Deep divide in Bradford West Gwillimbury

By Miriam King Bradford Time October 8 2010
The candidates for Mayor and Deputy Mayor answered questions posed by the Media and the pubic at the October 5 meeting, organized by the Bradford Board of Trade. It quickly became clear that there is a deep divide between the incumbents and the challengers, centring on the changes facing Bradford West Gwillimbury.

Incumbent Mayor Doug White and Deputy Mayor Dennis Roughley pointed with pride to the achievements of this past term of Council – in securing nearly $40 million in infrastructure funding, used to offset the tax contributions for road reconstruction, the Holland Marsh Drainage Improvement Scheme, a new public library/cultural centre with gallery and performing arts space, and a new multi-use leisure centre; and in moving forward with the designation of future industrial lands along the Hwy. 400, to start to improve the tax assessment balance between Industrial/Commercial and Residential.
Mayoral candidate Jim Corneau and Deputy Mayoral candidate Rob Keffer attacked the high taxes, the disruption to residents caused by the ongoing roads projects, the reliance on consultants and Staff – and blamed Council for failing to persuade the Province to move ahead with the Bradford Bypass.
The division was clear when it came to public transit. All four candidates identified a need to provide at least a simplified system of public transportation for residents.
But Rob Keffer demanded, “Does the Town really need to spend more on a transit study? We know what needs to be done… Let’s use the expertise we have as Council, let’s use the expertise of the community. Let’s get this transit system going without spending any more money on consultants.”
“We need an affordable and innovative transit plan,” said Corneau. “Co-ordinate with CHATS (Community & Home Assistance To Seniors, which operates a transportation program for seniors) and other transit providers who are there right now.. We do not need to spend thousands, tens of thousands” on another study. “The solutions are at our doorstep.”
“I am chagrined by the contempt Mr. Corneau and Mr. Keffer have for experts,” responded Doug White. “It’s not as simple as a show of hands, who’s in favour of public transit.” The study, he said, will look at who will use the transit system, how often will they use it, where will they go, how much will it cost, what if any subsidies will be needed – “How can you do anything without knowing those answers?”
A question from the floor raised the issue of the “2009 financials” – which have yet to be released – and the Town’s long-term debt.
Corneau acknowledged that a province-wide change in accounting is in process, but warned, “Without our 2009 financials, with what’s going on around our town, I don’t think even our finance department knows. I don’t think anybody can give us that answer.”
White disagreed. He noted that the “province-wide change” involves a transition to asset-based accounting, with the Province now requiring municipalities “to put a depreciated value on every sewer, every vehicle,” which has caused the delay in releasing the figures. But the Town is on track financially, he said, with developers paying for growth-related infrastructure – “They pay, we don’t pay” – and with the Town working within the debt cap set by the province.
Long term borrowing allows the Town to move forward with projects, including “finally getting to roads that should have been repaired and widened decades ago,” White said. To wait until all the money is in the bank before moving forward is “ridiculous” – there will never be enough money, as costs rise, and “we are the Town equivalent of renters.”
“We’re supposed to take their word for it?” said Keffer. “I don’t think so.” He accused Council of “tying the hands of future Councils”, by approving projects that bring the Town close to its debt cap. Claiming that there is no capacity within the Town’s water and sewer systems, he suggested future infrastructure costs would top $150 million.
“I don’t know where this $150 million figure (comes from)… Whatever that cost, that will be prepaid by the developers,” said Dennis Roughley – who also pointed out that the 2009 Financials will likely be on the October 12 Council agenda. “I asked.”
The issue of the Bradford Bypass, linking Hwys. 400 and 404, was also raised. Doug White said that previous Council had designated all of the Town’s future industrial land along the Bypass corridor – and then the province made it clear that the Link would not be built any time soon. “What makes more sense – having employment lands on an existing highway, of which we have full control, or having employment lands on a future highway… when a province made it clear they did not have any interest?”
Corneau pointed out that 2011 is a Provincial election year. “We need to combine our efforts and tell the province we need this Bypass now. The pressure should have been constant in the last four years. The pressure died after the Council was elected…. Council has let the ball slip. We should be lobbying every day of the week on this.”
