Laurie Scott News Column
For Immediate Release - Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Working Together

Next month, February 24-27, will provide the opportunity for me as your local MPP to join representatives from the various Municipalities and County’s to the annual Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) conference.

ROMA provides rural representatives a great opportunity to discuss, debate, and share creative options to address some of the challenges facing our rural communities. 

There is no doubt that we are faced with economic challenges right here in Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock.  Although we have heard exciting news through the opening of Great Lakes RV, which will be operating out of the former Fleetwood plant in Lindsay, we need to continue to work together as a team towards the objective of positive growth within the Ontario economy.

On the federal level, I am lucky to have an excellent working relationship with our MP Barry Devolin.  At the municipal level, I have the pleasure of working with local officials from Haliburton County, Kawartha Lakes, Brock Township and parts of Peterborough County. 

It’s during the challenging times where we find it most important that federal, provincial and municipal colleagues work hand in hand, for the betterment of our communities and the people we serve.  A recent example is the promotion of the “Buy Local” campaign in the City of Kawartha Lakes. Also, just last Thursday I joined with a number of local representatives for the City of Kawartha Lakes Fire Chief Dave Guilbalt’s annual Pasta Feast, raising funds for local Food Source charities.

In my view there are some things that can be done at the provincial level, in order to assist municipalities:

• ·        Reduce the tax burdens on businesses and new business investment
• ·        Fully eliminate Capital Taxes in Ontario immediately
• ·        Reduce taxes on small businesses
• ·        Build a solid and productive relationship with the federal government on tax reform

Governments at all levels owe it to the people they represent to cooperatively address the challenges we share: creating a favourable economic climate, delivery of better quality services at lower cost, and solutions that will benefit taxpayers and everyone in Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock. 

What politicians do reflects on the voter’s quality of life - their services, their income tax, and their property taxes.  After all, at the end of the day - there is only one taxpayer for all levels of government.

When we work closely with our municipalities the taxpayer ends up being the winner.

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