More About Municipal Elections
Last week I wrote about the pending municipal elections in Huntsville and Muskoka, particularly about elections at the District level. I continue to believe that we need to hear more from candidates who are seeking a seat on District Council about reining in the massive municipal structure we have in Muskoka, especially at the upper tier or District level.
It is not just about how many elected municipal representatives we have in Muskoka although that is important. We have far too many and they need to be substantively reduced at the District level and perhaps at the local level as well. But there are other issues equally as important.
I have not always agreed with former Huntsville Mayor Ron House nor has he with me. However, I agree with much of what he wrote as a comment to the Listen Up! column I posted last week. The time has arrived to reduce many of the functions of District government and return them to the lower-tier municipalities where they can be most effectively and efficiently delivered and where the priorities of local taxpayers are best identified. We have too much overlapping of services at the District level and there has been an expansion of responsibilities there over the years that was never contemplated when the District was formed and has resulted in a bloated bureaucracy and out of control spending.
What sense does it make that a District councillor from Honey Harbour on Georgian Bay can vote on whether a road in Huntsville needs to be repaired or if it can be temporarily closed for a community event? And why should a councillor from Huntsville have a say in what the building density should be on waterfront property in the Township of Muskoka Lakes? Why should local developers who want to build affordable housing have to wade through miles of red tape at the District level, often taking years, when these same decisions can be made more quickly and efficiently in the community they serve? Surely these should be local decisions made by local councils on behalf of the people who live in those communities and will be the most affected. That is why District roads and planning functions, at least for the most part, should return to lower-tier jurisdictions.
One suggestion that Ron House has made is that District government in Muskoka should revert to a Service Board from which local municipalities would purchase services they could not otherwise provide in a cost- effective manner, such as welfare and social services. I find it hard to believe that such a model would be seriously considered by the Province, but it is worth a discussion about how councils can save money by sharing services. A good example of this is the fire protection services that are shared between Huntsville and the Township of Lake of Bays.
As voting day for municipal elections creeps forward, it is also interesting to hear candidates talk about local issues. Top of the list of course is maintaining a fully equipped, acute-care hospital in Huntsville. Every candidate supports that. It is important, however, to keep the pressure up on the Hospital Board and on the Province until the funding formula for small-town hospitals is changed and until it is crystal clear that we will have two acute-care hospitals in Muskoka with neither one being subordinate to the other. Council may not have direct jurisdiction, but they do have an influential pulpit from which they can speak loudly and clearly on behalf of their community.
I found it interesting when watching the candidates’ debate in Bracebridge recently to hear Mayoral candidate Lori-Lynn Giaschi-Pacini respond to a comment made by Mayor Graydon Smith by saying that the Bracebridge Hospital may not be in the same location it is now. This simply confirms my belief that there is, and has been, a plan afoot to build a new hospital in Bracebridge come Hell or high water. In Huntsville, we should only care about this if the result is a less modern and up-to-date facility to serve our community and East Parry Sound. If that occurs, we should care, as inexorably, as money tightens, acute- and primary-care services will migrate from Huntsville to the more modern facility in Bracebridge.
Other issues that seem to be raising their heads in Huntsville include roads, affordable housing, environmental stewardship, downtown revitalization and the disposition of the Waterloo building. When asked at the Huntsville candidates’ meeting how the $3.9 million payment from the sale of the Waterloo building should be used, most candidates believed it should be held in reserves for future priorities. I found it interesting, if not somewhat disturbing however, that one candidate, not currently on council, compared the proceeds from the sale of the Waterloo building to “winning the lottery!” Really? You build something for $9 million (much of it federal funding) and you sell it for $3.9 million and you won the lottery? Um…maybe you should think about that!
Municipal elections are now just three weeks away. To me there does not seem to be a great deal of interest being shown about them. There should be. There are a number of important issues facing Huntsville and Muskoka during the next four years. This is no time for apathy. Every vote is important. Every candidate who has put their name forward deserves your serious consideration.
As the saying goes, if you don’t vote, don’t bitch.
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Jonathan Wiebe says
Just a point of clarity, the sale price for the Waterloo building was just over 3.9 million.
Denise Cooper says
Mr Mackenzie,
Yours words should be heard from the rooftops, The apathy in Muskoka is a contagious disease and has spread like wildfire.
Most people would loose their homes and businesses if they operated like the District and the municipalities.
I encourage everyone in Muskoka to attend at least one council meeting at both levels.
John K. Davis says
MR. Mackenzie, I believe you as someone who has represented Huntsville as Mayor and Muskoka as it’s Chairman can best produce a graph that will show how funds from the Provincial government : for Health, social welfare, affordable housing etc. Makes its way from the top to the bottom. From the Province to the District and to the towns. Like all money that is exchanged, the more hands that touch it, the less there is for the intended recipient and the greater probability that any will arrive at its target at all.
Please also speak about Regional Hospitals, how they came to be, how they operate, why is their funding formula different from small hospitals such as ours? Why Barrie only has one hospital for a large catchment area of over 160,000 people? Why Orillia has one hospital for over 50,000 and we have two for less than 30,000? The Municipal Act has many rules concerning the distribution of Provincial Funds to towns and villages and who qualifies is mostly if not totally controled by County, District or Regional governments.
