MPAC

Property assessments are frozen! Great news for lakefront property owners or is it? Well it is a freeze, meaning that whatever amount you paid this year will be the amount that you will pay for the next two years. I know that many people are breathing a sigh of relief, and no doubt – the property assessment system is clearly flawed.

That being said, my expectations of government and perhaps this belief is party-specific, but I believe our job is to fix the things that are broken. The McGuinty government’s plan on several issues appears to be a wait and see approach – wait and see if they are re-elected before having to make any tough decisions.

A conservative government would have the experience and determination to make the tough decisions; perhaps that is what Premier McGuinty is waiting for. Dalton appears willing to go down in history as the broken promise Premier, but is not willing to take action on any challenging files such as Caledonia and MPAC.

I have also noticed another disturbing pattern as of late. Funding allocation has been deferred on many projects and recent announcements until after the next election. Could it be that Dalton McGuinty is planning on an election year spending spree? Transportation/infrastructure projects that were slated to begin in 2006/2007 have been pushed back to 2008/2010. Premier McGuinty must think that we are unable to see the writing on the wall; unfortunately, we can see it all too clearly.

Our senior citizens cannot afford to play election politics with their property assessments. I am very concerned about a myriad of rising costs that are affecting our seniors’ ability to remain in their homes, rising property taxes being one of them. They have worked hard all of their lives, paid their taxes, saved their money, and built our communities with the anticipation of being able to enjoy their retirement.

Many of the senior citizens that I have spoken with across my riding, have had a plan in place for a long time, for some it has been over 50 years. They have had to make sacrifices and tough decisions as life rarely goes according to schedule, but they have stuck to it in order to enjoy a comfortable, well-deserved retirement. Why should the expectation of government be any different?

I have received numerous letters from all across Ontario regarding this issue. Along with many Ontarians, I believe that our property tax system needs to be re-examined. While the freeze is good news for those that are deeply concerned about increases in the near future, Premier McGuinty is simply deferring the issue until after the next election.

Deferring the decision is not leadership, and it takes us two more years away from getting to the root of the problem and making the necessary changes. Government is about leadership, if you cannot lead then the choice is simple – make way for those who can.