‘Do the right thing’
Dear Editor:
RE: ‘Puslinch by Design’: county, township to study employment lands in Puslinch, Jan. 4.
Residents of Sideroad 20N, Concession 4 and Forestell Road were encouraged by the proactive steps taken by Wellington County and Puslinch council in moving forward with the “Puslinch by Design” initiative.
The plan outlines the requirement to allocate a minimum of 30 hectares (74 acres) in Puslinch for “Prestige” industrial lands, with a focus on directing such development towards urban areas. This collaborative plan wishes to use a made-in Puslinch approach, by incorporating feedback from the public, ensuring we preserve the rural character of our community.
This strategic approach aims to safeguard our agricultural lands, preserve environmentally sensitive areas, and uphold the cherished rural lifestyle and community essence that defines Puslinch. These goals align with the commitments outlined in the Wellington County Official Plan.
Mayor James Seeley noted in council that Jim Estill’s request for direct access from the Hanlon Expressway through the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) did not receive approval.
Consequently, Mr. Estill would be required to use Sideroad 20N, Concession 4 and Forestell Road as the designated routes for accessing his land. It is essential, that “Puslinch by Design” dictates that placing industrial lands on rural roads not built for heavy truck traffic goes against the very fabric of our community.
Do the right thing.
Justin Wilson,
Concerned Citizens of Puslinch
‘Not right or helpful’
Dear Editor:
It would be helpful in civil discourse to be careful not to degrade the discussion by accusing a group of people of wrongdoing or selfish intent without evidence.
The increased tax rate in Centre Wellington has many people accusing our politicians and township staff of thoughtlessness, and meanness. If we do have evidence of wrongdoing then let the cannons fly, otherwise, as citizens, we have a duty to be informed and aware of the new challenges that face our governing bodies.
Dave Bittorf (‘Wasting’ tax dollars, Jan. 4) needs to realize our staff in Centre Wellington make decisions based on data and studies, not personal observations. You can contact them and they will share with you the data they have collected as they try to slow vehicles down by using street calming measures.
However, Bittorf may be right, the speed of cars is not coming down as much as it should so I hope they continue to add more street calming measures. Street calming infrastructure is much cheaper and more effective than paying for police enforcement.
To be clear, we need to challenge our township staff and elected officials over monetary items. We need to take an active role in creating the healthiest, happiest community we can by speaking up (I delegated in front of council questioning the necessity of some of their budgetary items).
One thing, however, we should not do, is use our opinions as justifications for tossing in zingers such as: “spend other people’s money without giving it a second thought”, or “Centre Wellington (staff? council?) sure doesn’t care about their citizens.” When you say things like that, you are hurting a lot of hard-working and caring individuals, and that’s not right or helpful.
John Scott,
Elora
Mayor has ‘moxie’
Dear Editor:
RE: Watters reflects on first year in office for all-new mayor, council, Jan. 4.
Kudos to Centre Wellington Mayor Shawn Watters for having the moxie to “bite the bullet” and approve the 7.38% tax increase for his municipality.
No doubt it was a very difficult decision and one not made lightly. But, to his point, people want service levels maintained, bridges and roads in particular to be repaired and infrastructure in good repair.
These things and the many other services required to keep a community running come at a cost and those costs have risen dramatically in recent years. The days of zero-increase or minimal budget increase is not sustainable. Nor is dipping into reserves every year a viable solution.
Undoubtedly residents are upset, and understandably so. No one wants to see these kinds of tax increases! Is it going to be a hardship for some? Absolutely! But reality is that you can’t keep “putting a bandage on it” and hope it’ll go away.
Mayor Watters deserves a lot of credit for taking his position. One can only hope his prediction that this one time “hit” will result in much reduced increases in the future.
Ted Ferguson,
Erin
Say no to ‘whiners’
Dear Editor:
RE: Watters reflects on first year in office for all-new mayor, council, Jan. 4.
In Mayor Shawn Watters’ year-end report, he seems to be losing sleep for the wrong reasons.
First of all, who runs the show over at 1 MacDonald Square, the staff on the Sunshine List or the mayor and council the taxpayers duly elected?
Watters didn’t lose any sleep about giving himself and council a pay raise. He didn’t lose any sleep about a 7.38% tax for families struggling to keep food on the table and a roof over their head (the largest tax increase in the township’s history and the largest of any municipality).
He didn’t lose any sleep about raising the cost of water and sewage. But he is losing sleep about urban boundaries and a battery storage operation.
