Ontario Premier Doug Ford said in an unprompted outburst on Wednesday that the mayor of Mississauga and other municipal officials who have voiced opposition to a new provincial housing law need to “come on board” and “stop moaning.” According to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the new law may leave municipalities with a $5 billion shortfall and force taxpayers to pick up the tab.
Doug Ford criticised mayors who voiced objections to the bill, which would lower or eliminate some local developer payments, but singled out Bonnie Crombie, the mayor of Mississauga, after he made an unrelated announcement in nearby Brampton, Ontario.
Mayor Crombie is one of the mayors that, you know, don’t want to play in the sandbox; I’m not sure what her problem is, Doug Ford remarked.
Premier Doug Ford said that he is seeking cooperation from Crombie and every other mayor.
It won’t happen under our administration, he continued, “if we sit back and expect some magical thing is going to happen or you think when people come here we’re going to start living in mud huts.”
“We want to collaborate and cooperate with you, but first we need to get on board, get going, and stop moaning and complaining that I hear every day,” the speaker said.
In his extensive reply, Crombie disputed several of Doug Ford’s assertions.
She stated, “I’m not complaining; I’m just carrying out my duties as mayor to defend our citizens and taxpayers.”
“We are attempting to construct a beautiful city and accommodate expansion, but as it stands, this law would require us to either drastically slow down our plans due to a lack of financing or hike taxes by up to 10% each year for the next ten years. All of us can probably agree that we don’t want that.
According to the Association of Communities of Ontario, the new law may leave municipalities short $5 billion and force taxpayers to pick up the tab for infrastructure that will support new homes, either through higher property taxes or a reduction in services. Additionally, it has been said that nothing in the plan will ensure increased housing affordability.
The province will make those cities “whole” if there is a shortfall as a result of the bill, according to Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark, who has responded by launching a third-party assessment of the accounts of a few selected municipalities.
According to Doug Ford, Mississauga has increased its fees for first-time homebuyers by about 30% over the previous two years, which makes it more challenging for people to purchase a home. Additionally, he said that Mississauga was hoarding millions of dollars in development charge reserves and was not using all of the cash it now receives from development charges.
Development fees do go into reserves, according to Crombie, but towns do not merely hoard the funds; rather, they are viewed as savings for long-term projects, much like a homeowner saving for a new roof.
We don’t have money on hand that we don’t need, and our chequing accounts are limited, according to Crombie.
In truth, the money we raise is frequently insufficient to finance new development; as a result, we frequently fall short and must utilise tax money to make up the difference.