The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 1996-11-20, Page 1'Tis the season for craft sales and young Lindsay Malhiot of Belgrave was a busy girl Saturday as a member of the Belgrave Guides, who hosted a Home Sweet Home craft sale and lending a helping hand at this fable for the St. John's Anglican Church Bazaar in Brussels. Drug Awareness Week focusses on education See page 6 Blyth firefighters complete first response training See page 9 Brussels Bulls add another in the win column See page 10 Brussels gets news business on main street See page 19 North Huron ittz „iv ,. Who Does What? e il still big question Oc 5e GST750 Vol. 12 No 46 Wednesday, Nov. 20, 1996 By Janice Becker Citizen staff The future of education financing is still undetermined. The provincial government released information last week regarding education finance reform and the restructuring of school boards, but what those recommendations will mean lo local taxpayers is uncertain. "(The information) was not very clear," said Blyth Reeve Mason Bailey, "and they are only recommendations. There have been indications that the government is not accepting all recommendations." The release, stated that the "Who Does What" panel, chaired by David Crombie, suggested school board reliance on property taxes should be reduced. This only brought more questions, said Bailey. There was no information on the amount of reduction or numbers. Another point said school boards would be able to collect five per cent of their budgets from residential property taxpayers. This is in regards to special, local program funding, said Janet Baird-Jackson, superintendent of business with the Huron County Board of Education. In Huron County, five per cent would be approximately $3 million for the present budget level. From the board's point of view, there will be no difference in the amount of funding, just a change in allocation, she said. "The government is still pulling $1 billion out this year and there are suggestions of another $1 billion in 1998." "If there is not a shift away from The Ontario Provincial Police has a new telephone number for police service. The new single, toll-free 1-888 number allows a person requiring OPP police service to have simplified access to the OPP from anywhere in the province. Effective Tuesday, Nov. 19, the new OPP number for police service is 1-888- 310-1122. For anyone using a telephone device for the deaf (TDD/ITY) the number is 1-888- 310-1133. Calls will be automati- the property tax base, there could be a huge raise (a suggested 30 per cent)." As for moving away from the present tax base, Bailey said. there has been some indication from ministry contacts to remove educktion taxes from the residential property tax bill, but keep it on com- mercial and industrial taxes. The campaign for education finance reform, spearheaded by Blyth council, has asked all municipalities already supporting their initiative, to write letters to the government regarding education tax removal from all property tax bills. The campaign would see munic- ipalities refuse to collect education taxes, on behalf of the province, beginning Jan. 1. The one positive seen for the HCBE, is the recommended pooling of the commercial and industrial taxes, said Baird-Jackson. "A provincial pooling would be ideal, but regional pooling is better (than it is now)." The pooling of taxes as recommended by the Crombie commission states the property tax rate would be the same across the province and set by the government. The tax dollars would then be shared equally across the region. As the deadline nears for the provincial government to introduce legislation regarding both the financing of education and the restructuring of school boards and municipalities, local groups await more detailed information before the end of the year. Legislation must be in place before the end of the sitting to allow implementation prior to next year's fall municipal elections. cally routed to the appropriate OPP Telecommunications Centre. For safety reasons, the OPP is ensuring that the existing telephone and TDD/FYY numbers across the province remain active until the end of 1998. This is to address any occasion where someone under stressful circumstances might dial one of the previous 1-800 police service numbers. No other police service numbers will change. All other telephone numbers will remain active. Proposal for pooling one plus seen forHCBE OPP now answering a new phone number