Sustainability: More Than Just the Environment
A sustainable community requires strong municipal revenues, public infrastructure, green policies and a good mix of commercial, residential, agricultural and manufacturing (good-paying jobs) sectors. Our community has not been given the opportunity to grow in a sustainable way like some of the other communities in the Durham Region.
The Region has ignored our needs for serviced land to attract business and we are not only missing out on the opportunity to create jobs, good-paying jobs, but the economic stimulus that comes with it. A stronger employment/corporate tax base and more buying power by a local workforce are just two examples of the benefits we are being denied. With a skilled manufacturing sector in our region, it would be easy to draw green energy assembly plants to our community - if we have the infrastructure. This would benefit Clarington with good-paying jobs that would enable our residents to "live, work, play" in Clarington!
Our residential growth is limited, and with little growth in commercial enterprise, homeowners are financing the majority of Clarington's budget. If we want taxes to stay low, highly unlikely with the current situation, we must take the strain off the residential taxpayer by supplementing our municipal revenues.
Public infrastructure includes roads,sewers, bridges, schools, and public transportation to name a few. Did you know that your Regional representatives voted to use the Federal Gas Tax Rebates (Regional portion), about $10 million/year for the next 25 years, to pay for the incinerator? With our infrastructure in need of upgrades now can we wait another 25 years before we fix our roads, bridges, etc? Either we wait, or we increases taxes to pay for what should be repaired using this federal gift to our communities!
Green policies could include more aggressive recycling/composting, increase reusing of materials by donating unwanted items and clothing to local agencies and lobbying our Federal reps to push for legislating Extended Producer Responsiblity and eliminating excessive packaging. Further, we need to incorporate procurement policies at both the local and regional levels that would promote the purchase of products and services from local/domestic businesses when spending taxpayer money. If you haven't really thought of this before, our tax dollars could go to local companies employing local workers. Both would, in turn be paying taxes to support our community and social safety net. They also spend money in the community, which helps our local economy. All accounts considered, how much money would be saved when purchasing something off-shore, where the profits stay in another country, as opposed to supporting local businesses. Procurement policies are legal, and in these tough economic times, essential to our recovery.
The Region has ignored our needs for serviced land to attract business and we are not only missing out on the opportunity to create jobs, good-paying jobs, but the economic stimulus that comes with it. A stronger employment/corporate tax base and more buying power by a local workforce are just two examples of the benefits we are being denied. With a skilled manufacturing sector in our region, it would be easy to draw green energy assembly plants to our community - if we have the infrastructure. This would benefit Clarington with good-paying jobs that would enable our residents to "live, work, play" in Clarington!
Our residential growth is limited, and with little growth in commercial enterprise, homeowners are financing the majority of Clarington's budget. If we want taxes to stay low, highly unlikely with the current situation, we must take the strain off the residential taxpayer by supplementing our municipal revenues.
Public infrastructure includes roads,sewers, bridges, schools, and public transportation to name a few. Did you know that your Regional representatives voted to use the Federal Gas Tax Rebates (Regional portion), about $10 million/year for the next 25 years, to pay for the incinerator? With our infrastructure in need of upgrades now can we wait another 25 years before we fix our roads, bridges, etc? Either we wait, or we increases taxes to pay for what should be repaired using this federal gift to our communities!
Green policies could include more aggressive recycling/composting, increase reusing of materials by donating unwanted items and clothing to local agencies and lobbying our Federal reps to push for legislating Extended Producer Responsiblity and eliminating excessive packaging. Further, we need to incorporate procurement policies at both the local and regional levels that would promote the purchase of products and services from local/domestic businesses when spending taxpayer money. If you haven't really thought of this before, our tax dollars could go to local companies employing local workers. Both would, in turn be paying taxes to support our community and social safety net. They also spend money in the community, which helps our local economy. All accounts considered, how much money would be saved when purchasing something off-shore, where the profits stay in another country, as opposed to supporting local businesses. Procurement policies are legal, and in these tough economic times, essential to our recovery.