Applying cookie-cutter funding concepts may look smart from the ivory towers of Queen’s Park, but on the ground in Chatham-Kent, it doesn’t work.
In fact, in some cases, it’s downright idiotic.
And it’s costing local ratepayers big time.
Chatham-Kent was amalgamated in 1998. That forced amalgamation, turning 20-plus municipalities into one, is exactly the reason we sit under a $10-million Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF) cap today. Well, that and the fact the provincial government put in that cap to prevent any municipality in Ontario from receiving more than 2.5 per cent of the $400-million-a-year OCIF pot.
Again, that looks smart on paper, in an ivory tower smack dab in the biggest city in the province.
But…factor in the realities. Chatham-Kent has 0.7 percent of the population, yet has 4.88 per cent of the bridges of the entire province. It also has 16,000-plus culverts and 20 per cent of the drains in the province.
That’s a lot of infrastructure that requires maintaining.
But rather than let the funding flow in a fair manner – under a formula created by the provincial government – the Ford government instead capped things off with their cookie-cutter approach.
Remember who forced amalgamation on Chatham and Kent County 27 years ago? A Conservative government. The same government downloaded all those infrastructure maintenance responsibilities onto C-K.
Now, today, who is in power limiting the flow of provincial funds to C-K to address all the downloaded roads, bridges and culverts? A Conservative government. Heck, the son of the guy who gave us amalgamation is a cabinet minister these days! Thank you, Mike Harris Sr. and Jr.
Chatham-Kent is a blue zone in Ontario. We traditionally elect Conservatives to Queen’s Park and Ottawa. Sure there were hiccups, but those occurred years ago.
The reward is being horribly short changed.
And it’s not just OCIF cash. Homeless assistance funding saw us receive a few drops, while neighbouring municipalities received a torrent.
Ditto for infrastructure aid for water and wastewater to help fuel projects to address housing shortages. We were shut out entirely, while our neighbours received huge quantities — $26 million, $44 million and even $88 million – from the province.
As C-K’s chief financial boss said recently, “It makes no sense.”
No, Gord, it doesn’t.
