Newmarket
November 27, 2008 08:49 PM
David Fleischer
You should not be paying for new growth but a looming deadline means we need to have plans in place soon, and then hope we can afford to pay for it later.
The province’s Places to Grow legislation directs GTA municipalities to concentrate growth that avoids sprawling further outward, but how we will pay for that growth remains unresolved.
Every local municipality needs to adjust its official plan to conform with the provincial legislation by June.
The region’s draft official plan should be ready on time, director of strategic and long range planning John Waller said.
The nine lower tier municipalities, however, are each at different stages.
Newmarket was the first to finish its plan, winning regional approval in April. East Gwillimbury has nearly completed an overhaul of their plan and Richmond Hill and Vaughan are moving quickly on theirs.
Markham was ahead of the smart growth curve, pioneering policies that form the heart of Places to Grow. Nonetheless, Mayor Frank Scarpitti conceded the town’s official plan amendment is unlikely to be ready for June.
The town is looking at areas where they can exceed the minimum growth targets mandated by the province, and he expects the town’s reputation to show the delay is due to anything but falling behind their goals.
“We like to do it right in Markham,” he said.
“What’s important is that municipalities get it right and consult with the public,” Mr. Waller agreed.
“I’d be very surprised if all the local municipalities in the GTA met the deadline.”
At a recent growth summit in Vaughan, infrastructure and energy minister George Smitherman said extensions of up to a year could be granted if necessary.
He also promised long-awaited, growth-focused funding will be part of a new infrastructure plan.
“As a matter of principle, we should seek to align our infrastructure plan with where we’re under pressure to grow,” he said.
That was music to the ears of Mr. Scarpitti who has lead the charge, telling the province that we cannot handle so much growth without funding.
“We’ve made our case. We’re making it every day,” Mr. Scarpitti said.
Transit was the most acute need for the region, he said, and Metrolinx’s $50-billion rapid transit plan was an encouraging signs of the province acknowledging its role.
Nonetheless, regional officials need to be vigilant, Mr. Waller said.
“There’s an ongoing concern that the provincial investment in infrastructure keep up with employment and population growth,” he said.
Things have come to a head in Halton Region where council unanimously voted last week to freeze development if no infrastructure funding is forthcoming.
Halton is expected to grow by 400,000 people by 2031, compared to the 600,000 York Region should see in the same period.
Halton estimates taxpayers are paying $32 million for growth projects.
York Region does not have similar numbers at hand but with nearly $15 billion in projects outlined in the new 25-year Transportation Master Plan, there is little question our needs are at least as great.
York has passed several resolutions telling the province they can’t meet growth targets without money for hard infrastructure and human services.
Repeatedly they asked for changes to the Development Charges Act to no avail.
Hospitals, for example, used to be funded by the charges — paid by developers on each unit they build — but that has not been the case since changes implemented under the Mike Harris government.
That means you will pay for Vaughan’s new hospital, instead of the people moving to Vaughan who make it necessary.
“Local hospitals are now required to go out and do their own fundraising . .. that was never the bargain,” Mr. Waller said.
The region estimates more than $2.3 billion is needed for capital hospital projects between now and 2026.
Fast-growing regions such as York would like to see other infrastructure funding prioritized along the lines of the transit plan, Mr. Waller said, but development charges are unlikely to be the answer.
But changes are not in the cards, Premier Dalton McGuinty said at a September industry event.
An informational report earlier this month noted GO Transit alone is underfunded by approximately $7 million each year due to council’s refusal to lay an extra burden on taxpayers, which should be covered by the province.
Neglect by the upper levels of government and the changes to development charges all contributed to the current state, Mr. Scarpitti said.