Thanks, this would give many who read your opinion a greater understanding of the path THEIR TAX DOLLARS TAKE.
Bob Young says
Hugh,
Your comments remind me of the old adage: “You get what you pay for”. In this case, you get who you vote for (or worse, don’t vote for). People should remember this 3 years down the road when they are full of complaints and judgement.
Ken Inglis says
To clarify on my comment, Hugh, I did not mean to imply that the amount of money was like “winning the lottery” , but the implication to spend the money right away on Main Street was what I took out of the original declaration when the sale was announced previously. That was what I was comparing to, the desire to go out and spend right away as some lottery winners may do. I`ll let you know if I ever do win a lottery .
Sometimes people make gaffs , and I did!
I am well aware of the original costs and do appreciate that this amount is by no means a lottery win.
Thank you
Ken Inglis
valerie g corbett says
I am old enough to remember when Election Day was a big deal!! It was also a social event, going and lining up and chatting while waiting to vote. Somehow , sitting down at my laptop to vote just isn`t the same. Apparently it saves money. I can`t say that I truly trust the results, as we have seen how easy it is for some voter IDs to be used by others in the past!!
Peggy Peterson says
Well, there is no problem for owner of the Doppler to get his opinion to the public as he has the venue. The problem for people running for office is that we do not have a venue like that and there are few opportunities for candidates to be heard. The only debate for the Huntsvlle candidates was the Chamber Debate and that debate did not follow the structure of other debates hosted by this chamber . The other debates had the Mayors on the stage alone for statements and questions so there was no real debate between the Mayors. I expect I am a challenge to the status quo in Huntsville and I do not reflect the patriarchies of the past and for some they do not want to hear from me . I would suggest Mr. MacKenzie listen to the debate again on Your Tv Muskoka to check the details. You will note that the incumbent had answers that I would have challenged if we were in a true debate including comments about the 3.9 million , Scott wants to put it in reserves so they can borrow from it which is still just spending the money and will not address the underfunded reserves . Most of council suggested spending it and some mentioned the cosmetic refit of the downtown is the priority but the people I speak to including vendors do not want the downtown redo and anyone that believes that this money will make the downtown better or busier or more financially viable for business is not listening to the facts . The BIA fees and taxes in our downtown have gotten so high it has become a financial challenge to survive in our downtown. Our downtown has worked well enough for decades for why spend all that money . We could ask this council to stop this spending and cancel the spending of millions at the Base Ball diamonds or Kent Park . Lets put all of this money in reserves . We could ask this council to stop new spending during the election period and we could ask this council to stop pushing their version of a new Official plan and put it on the shelf for the next council. I have watched closely over the years as our fast and furious development has been challenging the very ecology that is our economy and those old patterns will not serve us in the future . Our community be led down a path of debt and a lack of accountability to the people who live here including to benefit the rich and a few smart developers . I have asked Cogeco to host Scott Aitcheson and I in studio for a real debate for an hour and I have not had an answer yet . Hopefully a free and open press will try to be more supportive of our democracy . This method of voting is creating such a problem for so many , we like paper ballots and Election Day Poling booths and this Mayor and Council signed us up for this fully electronic vote soon after they were sworn in so that is what it is such a surprise to many . The people have a choice for Mayor , they have the option to carry on with this kind of leadership or do something different and support someone who wants to actually make Huntsville better for EVERYONE. I appreciate the Doppler for the opportunity to respond to these statements and I find people are very interested in this election and very interested in doing things differently . Sincerely , Peggy Peterson Candidate for Mayor of Huntsville.
Karen Insley says
Hear ye oh hear ye!!!
Karen Insley says
Here Here!
Not seen such chaos for an election, this has to take the cake! Splitting up the candidates in Huntsville and Stephenson Stisted and Port Sydney to two separate “all candidates debates” ? Voting letters arriving at different times for people who share the same name and postal address, limited coverage of all the issues in the whole area, i. e., heritage buildings, quarry pit chaos for a community, storm water management improperly implemented or not at all, crumbling roads to name a few.
Doesn’t Debate seem to be just a word used in capturing a tag line alongside the words municipal candidates?
Did you know anyone can offer to host one of these events? What would one have to do to get all Candidates to appear and answer on the spot questions? Didn’t you make the effort to come out and share concerns and issues at this only public election venue? I vote for more wouldn’t you?
Pat Hickey says
Agreed,
segregate the Mayoral Debate for traditional one on one.
I want (and will) Vote, and I need to hear, read, see in the form of my choice.
Transition to eVoting is fine, a choice & options (for all) is needed at this time.
(is there an eLocation/Kiosk established (Library, Hospital etc.) as the learning curve matures)
Reserve/Endowed % spending is a (fiduciary) strategy of ‘ole. I trust most Funds and Council deployed these disciplines years ago, thus protecting future financially and decision making process.
Hitch, Resident