There's More

It was an excellent dinner. A sell-out. The program by young York Region performance artists was exceptional.

The list of sponsors was also impressive. To the best of my recollection, they were all in the development industry. A name on the front of the program and mentioned first by the Chairman was Bondfield Construction, the contractor who built the Stronach Recreation Centre in Aurora.

Hanson Brick was also a sponsor

Legal firms noted had familiar names. A bank or two were named.

A table of ten cost $2,500. Most would be hosted by developers ,consultants, contractors or legal firms.

They would be solicited to buy tables. It's how money is raised. Hospitals, cancer centres, recreation facilities have all raised billions from solicitation of the development industry.

Developers buy foursomes at golf tournaments which raise money for charities.

Politicians were conspicuous by their presence.

I sat at a table with the Mayor of Whitchurch -Stouffville and his wife, Councillor Susanne Hilton and husband, Councillor Ken Ferdinands and a hospital Administrator from those parts.

On September 29, the Lebovic Centre for the Arts was opened in Whitchurch Stouffville.

It was a lovely evening. The company and conversation was easy and sociable.

I do not perceive developers, consultants, contractors, road builders , banks ,brick manufacturers or legal firms as enemies of municipalities. They are frequently referred to as partners.

I look at houses, shopping centres, recreation centres ,condominiums , industrial buildings and see homes and quality neighbourhoods, millions of dollars invested in our community, hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions of assessment dollars flowing directly into municipal coffers.

Aurora's September Public Planning Meeting had one item on the agenda. It was a repeat presentation of a report from the month before because some bright spark on council thought it should come back to a second meeting. That's par for the course. It was about a study on secondary suites (basement apartments)

The October planning meeting has been cancelled. There are no applications to report .

The derelict site at Yonge and Centre Street has had three applications presented and every one has foundered at an Aurora Public Planning Meeting.

The one at Yonge and Tyler has been halted by an OMB hearing.

Our development charges bylaw has been challenged at the OMB.

The Separate School Board has an appeal against us at the Ontario Municipal Board.

I don't much care if the Town has another golf course and seventy-five luxury town houses to accommodate the rich and famous.

I care about spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayers dollars on defending the indefensible.

Just because you don't know about it doesn't make it right.

But I think you should know everything I know about it.