Roughley pointed out that the current Provincial government has had other priorities than new highways – “education and health care… That’s not going to change, at least until this term of parliament is over.” The Town has developed partnerships with the County of Simcoe and York Region, he said. “We’re sending a strong message. We need that 400-404 Bypass.”Keffer claimed Council “squandered 4 years of lobbying the province… This Council had an awful lot of clout at Queen’s Park. They could have gone for the 400-404 link… That’s where our future lies, the 400-404 Bypass – the smart place for the smart industry to grow.”
Asked about Downtown Revitalization, Corneau identified the Bradford Bypass as the key to getting truck traffic off Holland Street, and rebuilding. “We have to start repairing the infrastructure downtown… There’s been money spend in every corner of the municipality. I don’t think there’s been 10 cents spent on the downtown,” Corneau said.
White responded that, in his 7 years on Council, “the downtown has been 1 step forward, 1 step back… The problem is with decrepit building stock – it’s falling apart. We need to have higher end businesses – we need higher density residential – we need to have 6 to 8 storefronts with 40 residences above” – and a new Town Hall to anchor the downtown. “We need to have the kind of redevelopment that has more people living and working there.”Keffer suggested establishing a Business Improvement Association, providing grants to downtown store owners to encourage improvements, and suggested that the Town missed an opportunity to force the box stores to contribute financially towards downtown revitalization – as was done in Alliston. “I don’t think we have to reinvent the wheel. We just have to look around at our neighbours.”
On the issue of taxes, Corneau said, “Your new Council has to begin with the idea of lowering taxes,” and review the budget “line by line… What we really need to do is get control of our finances. Council has to actively manage this Town.” He accused the municipality of “run-amok spending – you have everybody (staff) with their own vehicles – you have chaos… Teaching our Town Managers to do more with less, Council has to be the one to lead this.”
White pointed out that the only way to lower taxes is to increase the industrial/commercial tax base. “Barrie – way larger non-residential tax base than we have. Newmarket – way larger non-residential tax base than we have. Innisfil – they get $4.5 million from the casino.” He said that once the Hwy 400 lands are developed, beginning in 2013, the Town should see a shift. “Toromont and all the businesses that will follow – that’s our casino,” White said, accusing Keffer and Corneau of “contempt for our staff.”
Keffer blamed the high taxes on new Town hirings in 2009, too much spending on consultants, and the failure of MPAC to assess pre-development lands at full development rates. “If we’re elected, we’ll look into it.”
Roughley pointed out that MPAC is an independent provincial body, and that even with the Town being 80% agricultural land, which is assessed at a lower rate than Residential and Industrial/Commercial, the Town held the municipal tax increase to only 2% – less than the cost of living. We do it with due diligence, and we do it fiscally responsibly.”At one point, shouting from the floor threatened to drown out one candidate. That was when Doug White noted that Rob Keffer had challenged the Town at the Ontario Municipal Board, over Official Plan Amendments 15 and 16, and Jim Corneau was currently challenging the Town’s Consolidated Zoning By-law – costing the Town money.
“We need to have more people working here, we need to have more people shopping here – to build a complete community where people do more than commute.” – Doug White.
“Bradford is a complete Town. Bradford has facilities – we always had the facilities. Bradford was a major market town, Bradford will again be a major market town… It was a great town once, it can be a great town again.” – Jim Corneau.
Sidebar
Just the facts ma’m
Dowtown revitalization:
“It all starts with getting the 400-404 Bypass on the go… Once you get that truck traffic off the road.” – Jim Corneau.
The Bypass, even if approved tomorrow, will still take years to engineer and build – even if the Environmental Assessment for the project has not expired. That suggests that it will take years before the problems of the downtown can be addressed. In fact, the Dissette St.-8th Line widening, unpopular as it is, will provide the function of a bypass as early as next Spring – opening the door to restoring on-street parking and making pedestrian-friendly improvements to Bradford’s Downtown in 2011.
“I don’t think we have to reinvent the wheel. We just have to look around at our neighbours.” – Rob Keffer, referring specifically to Alliston’s downtown, and contributions made by Wal-Mart.
This is true. Wal-Mart alone made 3 payments of $80,000 each, and overall developer contributions for Downtown revitalization have totalled approximately $480,000 to date, according to New Tecumseth Clerk Gayla McDonald.