Letter to the Editor

Development Charges are not used as a Slush Fund by our municipalities. Development Charges are used to fund the growth-related component of new infrastructures such as water and wastewater treatment plants, Arterial roads and fire halls. Without Development Charges, Ontario's local property taxes are expected to rise significantly.

Existing ratepayers should not be expected to pay for growth-related infrastructure.

Surely there is a better way to build homes faster than eliminating Development Charges and destroying municipal planning departments and our essential Conservation Authorities.

When a new residential subdivision is flooded by an adjacent river, Ontarians need to ask Premier Ford why his government approved bill 23.

Telling our municipalities they need to find new efficiencies to make up for lost Development Charges is a huge pill, especially for our smaller cities and towns. Not to mention the math does not add up.

As an alternative to bill 23, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing should be consulting with Ontario's municipalities to see where proposed housing densities can be increased under local and Regional Official Plans.

Jim McEwen, Bowmanville