- large 0 prot . new LISTING-E. RIVER OAKS; Ontario Finance Minister, Floyd Laughren should announce in his forth- coming budget that the province is get- ting out of the non-profit and co-op hous- ing business, Ontario Realtors say. OREA offers budget advice The recommendation is contained in a awn "f, CE BSA f _,,,,." "Spending on subsidized housing - specifically non-profit and co-op housing - is out of control in Ontario," said Jamie Edwards, OREA president. "In this era of excessive taxation and high government debt, the province is committing itself to spending billions of dollars on tens of thousands of units. Private sector housing in Ontario is more affordable now than it has been in many years, Government should be encouraging people to use pri- pre-budget submission from the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) which was released today. OREA represents 39,000 real estate professionals in 48 local real estate boards across Ontario. In its brief, OREA advocates the use of rent supplements targeted to those in greatest need. Under this system, low income people find accommodation in the private market and receive cash sup- plements from the provincial government covering the difference between the housing charge and 25% of their gross family income. "This is not the most efficient way of providing support to people in need. Even the Provincial Auditor has called it wasteful and inemcient," said Edwards. vate sector housing - not spending bil- lions to house a small fraction of those who truly need help." A comer store is permitted in one of the houses in the West Morrison Creek project. The store will provide residents with basic goods in close proximity to their houses with- out the need to drive. This is an attempt to address the "litre of gas per litre of milk syn- drome" and provide a place where residents can meet, pickup their mail, and get supplies. In this issue of the Oakville Beaver, the "Housing with a Future" article will feature the West Morrison Creek project. Many of the subjects discussed in "Housing with a Future" articles are relevant to West Morrison Creek. Residents, environmentalists, home buyers, politicians, and many others will be interested in the project which we expect will be a great success. Please see the "Housing with a Future" article and watch for future articles and information about the project. The plan features public laneways at the rear of all the houses to provide access to pri- vate parking areas. This has the effect of removing the garage from the front of the house and in this way allows the architecture of the house and the design of the landscaping and street to create a high quality pedestrian and cyclist friendly environment. Seven archi- tects and a landscape architect have been engaged by River Oaks Developments, Merrick Homes and River Oaks Homes to cre- ate a wonderful range of house styles and land- scape treatments to assure the success of the project. West Morrison Creek promises to be a vibrant and architecturally diverse community with a wide variety of housing types to suit a range of households. Many community build- ing practices have been examined closely dur- ing the development and planning of West Morrison Creek. The natural environment, for example, is being treated in a unique way that is sustainable, beautiful, and interesting, and can serve as a model for other developments in the way it handles existing vegetation and trees, landscaping, and the management of storm water. The River Oaks Group is pleased to announce that it has received full approval from Oakville council to proceed with the development of its Sixth Line or West Morrison Creek project in the River Oaks Community in Oakville. . The Commercial Concentration Tax should be repealed. . Implementation of a land speculation tax is unnecessary and unfair. . New spending on infrastructure should be restricted to building hard ser- vices such as roads and sewers, and not merely to buy jobs that stop when gov- ernment funding stops. . With residential vacancies up and rents moderating, now is the perfect time to begin phasing out rent controls. River Oaks approval is granted . The government should make per- manent the Ontario Home Ownership Savings Plan which expires at the end of 1993. "We believe the government needs to curtail spending, and not raise taxes," said James Flood, OREA's director of government relations. "Broadening the base for provincial sales tax will hurt job creation and economic growth, and slow the province's budding economic recov- ery." Other recommendations contained OREA's 20-page brief include: OREA also recommended to the fmance minister that he not raise taxes, especially by expanding the provincial sales tax base in an effort to attract more government revenue. In