It’s time for you and your council to get down to doing some serious work for the average working guy who put you into the job to do some work for them and help their struggle.
Start saying “no” to the whiners who want everything. Tell them “we can’t afford it.”
This is not Toronto.
J. Alexander,
Fergus
‘Breath of fresh air’
Dear Editor:
My wife and I are in our 80s and after the snow storm last weekend we faced an almost impossible task of clearing away three feet of ice chunks and snow left by the snow plough at the end of our driveway.
After struggling for an hour, a young couple driving by saw us and immediately parked across the street, came running toward us, took our shovels and quickly finished the job.
They wanted nothing in return and did it out of kindness, an act that brought tears to my wife’s eyes. This action restores our belief in human nature.
Thank you, Robin and Caleb. You are a breath of fresh air. God bless you.
Karin and Mike Schertzer,
Fergus
‘Fabulous’ MP
Dear Editor:
RE: ‘Deeply concerning,’ Jan. 11.
I realize that the writer is responding to a previous writer but I wanted to try and make some clarity for readers on what is a constant frustration for Canadian conservatives to the party.
Some history as I see it from the last few years. In the last two elections we have sent a minority Liberal government to Ottawa with the official opposition Conservatives getting a majority of votes. You would think that the message would be that policies in such a government should reflect some of that majority of voters’ desires and not the majority of ideas from a fourth-place party. That is how it usually works in a democracy.
Falsely, the message from media declares that Conservatives under O’Toole supported carbon taxation, when in fact at policy convention the party did not endorse that. It was on his own that Erin O’Toole went down that road hence he was replaced.
No free trade deal with any other country with Canada includes language of carbon pricing. I suggest the Liberals placed that red herring in it.
The votes against all Liberal fall policies is a statement of the Liberals refusing to listen and treat fairly all Canadians not a vote against all items on the agenda (ie. – a party that is sticking to its principles).
Remembering all parties now lump ombudsmen tactics into bills so as not to allow separation of policies so you have to vote it all down to attempt remove poor policy.
As for conservative MP Leslyn Lewis’ petition, I agree it’s out there but Conservatives do not gag their MPs and it does not mean it’s policy. The UN has many shortcomings and wrong-headed approaches, but getting out is not the solution – fixing it is. Canada is not a serious player in the world.
Micheal Chong is a fabulous MP for Wellington-Halton Hills – I’m sure the writer knows that.
D. McCraney,
Guelph
‘Get angry’
Dear Editor:
Have you ever wondered why every year, it seems to get harder and harder to make ends meet?
Well, that is not a false perception. There are two mathematical concepts at play in our economy. The first being the average household and its income. Generally speaking, that income increases in a linear pattern. When I was apprenticing, my pay would increase on a commensurate basis with my increased skill sets and therefore increased productivity.
Unfortunately that productivity tends to plateau (tradesman level skills) along with wages, which tend to increase linearly thereafter.
Now, the real reason we are falling behind. On the front page of Jan. 11 Wellington Advertiser, we see that Wellington County is seriously considering a tax levy increase of 4.6%.
Ever wonder why a function of 100 (percentage) is used to determine millions of dollars in value? It is the exponential nature of percentages. You see, they always describe the cost increases in terms of year-over-year increases.
It is simpler for us to visualize, but far more sinister, if municipalities were to be totally honest with us, they would pick a base year, establish the necessary tax requirements for that year, then all increases moving forward from that year would be a function of that base year. Then we would see an open and far more honest rendering of our taxes.
Let’s say we take 2023 as our base year and for ease of visualization establish our taxes at $100. We know the increase for 2024 is 4.6%; let’s assume the same increase for 2025. Under the current system our taxes for 2024 will be $104.60 and our taxes for 2025 will be $109.41. In 2025, we are paying 4.6% increase on the increase made in 2024.
My proposal is: that every year is reverted back to the base year (2023) and the proposed increase is made based on that year. Instead of 2025’s increase being another 4.6%, it becomes the actual amount of 9.4%. Following this pattern, over a number of years, it is easy to visualize why we are falling further and further behind.
The next time you get frustrated with the amount of hours you are working and not seeming to be able to put anything aside, don’t get frustrated, get angry with the perpetrators of your frustration.
Write a letter to your MP, MPP, county councillor, mayor and your municipal councillor expressing your frustration. They are the frontline and therefore fully responsible for taxes, and accountable for the increases.
