For those municipalities in Durham and Durham Region itself we are very fortunate to have non tax income from the two casinos and payments in lieu of taxes from the two nuclear power plants.The dollars are shared with the Region and the local municipality, however the host municipality always has more benefit. Take the Ajax vs Pickering casino war, if Ajax closes down and Pickering assumes the new casino, revenue is lost in Ajax and taxes will rise. Analogously, in Pickering revenues will increase and tax increases can be controlled. It's not hard to figure out why we have a war between the two cities.
Maintaining our greatest employers in Durham needs to be a larger focus to ensure we have the revenues to offset the residential tax base. One of our largest sectors that is often under appreciated is the agricultural sector. I do appreciate the forums put on by those historically promoting the sector, but siloed mentality at the Region is having a negative impact on this sector. For example, the new regional intersections across Taunton Road are not constructed where farmers can drive their large equipment through them. Where was the consultation with the agricultural committee by Durham Region Works? Simply promoting the Ag sector without consulting them on key infrastructural issues like accessing their fields is a recipe for disaster.
Durham needs to do better for our amazing agricultural community. Every department must be consulting with them from this point forward. I guarantee you I will be!
Till next week
John Mutton
President and CEO
Municipal Solutions - Energy and Infrastructure
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