My Dilemna

A few weeks ago, Elizabeth Crowe our Separate School Trustee, came to Council in Committee to ask for exemption from Cash in Lieu of Parkland levy of almost half a million dollars. An offer of land for a park was made.The new high school will have substantial outdoor sports facilities.YorkSeparate School Board has always generously shared facilities with the town.

I argued the request was reasonable. At the Mayor's invitation, John Gutteridge CFO said the money had to be collected under provincial legislation. Al Downey, Leisure Service Director, said he would rather have the money than the land.The request was refused.

At the following Council meeting, I presented further arguments to support the request.
Again the Mayor invited Mr. Gutteridge to respond. Again he assured council there was no alternative to collecting cash-in-lieu. Legislation requires it.

I subsequently received a copy of a Bylaw of the Town of Halton Hills. Section 2 sets out exemptions to the policy established under the Planning Act for the collection of Cash-in-Lieu of parkland. They apply to various agencies starting with the town and local boards. The list includes the Region,both School Boards, Hydro-Electric Commission, Hospitals, Province.Nation,Places of Worship,non-residential farm buildings and expansions to commercial and industrial buildings less than 25% of a sites buildable area.

The Bylaw is six years old. The exemptions have been in effect since at least that time. .

I forwarded my copy of the Bylaw to Aurora's Director of Corporate Services, Bob Panizza. He is Acting Chief Administrative Officer at this time. I waited for the misinformation to Council to be withdrawn and an adjustment made. It never happened.

Now the dilemna is mine. A negative decision has been made based on inaccurate information. New home owners will pay the development charge levied by the town. They will pay for land for a park in their neighbourhood. They will pay again in the development charge levied by the Separate School Board for Cash-in-lieu of parkland .A school does not bring new students to the town and create a need for parkland. Residences do.

If a private corporation double charged like that, there would undoubtedly be a name for the practice.. Not a nice one. But we are a municipal corporation. Our sole reason for being is to serve the residents and to protect their interest.

Just because we can stick it to them twice, doesn't mean we should. I said all that in debate.Under the procedure bylaw the question cannot be re-introduced for six months.

It has been the pattern during this council for the Presiding Member to direct staff to refute debating points made by a Councillor. Particularly moi. We even had a lawyer at the table during the debate on the issue of a by-election to fill the vacancy left by Grace March's resignation. He was apparently there to ensure the decision went exactly the way the presiding Member intended.

I have regularly expressed opposition to the practice of inviting staff to participate in political debate. Just as regularly my point fails to register. Couple that with the usual voting pattern and democracy is clearly at risk in the Town of Aurora.

The Town of Richmond Hill also has a Bylaw which exempts public agencies from the requirement to pay Cash-in-Lieu of parkland. The information is as close as the telephone or Richmond Hill's web site.