Wayne Baker,
Wellington North
Alien takeover?
Dear Editor:
RE: ‘Parking problem,’ Jan. 4.
This letter is to confirm that indeed aliens have landed and taken control of councillors everywhere.
Their intent is to make Centre Wellington uninhabitable to humans. They apparently move around by levitation or skateboard, weather permitting, and don’t require parking spaces at all.
Part of their plot is to “beautify” everything, which usually means railings and flower beds, skateboard lanes etc. – in fact, anything we don’t really need.
Humans will be saddled with the tax bills or maybe fly off into orbit trying to navigate an infernal round-a-bout, which we also don’t need. What is required is a “down to Earth” approach that does not target us taxpaying earthlings trying to go about our business and park somewhere, without the need for survival gear and tin foil in our hats.
Malcolm McCulloch,
Fergus
‘Context’ on report
Dear Editor:
RE: Auditor general: aggregate industry not in compliance; ministry not providing oversight, Jan. 18.
The Auditor General’s report highlights the need for increased inspections of aggregate sites and increases in penalties and consequences for those who do not comply.
The Ontario Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (OSSGA) agrees, and together with top aggregate producing municipalities, have been calling for an increase in the aggregate levy to help fund increased inspections for nearly a decade.
It is important to provide context to the Auditor General’s report. The vast majority of inspection reports point to administrative compliance issues such as not paying dues on time, having damaged fence posts or signage infractions which do not negatively impact the environment, however, are important nonetheless. OSSGA will partner with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) and our members to rectify these matters.
That work is already underway. The article highlights the shortage of experienced aggregate inspectors. Both government and the private sector have seen many experienced staff taking retirement, yet despite this labour shortage, the ministry has increased inspectors from 22 in 2022 to 34 in 2023. An additional 19 inspectors have been hired and to training initiatives are underway.
Rehabilitation and the closing of pits and quarries is another area of concern. The report points to sites that have not seen active extraction in 10-plus years, yet the producers have not surrendered the licence. The report does not say that there hasn’t been any progressive rehabilitation on these sites. In fact, it could be that 50, 60 or even 70 percent of the site has been rehabilitated and only a small area remains to be extracted.
A site often sits dormant when there is no local market for the material. The remaining aggregate might not meet current project needs but there will be a market for it in the future. To be environmentally smart, producers try to remove all of the aggregate before that site is closed. Even if it takes 25 years. In the meantime, the site will be progressively rehabilitated, and most people will not even know it is there.
What the Auditor General report does do is affirm that close-to-market aggregate is required to meet the demand for infrastructure in Ontario. We need roads, hospitals and schools and the 1.5 million homes promised by the government. We need to extract the aggregate needed to build that infrastructure in the most environmentally friendly manner possible, which requires that it be extracted in communities that are aggregate-rich. Puslinch is one such community.
The province of Ontario is expected to grow by nearly 4 million people over 25 years. To build the infrastructure required to support that growth, approximately 4 billion tonnes of aggregate will be required.
OSSGA looks forward to collaborating further with communities like Puslinch and the ministry to help foster a robust and environmentally friendly approach to extracting the stone, sand and gravel fundamental to building Ontario’s bright economic future.
Michael McSweeney,
Executive director,
Ontario Stone, Sand and Gravel Association
‘Oblivious to damage’
Dear Editor:
How many of the bloated civil service (up by 80,000 since the Liberals took office, representing $9 million increased cost) are needed to issue the carbon pricing rebate?
In these times of the high cost of living hurting a large piece of the population, why not reduce the pump price equal to excess processing labour and the carbon pricing?
It strikes me as another ready-shoot-aim undertaking by the government. King Trudeau seems oblivious to the damage created for the Canadian populus as well as our reputation on the world stage.
Michael Fleming,
Fergus
Wellington North tax hike ‘excessive’
To the Editor:
I live in Arthur. I was shocked to see that my property taxes (including Wellington North and county taxes) had increased about 13 per cent in 2023.
Now, Wellington North is planning to increase taxes 4.9% in 2024.
I don’t know what increase Wellington County is planning in 2024, let’s say 4.9%. Together it is going to be about a 23% property tax increase in two years.
This is excessive and unfair. Mortgage rates, groceries, gas, consumer goods and heating fuel have all increased in the last two years. People are struggling. This is the wrong time for new major capital expenditures.
Council, have some compassion.
Mike Linseman,
Arthur