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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance Times, 1995-12-06, Page 5WfDNESDRY DECEMBER 6,19 95 .�• ear • �.ff�• ,ter 4 ,4.. overnment investments prove to be thick-headed Dear Editor: idea We all have a pretty good about where our tax dollars go. `One need only refer to the Public Accounts of Canada to figure out how much of each federal tax dol- lar is spent on health care, defense, justice, and the like. But how many of us know if that money is being used wisely? Does the government itself even know if it is receiving maximum value for our money? Apparently not. That, at least, is the opinion of the Auditor General of Canada (AG) who, in his final installment of this year's annual report, says the federal government's regional development programs of or thao sign of being anything pork barrel spending. According to • the AG, there is no clear consensus on what results the programs have achieved or whether they have achieved what was expected. Regional development programs are administered by the federal government through agencies such as the Atlantic Canada Opportuni- ties Agency (ACOA), Western Ec- onomic Diversification (WED) and of $478 million; and FORD -Q re - the Federal Office of Regional ceived a whopping $34 million Development -Quebec (FORD -Q). more this year for a grand total of What these agencies do is hand out $471 million. This in an era when vast sums of taxpayers money to health, education, and other areas businesses who may or may not be of priority spending are being cut viable, and who, in many cases back. have no need for a subsidy in the Where is all this money going? first place. It's all just hit and miss. A good portion of it ends up in the No one seems to have the slight- pockets of already well-to-do busi- est clue as to whether or not these nesses. As the AG points out, pro - hand -outs improve the local econo- grams have funded projects where my because, in the words of the the applicants appeared to have the Auditor General, Parlianreet has financial resources available to pro - not been provided with appropriate Ceed on their own. For example, accountability information about one business was granted a $90,000 the results achieved with the bil- contribution despite the fact that it lions of dollars that have been in- had paid nearly $2.5 million in div - vested. Who in their right mind idends the same year it applied for would . invest money in a venture financial assistance. Somebody without having any idea about what pass the smelling salt! returns to expect, or the viability of Unmonitored subsidies likely do that business? Only the government more harm than good. Businesses could be that thick headed! which receive government grants But lack of accountability isn't gain a significant, unfair. advantage going to stop the federal govern- over their competitors. Taking ment from carrying on with these money from the private sector in programs no sir-ee. Even though the form of taxes, channeling it the feds have no idea of the effec through the bureaucracy and hand- tiveness of these business pay -outs, ing it back to specific businesses they are actually increasing spend- does nothing to create jobs it mere- ing on regional agencies. ACOA l shuffles them from one place to will be handing out $389 million y another. The time has come to this year, $2.8 million more than scrap regional development agen- cies last year; WED's $30 million in- cies and business pork barreling in crease in 1995-96 gives it a budget general. Let's put tax dollars to work where they're really needed. Paul Pagnuelo Ontario Taxpayers Federation Ajax; Ontario TRE BYINGHAM ADVANCE -TIMES e cat w - you'll be surprised how easy it can be to talk about insurance - To get product information, competitive prices great service for your: Ea* z4tt cp cl\‘ 4t x� z • Debt load requires decisions Dear Editor: The people of Ontario have asked this government to take on an important job: restore confidence in this province as a place to live, to work and to do business. In order to restore prosperity and bring back confidence in our com- mon future, we must free Ontario from its crushing debt 1Qad. That is why. this government is committed to balancing the budget and taking other neededsteps to encourage people and businesses to invest and 'create worthwhile jobs. In the last 10 years alone, gov- ernment spending has doubled, while the accumulated debt has tripled. What do the people of On- tario have to show for it? Eighty- two thousand fewer jobs than in 1990, higher unemployment and nearly three times- as many people on social assistance as 10 years ago. Previous governments paid for some of their overspending by rais- ing taxes repeatedly. Ontario's per- Investments Life Commercial Group "I will myself in your shoes - and I wilt always make sure the faces are tied, secure( sonal income tax rates are now amount the province spends on among the highest in North Ameri- health care. I believe we must con - ca. But even these high taxes - trol our spending and in many cases which drove people and, businesses reassess where we spend our dol - out of Ontario, and fueled the lars so that there is education and growth of the underground econo- health care available to our children my — were not enough to cover the and grandchildren. Unless we act