OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, July 15, 2009 · 6 OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5571 Classified Advertising: 632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 www.oakvillebeaver.com 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: NEIL OLIVER Vice President and Group Publisher of Metroland West The Oakville Beaver is a division of Media Group Ltd. DAVID HARVEY General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director SANDY PARE Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution SARAH MCSWEENEY Circ. Manager Worth a second look What's the rush? It may be too late already, since Halton Regional Council is voting today on a proposed additional $8,000 per unit development charge to residential developers in north Oakville and Milton, but we would like to see them grant the 60-day deferral requested by developers. The $8,000 levy is on top of the region's current hefty $29,075 per unit development fee. Add in a proposed 65 per cent increase in Oakville's development fees and home builders could be paying a whopping $63,813 per unit development charge in north Oakville. That figure would give Oakville the honour of having the highest residential development fees in Canada. Developers say the region set its development charges last fall before the full impact of the current economic recession was evident. Times have changed since last fall and the developers are asking for a 60-day deferral to reexamine the extra $8,000 levy. Under the circumstances, we don't think that is a harsh request. The extra levy is controversial to say the least and has resulted in a very public war of words between regional politicians and developers. While complaining about charges is nothing new for developers, their discontent is at an all-time high. Last week, nearly 350 construction workers, contractors and builders -- many displaying "Save my job" signs -- packed the regional chambers to pressure the politicians. Leading the charge against the extra $8,000 additional levy is Peter Gilgan, the chief executive officer of Mattamy Homes, the GTA's largest home building company. The developers contend the extra development fee is illtimed and will hurt an industry that is already in a slump. For their part, regional politicians -- Halton Chair Gary Carr and Oakville Mayor Rob Burton are among the most vocal -- say developers must pay for the costs associated with growth and anything less is akin to granting subsidies to developers on the backs of taxpayers. But who is really paying for these additional costs -- the developers or new homeowners? While many cry, "Make the developers pay", in reality it's more likely these costs are being passed on to the new homeowners. It's easy to accuse the developers of just trying to protect their bottom line. But what if there is truth to their claims? Are regional councillors willing to throw another wrench into the struggling home building industry? And at what cost and to whom? So far, what we've seen and heard from the two sides is a combination of finger pointing, and sabre rattling. What we would prefer to see is for the two groups to sit down and calmly discuss the issue to determine whether they can find a common ground that would benefit everyone concerned. They've done this before. Why not do it again? Again, we ask, "What's the rush?" 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. Letter to the editor Development lawyer responds Re: Who should pay? Gary Carr guest column, Oakville Beaver, July 9 I am writing in response to Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr's letter in the Oakville Beaver entitled "Who Should Pay". As a lawyer representing Mattamy Homes, I am concerned that Carr's letter paints a misleading picture and uses information allegedly from lawyers such as myself that is simply not true. Halton residents deserve to have the facts and express their own opinion. For my part, I want to set the record straight. Existing taxpayers should not pay taxes to support growth and new development. Neither I nor Mattamy Homes have ever recommended otherwise. Mattamy believes that home builders and new homebuyers should pay the full cost of growth -- now and in the future. And they do pay the full cost of growth, but are now being asked by Halton Region to pay more than their full share. Since 2005, Mattamy has voluntarily advanced more than $15 million in addition to what is required of them to help build regional roads in this community. They don't want to delay building roads, they're a critical part of what makes a community work and their past record proves their commitment to this issue. The Region of Halton increased its development charges by more than nine per cent just three months ago. And now they are coming back and asking for an additional $8,000 per new house. This money is not a development charge. It's a tax. This $8,000 is in addition to the more than $95,000 in taxes that homeowners already have to pay when they buy their new home. If this proposal goes through, it will mean that Halton will have the highest new home taxes in North 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. MS golf tourney was a success The 2009 golf committee, staff and board of directors of the MS Society, Halton Regional Chapter want to thank all our golfers, sponsors, prize donors, valuable volunteers and the terrific people at Crosswinds Golf and Country Club for supporting our tournament and making it a wonderful success. On June 24, our 5th Annual MS "Golf for a Cure" Tournament raised over $20,000. Funds raised will go towards making life easier for people in Halton with or affected by Multiple Sclerosis. It is the generosity of others that allow us to assist our members acquire scooters and wheelchairs, facilitate support groups and contribute to funding research to end MS. Please mark your calendars for our 6th Annual MS "Golf for a Cure" Tournament to be held on Wednesday, June 23, 2010. HEATHER MATTOCKS CO-CHAIR HALTON MS GOLF COMMITTEE Homeowner would like lawn ornament returned Sometime overnight Saturday, July 4 my family keepsake ornament was taken from the front of my house on Maidstone Crescent. It is a concrete bench with a little girl and rabbit sitting on it. Will the person who took this ornament, kindly return it? No questions asked. ED AND EILEEN KIROUAC See Developers page 10