Oh How Things Change

At the time York Region was established, thirty-eight years ago, little had changed in York County for over a hundred years. There were fourteen municipalities. The Province planned to reduce the number to five.

Aurora and Newmarket were shown on the map as a single urban node. We successfully argued . We had a Volunteer Fire Brigade. People ran their own sports organisations . .We had a limited transit operation. Garbage collection was contracted and fees were collected. Administration was five people.

We had several boards and commissions . Planning Board was legislated out. We had the option of disbanding the Recreation Commission and Arena Management Board .

We were given authority to reduce the membership of council.

I was inclined to keep the Arena Management Board and the Recreation Commission if I remember correctly. But I moved we reduce the number of Councillors.

The Community did not agree. We had delegations to Council objecting . We did disband the Arena Management Board and Recreation Commission.

This term we have created more separate bodies than we ever had before.

The Historical Society, with fifty-nine members, presented a business plan and received a budget. They elect their own executive and don't answer to council as to how the money is spent.

The Arboretum has a budget allocation of $100ks plus $20Ks left over from last year. They spend tax dollars without accountability.

July 1st Parade is organised under Sher St.Kitts , with a paid assistant and a budget of $15Ks.to spend at will and town staff attached to do their bidding.

The Farmers' Market has a budget of $10Ks , a manager of their choice , unlimited free access to facilities town residents and taxpayers have to pay for and town staff to do the physical work involved in erecting a market every week.

I heard on the grape vine their annual meeting was "bizarre" The Chair declared the executive wanted to retain their seats and that's what happened. A constitution written by Councillor Stephen Granger was adopted, sight unseen.

The Heritage and Culture Centre has a board, a staff and a budget, . They pay nothing for maintenance of the facility, . Total annual budget cost to the tax payer is half a million dollars.

The Environmental Advisory Committee has a budget and authority to spend on stuff like "contributions" to outside organisations whose activities are not exactly clear.

Far and away the majority of the people spending hundreds of thousands of tax dollars have never been elected and are not accountable.

We still have a nine member council. The administration grew this year by over thirty people, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. A Treasurer was appointed over coffee in a doughnut shop and somebody else wrote the terms of reference for a job he was appointed to within a week.