Mayor likes Duncan's plan to channel surplus funds to municipalities, but Jones doesn't
By Bill Rea

In anticipation of having lots of money left over at the end of fiscal years, Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan announced plans last week to have some of these funds channeled to municipalities.

And that's fine with Caledon Mayor Marolyn Morrison, while Dufferin - Caledon MPP Sylvia Jones was of a different mind.

"I think it's terrible government planning, quite frankly," she remarked.

Duncan announced the government is proposing a bill, to be called the Investing in Ontario Act, that would direct a portion of provincial surpluses to municipalities to help address their infrastructure needs, such as improving roads, bridges, transit, social housing, etc. Current legislation requires the government to use all surpluses at the end of the year to reduce the provincial debt.

But Jones was concerned that municipalities won't know how much money they're going to be getting until after the government's books have been closed for the year, and if there's not much of a surpluss, they might not get anythig.

"If I was a municipality, I sure as heck wouldn't want to play that crap shoot game," Jones declared. "That doesn't sound like planning. That doesn't sound like strategy. It would worry me."

Jones also charged something like this will not facilitate long-term planning. "If we have an economic downturn, this is an empty promise," she remarked, adding she figured Duncan was trying to get out of the legislative requirement to use surplusses to pay off debt, while trying to make nice with muncipalities at the same time.

"The proposed Investing in Ontario Act would strike a balance by ensuring that surpluses would go to both debt reduction and to government priorities," Duncan stated last week. "Investing in municipal infrastructure not only addresses the capital needs of our communities, but it also creates more jobs in the short term and prosperity in the long run."

That all sounded good to Morrison.

"I think it's fantastic," she declared, adding she has been to Queen's Park, addressing committees and Duncan on behalf of the Greater Toronto Countryside Mayors' Alliance. She said she has stresed the alliance represents 14 Greater Toronto Area (GTA) municipalities charged with protecting the Niagara Escarpment, provincial Greenbelt, Oak Ridges Moraine, etc., and they have infrastructure that's falling apart.

"We need something,' she declared. "I'm pleased with ths because at least it's going to help."

Morrison also judged there could be some $750,000 coming this way, although there would be a regional component to that.

"That's certainly better than nothing," she said.