By Dean Hickey
IT MUST BE ACKNOWLEDGED that the unrestrained liberty of City and Regional governments to spend your money in ever increasing fashion has hitherto failed to produce that state of utopia which might perhaps be expected by already overburdened taxpayers.
The insatiable desire among some elected officials, and even more high ranking bureaucrats, for the advancement of Big Government has always existed, indeed now more than ever.
This week we take a look at a few examples which highlight the value of your never-ending contributions towards the great municipal piggy-bank which keeps the wheels turning, both at Oshawa city hall and in the corridors of that gleaming palace known as Durham Regional Headquarters.
COST OF HERITAGE OSHAWA REPORTS RISE 400% IN THREE YEARS
An example of what may be considered as nothing less than a spectacular increase in government spending exists at the Heritage Oshawa committee.
Part of their mandate is to request evaluations on properties of historical significance to the community, usually with a view to seeking a designation under the Ontario Heritage Act. As recently as 2021, the costs associated with a typical ‘Heritage Report’ were on average around $1200, however due to increased technical and other requirements demanded by the Ontario government, costs have risen by at least 400% since that time, and are now in the range of $5,000 to $8000 each.
The rationale for this increase is an apparent effort by the Province to avoid what they see as unnecessary delays in approving new developments, particularly where a structure of historic value currently exists. Accordingly, they have made the process much more difficult and expensive for municipalities to undertake.
As a result, Heritage Oshawa is now burdened with a reliance on costly outside consultants, such as Archaeological Research Associates Ltd., which operates out of Hamilton.
The ability of the committee to purchase ‘Heritage Research Reports’ is of course already extremely limited due to spending constraints, and last year only two such documents were submitted to city Council for consideration. These included an examination of one of Oshawa’s earliest known pre-confederation dwellings still in existence, undertaken at the request of the property owners themselves.
Regrettably, those same property owners – after having received the report – advised the committee of their complete opposition to any heritage designation. To the committee’s credit, they did move forward, regardless, by recommending to Council that the dwelling, “be designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act.” However, most councillors seemed intent on bringing the hammer down on the process followed by Heritage Oshawa rather than concentrating on the merits of helping to protect a valuable piece of local history.
Ward 4 Regional councillor Rick Kerr offered this rebuke to the committee: “I fully support the homeowners’ position, and it’s a pity that it’s gone this way in terms of cost… Perhaps some communication can be made with Heritage Oshawa to be upfront and fulsome in the first place, in future.” Oh dear.
Regardless of the increase in costs to procure such a report, this was clearly a case of taxpayer dollars having been spent in earnest without any tangible results.
REGIONAL FINANCING STRATEGY FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Recently, Regional councillors received a report from their Commissioners of Finance and Social Services, recommending a 10-year strategy on investments in affordable housing – among other initiatives.
The implications on the property tax levy will be based on a 2025 capital program of no less than $270 Million on projects ranging from $4 Million energy retrofits to $25 Million for affordable housing redevelopments in Oshawa.
Among those figures is a projected eight-year capital spending forecast of almost $2 Billion, if you can somehow get your head around that.
We’re all aware of the principle that individuals living on low incomes face limited housing options and are always at an increased risk of becoming homeless. That’s the fundamental basis for government spending on social housing initiatives throughout the Region, however, the problems and cost-overruns associated with anything that is outside the private sector are commonplace.
Take as an example, the Beaverton Supportive Housing complex that was finalized by the Region late last year. Home to only 47 previously unsheltered people, this facility was initially budgeted at $13.5 Million but ended up costing taxpayers a whopping $24 Million to complete.
A further illustration of tax dollars seemingly left to blow out an open window may be seen in Whitby, at the new low-barrier homeless shelter known as 1635 Dundas St. E. The controversy there began when the Region of Durham purchased the property for $14 Million two years ago. The total bill would rise considerably, with millions of dollars required for remedial work at the site, forcing taxpayers to hand over $21 Million and counting.
At some point, residents and property owners in communities throughout the Region could be forgiven for doubting the capabilities of those in various decision-making capacities. With literally a small army of elected officials and bureaucrats overseeing these and other projects, the mind simply boggles when trying to rationalize what can only be seen as a collective failure to properly manage other people’s money.
BIG GOVERNMENT AND THE 2025 SUNSHINE LIST
Last, but certainly not least, and to help make the rest of your week as cheerful as I can, here are some of the Region of Durham’s top salary earners based on the 2025 Sunshine List. These numbers reflect an individual’s earnings for the previous year.
Dr. Robert J. Kyle, Commissioner and Chief Officer of Health: $341,247.53.
Elaine Baxter-Trahair, Chief Administrative Officer: $336,437.90.
Elspeth E. McTavish, Associate Medical Officer of Health: $294,857.61.
Peter Moreira, Chief of Police: $294,149.76.
Nancy Taylor, Commissioner of Finance: $259,639.03.
Dean Bertrim, Deputy Chief of the Durham Regional Police Service: $255,704.03.
Bill Holmes, General Manager of Durham Region Transit: $253,192.58.
Stella Danos-Papaconstantinou, Commissioner of Social Services: $253,192.58.
Brian Bridgeman, Commissioner of Economic Development: $252,618.44.
Ramesh Jagannathan, Commissioner of Works: $251,499.79. Of course, our list would not be complete without mention of one final salary earner:
John Henry, Regional Chairman and CEO: $236,256.08.
May God bless each and every over-burdened taxpayer.
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