=m } { MITCHELL ADVOCATE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2024 5 Officials to Queen's Park: Fee freeze to aid home building hurts local taxpayers BRIAN WILLIAMS The Upper Thames River Con- servation Authority (UTRCA) is pushing to reverse a freeze on its planning approval fees imposed by the province in a move to cut red tape and speed up new home construction. A letter drafted by the UTRCA — whose jurisdiction is the Upper Thames River watershed that cov- bout3 i within the organization’s district, says its board chair, Brian Petrie. West Perth offered its support at its July 29 meeting, raised by Dep- uty Mayor Dean Trentowsky, their UTRCA representative. Trentowsky told West Perth col- eee that since the fee freeze plemented in 2021, the dif- erence in cost is not being paid by proponent, but that cost is being made up by the levy. home to nearly 600,000 people — Ontario’s nat- Plann pe and per- mitting fe So far, thd letter has garnered support from about two-thirds of leaders from the 17 municipalities pay...it’sauser part-pay, and the general tax levy picks up theslack,” Trentowsky said. All 36 conservation authorities in the province are subject to the fee freeze. But with Pidly Boone ingmunicipalities like London and Peete inits jurisdiction, the Thames watershed is one of the | fastest growing regions in Ontario, and population growth means a big uptick in planning, development and permit applica- tior “That means more staff, more re- sources to make sure meeting the timelines that comes with costs,” Petrie said, adding the silane to raise mae means the expens¢ will sed on to local munic- pale “We're talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars across the whole watershed where that could be recovered and not put on the tax base (through higher fees). Butright nowwedon’thaveanyother choice.” The freeze was instituted to aid the provincial government's push may work with municipalities to find efficiencies in other areas. The letter, which so far includes certain user group, they should be paying for that service... so it’s Marcus Hee provincial government’s ed ne more housing, but costs associated with development shouldn’tbe put on taxpayers. er Perth whole- heartedly a Trentowsky seid Same that a large increase in their levy could be offset in 2025 pre in the future if permit fees are opened up again. “You will recall going back to budget discussions i in 2024 there The letter is still making its remaining munic- ipalities in the Upper Thames jurisdiction before it’s sent off to Bae 's Parkin September, Petrie on letter points ¢ out thei impor- tance of conservatiol vide services that “meet the prov- tobuild1 We Bi burd But since its i ion, the freeze has undergone two exten- sions — first until December 2023, and later until the end of 2024. “This freeze keeps the govern- ment’s commitment to reduce fees that impact housing prices,” read a statement from Smith’s office. “Conservation authorities that are unable to offset increasing costs Nominations open for King Charles coronation medals BILL ATWOOD “There are so many great Ontar- ians that live in Perth-Wellington,” Rae said ina release. “I encourage a residents to think about nom- inating a deserving individual in their communities for a King Charles III Coronation Medal.” In order to qi for a medal, nominees should have made a sig- A d i coronation of King Charles IIT has opened nominations to honour those who have made a signifi- ant: ‘anada, their to a particular province, territory, region orcommunity, or have made an ingachievement abroad dit to Canada. They province or the local community. To mark the histori ion of a cee have been alive on the a é after the 70-year reign ofhis mother, Queen Elizabeth ll, on May 6 oflast year, Prime Minster Justin Trudeau announced the creation of the King Charles III’s Coronation Medal. A total of 30,000 medals will be awarded, including 4,000 specif- ically for members of the Armed Forces and another 1,000 for fed- eral public service employees. Perth-Wellington MPP Matthew Rae called for Ee id from the local comm afew weeks after MP John. Nater ‘did the same thing. (Nater’snominations cl losed at the end of June). A sacataad medal, the front features a a crowned and robed King Charles, with the words “CHARLES III DEI GRATIA REX” and “CANADA,” while the back has arngot ‘frosted triangular shapes, with the image of pennants dis- LS atres se ogre The medal Royal Bie! in Tate ae atta is inscribed wit the date of th d ths The King Charles Ill Coronation Medal, pictured, is the first Canadi- an commemorative medal to mark a coronati OFFICE OF THE GOV- ERNOR GENERAL ers, veterans and veteran organi- cot aise! leaders, and volunteers. Nominations canbeon the ree website, or at his con- stituency office i in Stratf ford, and 9. words “VIVAT REX,” which mean “Long live the King.” Suggestions for nominees in- clude, but are not limited to, first responders and front-line work- The nickel medal, manufactured by the Royal Canadian Mint, was designed by Cathy Bursey-Sab- ourin, fraser herald at the Cana- dian Heraldic Authority. held re voted in fa- vour of the increase a we said, ‘okay, what are we going to do for 2025 because we can’t keep doing this large levy increase’ and this i: the outcome of that discussion,” he said. “The use of fees to fund this type of program ensures that those benefiting from development are Are you feeling stuck? len of Officials in Smith’s office say a decision will be made after the freeze ends on Jan. 1, 2025, about Palen) or not to extend the freez with ft from Andy Ba The Local Journalism iets is a program funded by the federal government & in motions omentum+ that @ career readiness program bthemegsigegarneny emu Ready to make a change? Reach out today! Mitchell; August 26 to October 31, 2024 Clinton: October 14 to December 20, 2024 Stratford: January 5 to March 14, 2025 STARTING MONDAY, AUG 26 IN MITCHELL Register early: 519.527.2288 x2504 or inmotion@ed.amdsb.ca ONTARIO a vised G ccd