Why do our councils believe this stuff???
By Meade Helman
Before Christmas a major developer who has been trying to get pipelines and roads extend to build more house in BWG, hired a consultant to do a deputation before council. Some of what he said was:
• Industrial development in Ontario was poised to soar.
• Developers and industry were ready to invest if only there was serviced land in BWG along the 400.
• There is no more developable land south of the Greenbelt.
Based on this, the council agreed to take money from the residential developers to do the infrastructure for the industrial development along the 400 and then repay the money to the developers from DC charges from the industrial developers, all monies being repaid in 12 years. This is tens of millions of dollars.
First thing that happened was right after, the largest industrial plant in Bradford announced it was closing. The program for encouraging the use of the existing developable land doesn’t seem to be doing much.
Today I had to go to Toronto down the 404. I couldn’t believe the number of buildings looking for tenants, the number of for lease signs, and the number of for sales signs. The land is serviced (or so the signs say). So our council has committed us to tens of millions of debt on a gamble. Mayor White, Councillor Crake and Councillor Hordyk are fond of saying you have to take a chance. Fine. Let them do it with their own money and not ours.
That council is going to bankrupt BWG!