Another Milton blogger, Mike Cluett, blogged about the councillors increasing their salaries yet again.  I won’t repeat anything he said.  You can read about it in his own blog post.

The issue is that councillors are put at the same pay-scale as the rest of the town staff.  This is actually good, because then their salaries  have to be in sync with that of others.   However, the problem is that it is the councillors who vote for salary changes.  This creates a moral hazard where councillors can give themselves salary raises!

Here is my proposal to solve the problem.  Let the sitting council vote on salary changes, but don’t let their own salary changes take effect until the next council.  This will allow the voters to vote out councillors who get too carried away.  This will also make sure councillor salaries keep up with times without creating too much of a moral hazard.

I have blogged about Milton losing its charm because of seemingly unplanned expansion.  A big part of that is out-of-character buildings popping up where they do not belong.  I sent this letter to the town about that.  Lets see what they say:

Dear Mayor and Councillors:

I am a new Miltonian, writing to express my concern about Milton bylaws allowing the construction of taller buildings in the town.  I am also troubled to learn that Milton currently has over a dozen 4-8 floor tall condominium apartments under planning application and construction all over the town.

I moved to Milton after spending a few years outside Canada.  I moved to Canada to work from home and as such, I could choose to live anywhere.  After researching different areas I picked Milton mostly because of its small-town character.  I am afraid that the seemingly unplanned sprawl of taller buildings is quickly destroying that character. One only has to drive through Mississauga or Brampton to see what taller buildings in otherwise low-rise neighbourhoods do to the make-up of the neighbourhood. 

I have lived in several cities that handle high population density gracefully without impacting their appeal.  Several cities in the State of Washington (Redmond, Bellevue, Issaquah) took different approaches that all define their characters well. Redmond does not allow any building taller than 3 stories whereas Bellevue concentrated tall buildings in a very walk-able downtown core with very wide walkways.  Issaquah designed an ‘Urban Village’ that maintains high density using smaller lots but shared neighbourhood spaces.  However, what is common in each case is that these cities planned their character up front and then implemented their vision well. 

I would like the town to immediately pass a bylaw restricting building heights to only 4 stories high.  Thereafter, the town should conduct proper planning to determine where taller buildings should go.  These buildings should be concentrated in a small urban core and placed in a way that is not only environmentally friendly, but is also aesthetically pleasing.  An online poll at http://tinyurl.com/rx48a7 confirmed that more than 80% of residents agree with my sentiments.  I feel that the town has a good financial incentive in enhancing its charm. A more appealing town will attract more future residents which is good for property values in the area and therefore, good for the town’s tax-base.  It may also attract more out-of-town visitors to Milton, providing a boost to businesses in the town.

I would like to see the town transform itself into a community that people pay a premium to move to, rather than a sprawl people pick temporarily because they cannot afford any other place in the GTA.  Milton is at the verge of transformation due to the explosive growth.  We can handle it gracefully, turning Milton into a vibrant city that further enhances its current charm or we can let builders call all shots, essentially making Milton indistinguishable from other communities in the GTA region. 

I hope we choose the former as the latter would be an irreversible mistake that would destroy the town’s character forever. I am looking forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Zeeshan Hamid

Thankfully, it’s not too late yet. Milton can maintain its charm and further enhance it.  But we are at the verge.  If we do not get a grip soon then I am afraid it will be too late! 

Here: My new blog is online.  I am keeping it straight to the point (notice no fancy dancing background, no popups, no flashing banner … just content.)  What do you think? Hope you like it. 

No one will deny the need to handle the current economic crises. However, it seems like Harper and Company are choosing to ignore the long term future of the country. Here’s an article from the Globe and Mail that shows what I’ve been saying for months has actually started happening :-

One of Canada’s top AIDS researchers is moving to the United States, taking as many as 25 scientists on his team with him.

The University of Montreal’s Rafick-Pierre Sékaly says he is leaving in part because of federal cuts in science funding and hopes his departure will be a wake-up call.

“I hope it will trigger some kind of movement that will foster a deep soul searching and investment,” he said in an interview.

He expects to more than double his $3.5-million research budget in his new position as scientific director of the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute in Florida, but will also keep a lab going at the University of Montreal.

The move to the U.S. was motivated in part by his concern for the talented young researchers who are part of his team. They are starting their careers and are anxious about their futures here, Dr. Sékaly says. The young scientists, he adds, will have far more opportunity in the U.S., where President Barack Obama included $10-billion for medical research in his economic stimulus package.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government, on the other hand, cut funding for basic research in its stimulus budget, trimming $148-million from the three agencies that fund university-based research.

Those cuts exacerbated a funding crunch that had left many scientists scrambling to find money to keep their research programs running. Young scientists are hit particularly hard, says Dr. Sékaly.

“Right now, the funding is not there. They are going to fund you, but they are going to fund you at levels that will not allow you to be highly competitive. If you are not highly competitive, you are done,” he says.

As well, many universities have instituted hiring freezes, which makes it difficult for young scientists to get jobs. Canada risks losing almost a complete generation of fresh talent to the United States, where Mr. Obama’s commitment to science is a dream come true for researchers, Dr. Sékaly says

“This is something we would like to have our government here follow with the same vision.” ….

[Full article: here ] This is sad. The government is spending tens of billions of dollars trying to protect yesterday’s manufacturing and construction jobs. What about tomorrow’s knowledge-based jobs? But then again, what do you expect from an administration that appoints a science minister who isn’t much of a believer in science and evidence in the first place. Sad indeed.

If you’re an Ontarian then you likely already heard about the plans to harmonize the Provincial Sales Tax with GST (resulting in another acronym: HST). This means new homes costing more than $400,000 will be subjected to at least some sales tax (those costing > $500K will be subjected to full 13% tax, instead of 5% like today). On top of that the government still plans to charge these poor souls Ontario Land Transfer Tax. At least they could’ve gotten rid of this, but they decided not to.

I think it means builders will keep the house costs below $400K by building smaller, simpler homes (before taxes and stuff). After all, a $400,000 house will cost you $400,000 but a $500,000 house will suddenly cost $565,000 (yes, you aren’t just taxed on incremental amount about $400,000. The tax is on the entire amount!) This translates to a tax increase of $40,000 due to HST.

So basically expect more postage stamp sized lots and smaller houses with tiny, tiny driveways. Likely narrowed roads as well. If a family needs four bedrooms and at least some backyard then they may just have to look at the resale market.

This may somehow become a good news for existing homes that cost > $500K. Over time market will get saturated with cheaper, smaller homes. A buyer looking for a larger house in GTA (aka, expensive area) with some amenities like hardwood, taller ceilings etc may have very few homes to choose from.

It may be good news for contractors as well. Selling your home and buying a new one suddenly became a lot more expensive (with an additional 8% tax on top of existing expensive taxes and selling costs added.) This means people may just spend money upgrading their existing homes instead of starting over, provided that they wanted to buy a house that costs more than the threshold.

For the record, I am not celebrating this change and don’t see it as a positive, especially in this time. However, I am trying to have a positive attitude by finding a silver lining :-).  Personally it seems unacceptable for the Ontario government to charge HST and land-transfer tax.