Round and Round it goes. Where it stops nobody knows.

Bonanza night included another give-away. We had a presentation of a new and ambitious plan to regain the purity of Lake Simcoe.

It involves an expenditure of millions, with Aurora's share $400.000 over six years with an annual contribution of almost $67,000. A verbal motion was instantly approved in principle to hand over the dough.

The speed of the motion left me with my jaw hanging open. No time for reflection. No judgement on the merits of the argument.

Just...... “Yes sir. Yes sir. Three bags full, sir.” Lickety-split, Councillor MacEachern moved the request be approved in principle and it was .

I was not silent. I noted the premise of the presentation was flawed. I observed the Region is the responsible Authority for financing thr Conservation Authority and we provide the Region with the money.

I took exception to the link made between "the most populated" to "the most polluted and contributing most to the degradation of Lake Simcoe".

In the first place, Aurora and Newmarket's population does not outnumber Barrie and Innisfill. Our sewage effluent goes to Lake Ontario via the Big Pipe. Barrie's and Innisfill's goes into Lake Simcoe

.

Aurora and Newmarket have been creating Storm Water Management Ponds for the past fifteen years, to keep road and roof pollution out of creeks and waterways. For the same purpose and even longer, we have been replacing open ditches in older subdivisions with storm sewers .Property -owners have paid and will continue to pay a hefty price for these efforts. New home-owners pay within the price of their homes for the storm water ponds in their neighbourhoods.

I objected to the suggestion the people of the two towns are responsible for the degradation of

the lake. Cook's Bay. Cottages, turned into permanent homes ,clustered along the lakefront have septic tanks that flood in the high water of spring. As a consequence, the lake bottom is ooze, not sand.

A treatment plant had to be built at Alcona fifteen years ago because conditions almost to Lefroy were a serious health hazard.

Holland Marsh can't grow as much as a carrot without a ton of fertilizer.and it drains to the Lake.. Farm manure and fertiliser washes down from thousands of acres on hills surrounding the lake.

Heaven knows, we have problems enough to solve, without people who know better disseminating faulty information and a council that swallows holus-bolus every morsel of clap trap that's fed to them and without waiting for a full discussion and staff input into the validity of the request agree to a payment of $67,000 a year. It adds half a percentage point to the tax bill. .

Normally, I would hold my arguments for a council debate. But that did not happen. So, my only option is to tell the tale. Let the people decide if their interest is being served.