There may be dissent on other topics, but Erin councillor candidates agree secession is not an option for the town, despite some recent disagreements with the county.
“We have a long, strong history with Wellington County,” said incumbent council candidate Barb Tocher.
She said that relationship should not be thrown away just because of a few “squabbles.” Recently the county and town have butted heads on issues such as the Deer Pit drain project, and obtaining better ambulance service for Erin.
The five other councillor candidates at the Oct. 6 event at Main Place – George Silva was absent but sent an introductory statement – agreed that leaving Wellington County to join Dufferin County or Caledon makes little sense.
But that is basically where the unanimity ended.
The candidates offered differing views on many topics last week, including what may be the top three issues in this election: ambulance service in Erin, the town’s ongoing service and settlement master plan (SSMP) and attracting businesses to ease some of the residential tax burden.
Ambulance service
All three members of the current council – Tocher, Josie Wintersinger and John Brennan – said the town lobbied tirelessly over the last four years for better ambulance service.
They said town officials met with the social services committee, the City of Guelph and even the province to try and improve Erin response times, which are the highest in the county.
Candidate Shawn Wilson noted the decision ultimately lies with Guelph and if the town wants to proceed on its own, it would be very costly. He also cautioned that any new ambulance stationed in Erin would also have to respond to calls outside of the town and would not be available full time in Erin.
Craig Porterfield said the dialogue between the county and Guelph has stopped and Erin officials need to work with both parties to come up with a mutually agreeable solution. Failing that, he said it will be expensive, but the town may have to look into establishing its own paramedic station in Erin.
Candidate Deb Callaghan said the onus is on town councillors and the town’s county councillor to work with Guelph to come up with a solution. She added town officials could also talk with other levels of government about how bet to address the situation.
The SSMP
Not surprisingly, one of the first questions of the evening was whether or not the villages of Hillsburgh and Erin could “prosper” without a new sewage system.
Wilson said building one large wastewater system for the urban areas is “old technology” and not the way of the future. Instead, he recommends using several “de-centralized systems” for various residential and business areas, which he said are more cost effective and more efficient.
Porterfield agreed using several systems is the best way to go, because it is a proven technology.
Tocher said both villages can prosper without a new sewage system, but the problem has to be addressed at some point. The town needs some type of wastewater solution, she said, and the SSMP will identify the best option. She stressed she never touted a large plant as the solution, although individual systems can become quite expensive.
According to Callaghan, a new sewage plant is vital for the municipality. She agreed Hillsburgh and Erin villages will prosper regardless, but both would benefit greatly from the new infrastructure.
Brennan said it is obvious some type of wastewater solution is needed, but anybody who has their mind made up at this stage has not considered all the pertinent information and facts. The town needs to attract businesses, he added, and that can’t be done without good wastewater services.
Town consultants are expected to present preliminary SSMP findings in January, Wintersinger told the crowd. But before proceeding, further environmental studies are required and the town needs to look at the whole picture, she said, because it is a “huge” job.
Taxes
When asked how council can control rising taxes, Porterfield said the town needs more industrial and commercial businesses to balance out its tax base, which currently relies too heavily on residential taxes. He does not foresee taxes rising in the short term, because home values are stagnating.
Tocher said the town’s portion of the overall tax bill paid by residents is very small, with the majority going to the county and to the province for education purposes. It is an ongoing struggle, she added, for town council to keep tax increases to a minimum while also providing the services residents want. She is a sure the new council will continue to strive towards that goal.
Callaghan agreed with Porterfield that more businesses are needed to lessen the tax burden on residential assessment, but she also said council needs to look more closely at town spending.
Brennan opined that unlike sales or income tax, property taxes are not at all related to one’s ability to pay. He agreed there is an unbalanced tax base, but also said the provincial government is to partly to blame for rising municipal taxes because of its downloading of services.
Wintersinger said the current system used to assess property taxes is outdated and she wishes it could be changed. In the meantime, she cautioned that not all of the tax dollars charged to town residents and businesses go to the town.
Bottled water
One of the most intriguing topics at the meeting was the shipment of water outside of the municipality by a private corporation and what could be done to charge a fee for that extraction.
Nestlé Waters Canada has a licence to extract up to 1.1 million litres per day from its well near Hillsburgh, although it usually extracts far less; in 2008 the company extracted 25,310,150 U.S. gallons or about 95.8 million litres.
Wilson, who called water “the new oil,” said he doesn’t see why the town can’t charge commercial water takers a fee. He said the town could make some money off the operation, although not in a greedy way, and help cover infrastructure costs.
Porterfield called the bottled water industry “a manufactured need foisted on an unsuspecting public.” He said he doesn’t like bottled water and although he’s unsure if the town could charge commercial water takers, he thinks all licences should be closely reviewed when they come up for renewal.
Tocher said the Ministry of the Environment issues the permits and the federal government is involved as well. She noted the town has lobbied unsuccessfully for years for a levy, and noted it took municipalities about two decades to finally secure a levy for aggregate extraction. She said there is obviously a problem when people pay more for a bottle of water than they do for a litre of gasoline.
Callaghan said she is totally opposed to the bottled water industry and the town needs to lobby the provincial and federal governments for more municipal input on water taking licences.
Brennan says the province forces taxpayers to cover costs for source water protection, so commercial water taking companies should pay too. He said the federal government has stated a levy would constitute water becoming a commodity under Free Trade regulations. However, he said the town will continue to fight for a water taking levy.
Wintersinger said she agrees with the comments from Tocher and Brennan and nothing more needed to be said. “What they said is how it is,” she said.
Recreation
Another interesting question posed to candidates last week was whether or not the town needs more large recreational facilities – such as a swimming pool or ice rink – and if so, how they should be funded.
Brennan said having a public pool would be great, but they are tremendously expensive to maintain. There could be a possibility of partnering with the school board on such a facility, but he said 20% of the town’s operating costs is already spent on recreation.
Wintersinger said she is always in favour of more recreational options, but without the help of volunteers and already cash-strapped taxpayers, she is unsure the town could afford the extra costs.
Wilson agreed the large cost precludes a new pool in the municipality, and noted some pools in surrounding areas are not used that often. He said poor planning in the past led to the need for a recent addition at the Centre 2000 arena, and adding a pool now would be “a waste of money and time.”
Pointing to the closure of community pools in Guelph, Porterfield agreed the cost is too high for Erin to open a pool. He said a new ice rink is also too expensive and suggested too much money is being spent now on sports for “a select few.”
Tocher agreed the town does not have “the critical mass” to support a pool or another ice rink. She said there are large public pools in the surrounding areas and the town is better off taking “small steps” – like a new skateboard park – when it comes to recreation, which makes up one of its largest budget items.
Callaghan said she doesn’t think the town is utilizing the rinks it has now to the best of its ability. She added a pool is simply too expensive to consider.
