIFP.CA MEET ALISON 21 years old. Alison joined us and LOST 75 POUNDS and 70 INCHES working out at our studio! MEET SOME OTHER MEMBERS This group ranges from 70-86! Have questions? One of our many Personal Trainers, Yoga Instructors or our Qigong Instructor can help! Experience the difference yourself - Pick up your voucher for a FREE PERSONAL TRAINING SESSION and discover a workout plan that is as unique as you are. 511 Main St.,Glen Williams 647.525.6839 | glenfitness.ca A place for people of all ages and fitness levels! JOIN US TODAY and START YOUR JOURNEY to better health! AfterBefore OPEN HOUSE EVENT! This Saturday April 6th • 10 am - 2 pm Buy 1, Get 1 Hearing Testing, Hearing Aids • Accessories ARE YOUR EARS 60 YEARS? It's TIME to get them TESTED! Ph: 289-891-8833 120 Mill Street, Georgetown Hearing Testing, Hearing Aids Accessories