now, more and overspending. more of rare taxpayers dollars will Like any borrower, Ontario has be used to pay these interest costs, to pay interest on its debt. This year rather than to fund necessary pro - we will pay • close to $9 billion in grams. As a result of the June 8 interest costs — more than doubleelection you have set a difficult what it was five years ago. Right challenge for this government. W. now our interest bill translates into are committed to restructuring gov- ' about $800 a year for every man, ernment, cutting taxes and balanc- woman and child in Ontario. If in- ing the budget. These measures will terest continues to grow at the rate restore confidence in Ontario as a it has since 1990, it will cost each place to live, work and to do busi- of us $1,700 by the end of the dec-, ness, and allow us to maintain the ade. We will be paying $20 billion programs we all believe are funda- annually in interest costs alone. mental to our future. Presently, the interest payment The alternative? Do nothing and we must make on this borrowed let the people who hold our debts debt equals the• total amount this decide. This is not an alternative 1 province pays for education. In five want for my children. MPP years with unchecked spending, the Helen Johns,Huron interest payment will equal the JJ 4P4* a1 OlepU aren Kleist ati ,1 n inn Ope�'1 ��,rd 224 Josephine Street Wingham 669 Show support for JK Dear Editor: I am writing to you today on an educational issue of great concern for the young children of Ontario, and that issue is the provincial funding for Junior Kindergarten programs. In the Speech from the Throne on September 27, the Tory govern- ment announced its intention to make Junior Kindergarten pro- grams optional. This month the government is deciding what fund for- ing, if any, they provide these programs. JK is an educational program for four -year-olds. It is educationally and fiscally beneficial for the chil- dren of Huron County. Across Ontario, there are over 110,000 children in JK. There is double the 55,000 children who were in JK in 1985. Parents are supporting this educational pro- gram by sending their children. They know that four -year-olds have a tremendous capacity to learn. The growth in the language skills of children in JK is dramatic. Teachers know the educational benefits •that early school has for children in terms of future success in literacy and numeracy as well as socialization skills. Teachers can see and hear that children who come into the programs in Septem- ber who have difficulty gear'ticcuulating ing their thoughts strides in their capacity to commu- nicate by Halloween. JK is not only educationally sound, it is fiscally responsible. The Perry Preschool Project study is r longitudinal study which has tracked the progress of students who entered the system at four years of age in 1962. By the time these students were 24 years old, every dollar spent on their program at four years of age had saved sev- en dollars in education, health, so- cial services, and the justice system when compared with their peers who had not the early start -(While these results are not immediate, they are real and the impact on the whole of society cannot be ignored. Unless provincial funding is available, past experience in Onta- rio has shown that many school boards will be unable to finance the program. (That is especially true here in grant -poor boards like Hu- ron.) JK will not be offered where it is needed most, thus undermining its effect on future opportunities for their children. I would urge everyone to com- municate to Premier Mike Harris, Ernie Eves, the Minister of Fi- nance, and John Snobelen, the Min- ister of Education and Training, support for JK programs and the appropriate provincial funding to ensure the future of our children and our province. • Wilhelmina Laurie, President Huron Women Teachers' Assc. Corporation of the Town of Wingham IN THE MATTER OF THE ONTARIO HERITAGE ACT, 4 RSO 1990, CHAPTER 0.16 AND IN THE MATTER OF THE LANDS AND PREMISES AT THE FOLLOWING MUNICIPAL ADDRESS IN THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIO NOTICE OF INTENTION TO REPEAL DESIGNATING BY-LAW NO. 2117 (1990) OLD CNR RAILWAY STATION TAKE NOTICE that the Council of the Corporation of the edinwn of the building Wingham intends to repeal the by-law designating the property including andlor ilding at al the following municipal ar Pat IV a property of of The Ontario Heritage Act, RSO 1980, value or interest under Pan Chapter 337. (a) Municipal Addresslocated on the - The old CisIRdentified in heailway MunicipaltionAssessment Ro, Josephine lltreet as File Railway lands property in Wingham. (b) Reasons for the Proposed Repeal of Designating By -Law Town Council wishes to sell the property. Any person may, within thirty days of the first publication of this notice, send by registered mail or deliver to the Clerk of the Town of Wingham notice of his or her objection to the proposed designation together with a statement of the reasons for the oblection and all relevant facts. If such a Notice of Objection is received, the matter tofthe Conservation'Rev ewtion of BoardtofeTown of Wingham shall rater a hearing. DATED at Wingham his 22nd day of November, 1995. J. Byron Adams, Clerk WITH THE. LARGESS CAPACITY IN NORTH AMERICA! 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