2026 It Is Our Year

2026 It Is Our Year. By Joe Ingino BA. Psychology Editor/Publisher Central Newspapers ACCOMPLISHED WRITER/AUTHOR OF OVER 800 ,000 Published Columns in Canada and The United States 2026 is the year for change.We have suffered for too long at the hands of incumbents who change nothing except their own pay increases every year. These are the same people who continue to raise our taxes by an average of 3% to 9% annually. Has our quality of life improved? Are we better off? Personally, I don’t mind paying my fair share of taxes, as long as I see the quality of life in our community improving. That is not the case. Inner politics and squabbling have to stop. Poor decisions that we, the taxpayers, end up paying for have to stop. Millions of dollars are being wasted without any consultation with the public. Fifty million dollars to extend an Oshawa hockey rink that costs taxpayers, on average, around $600,000 a year to maintain. A downtown park Oshawa never needed — millions spent there. The Broadbent Park project, to the tune of $30 million, is, in my opinion, a waste of taxpayer dollars. Not to mention the $10 million spent on the Rotary Pool — an outdoor pool in Canada that can, at best, only be used four months of the year.It does not make economic sense. The question remains: Why do voters keep electing the same old faces? Are we to assume that those who come out to vote are simply voting based on name recognition? Scary. How do you explain electing someone like Dan Carter for a second term? The man allowed the downtown to fall. We need new ideas and new leadership. We need to open the doors at city halls across the region. Too many municipalities have become police states. Police states created by the incompetence of elected officials who, instead of dealing with difficult situations properly, would rather use force and issue trespass orders. City hall and municipal offices should be inviting places — civil places that encourage dialogue. Staff must act as staff, not as enforcers for elected officials.In some cases, they have become persecutors through policy and bylaw enforcement. This has to stop. Councillors need to get back to basics and deal with constituents in a humane and respectful manner. It should never be a “them against us” mentality. Answer your phones. Visit your constituents. Host town halls to stay connected with the realities of the community. 2026 is about change. Are you ready?