Education funding takes a dip

Posted on October 7, 2010 by admin

Manitoba’s public schools will be dealing with a much smaller funding boost next year.

The provincial government announced Thursday that it is increasing funding by 2.95 per cent for the 2010-2011 school year, which is a significant drop from the 5.25 per cent increase provided for the current year.

However, Education Minister Nancy Allan said the funding is considerable in comparison to the expected rate of economic growth.

The Manitoba economy was forecast to contract by 0.2 per cent in 2009, but a final number hasn’t been determined.

“I strongly believe that a 2.95 per cent increase to public schools, despite difficult economic times, demonstrates this government’s commitment to education and will help meet the needs of parents, students and taxpayers across the province,” Allan said.

“We have been working co-operatively with school divisions and we are continuing to urge restraint in order to ensure that expenditures are managed carefully and property taxes remain affordable.”

The 2.95 per cent increase equates to an additional $31.3 million dollars for Manitoba’s 37 school divisions.

Statistics Canada has reported Manitoba is the only province to have seen average property taxes decrease from 2000 to 2008, Allan noted.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2010/01/28/mb-education-funding-manitoba.html#ixzz11jDaVSrO

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Katz vows to fight province on sewage treatment

Posted on May 29, 2010 by admin

Winnipeg’s mayor says he is prepared to shout from the corner of Portage Avenue and Main Street in the New Year to change the province’s stance on sewage treatment requirements.

Sam Katz says the province’s position on sewage treatment is not only bad science but also a waste of money.

The city is overhauling its sewage treatment facilities and the Manitoba government is ordering the removal of both nitrogen and phosphorous from effluent.

The cost to the city to install the equipment would cost an estimated $350 million, he said.

“I’m not letting go of the nitrogen one. This is just the beginning — just the beginning,” he said. “I’m not going to sit around and let someone flush [that money] down the toilet. That’s not going to happen.”

Dwight Williamson, director of the Water Science and Management Branch for Manitoba Water Stewardship, agreed that scientists are not unanimous on whether nitrogen removal is necessary. Some believe removing only phosphorous is good enough, he said.

“[But] we don’t hold that view. There will be environmental benefits from the removal of nitrogen,” he insisted.

The dispute is expected in the New Year as budget time approaches in March. Katz wants to continue Winnipeg’s property tax freeze in 2010, which would make it the 13th consecutive year.

Saving millions of dollars on sewage treatment would make that a much easier goal, Katz has said.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2009/12/21/mb-sewage-treatment-dispute-katz-winnipeg.html#ixzz0pMrEo7eo

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Sarnia property taxes up 1.8% in 2010

Posted on March 19, 2010 by admin

Property taxes in Sarnia, Ont., will go up 1.8 per cent in 2010, according to the new budget set by city councillors at a meeting Tuesday night.

The $132-million budget also includes a one-time one per cent levy to complete capital projects worth $20.4 million.

Overall, “it’s a restraint budget” that cuts services “in very subtle ways,” said Coun. Mike Kelch.

“I don’t think it’s really going to [have an] impact,” Kelch said. “I don’t think people will say ‘Oh, I really notice that.’”

The property tax increase will translate to $15 for a home assessed at $100,000, the budget said.

That’s “a very modest tax increase,” Mayor Mike Bradley said, adding it will help pay for “a massive infrastructure investment in the community” in 2008 and 2009.

“So that in turn creates jobs, renews the community and gives us a real strong way to exit the recession,” Bradley said.

The city released its 228-page draft budget on Oct. 26. It proposed a property tax hike of 2.75 per cent, which was whittled down to 1.8 per cent during a series of discussions that ended Tuesday night.

Sarnia’s transit department will see its own increase, as the cost of a bus ride jumps to $2.25 from $2.00.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/windsor/story/2009/12/02/sarnia-2010-property-tax-091202.html#ixzz0ig5iN9Pr

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Toronto strike savings yield property tax break

Posted on November 17, 2009 by admin

The savings recouped from Toronto’s civic workers strike will likely be put towards property tax bills next year instead of being mailed out as rebates to city residents.

The city’s executive committee recommended Monday that the estimated $33.2 million saved in the summer work stoppage be applied to next year’s operating budget.

Some city councillors had pushed for an immediate rebate.

But the city has estimated the cost of issuing and administering rebate cheques at somewhere between $2 million and $3 million.

Mayor David Miller said Monday that reflecting those savings in property tax bills is “the fairest and most efficient way” to return the money to Torontonians.

The proposal is expected to save taxpayers around 2.8 per cent on their tax bills — about $36 million — next year.

But Miller wouldn’t say if property taxes will increase in 2010, or by how much. While there are no official figures out, the city is facing a significant budget shortfall next year.

Council will vote on the executive committee’s recommendation later this month.

The 39-day strike by about 30,000 municipal employees left most residents of Canada’s largest city with no residential garbage or recycling collection. City-run daycares and summer day camps were closed, along with swimming pools and most other city services.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2009/10/05/toronto-strike-tax-savings695.html

The savings recouped from Toronto’s civic workers strike will likely be put towards property tax bills next year instead of being mailed out as rebates to city residents.

The city’s executive committee recommended Monday that the estimated $33.2 million saved in the summer work stoppage be applied to next year’s operating budget.

Some city councillors had pushed for an immediate rebate.

But the city has estimated the cost of issuing and administering rebate cheques at somewhere between $2 million and $3 million.

Mayor David Miller said Monday that reflecting those savings in property tax bills is “the fairest and most efficient way” to return the money to Torontonians.

The proposal is expected to save taxpayers around 2.8 per cent on their tax bills — about $36 million — next year.

But Miller wouldn’t say if property taxes will increase in 2010, or by how much. While there are no official figures out, the city is facing a significant budget shortfall next year.

Council will vote on the executive committee’s recommendation later this month.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2009/10/05/toronto-strike-tax-savings695.html

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City losing millions in Kapyong delay

Posted on October 18, 2009 by admin

Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz said Thursday the city is losing millions in potential property tax and other revenue as the future of a former suburban army base remains undecided.

“We’re flushing away millions of dollars a year, I can tell you,” Katz said.

The dispute over what should happen to the 90-hectare parcel of land known as Kapyong Barracks had dragged on for nearly a decade. The property is sandwiched between the affluent Winnipeg suburbs of River Heights and Tuxedo.

The delay into the decision on Kapyong’s fate likely grew longer after a federal court ruling Wednesday said a decision by Ottawa to transfer the land to an arms-length Crown corporation to redevelop and sell it was invalid.

Seven Manitoba First Nations Groups won their bid to overturn the pending transfer.

They successfully argued the government failed to appropriately consult them and feel the land should be used to settle outstanding land claims they have. The First Nations want to use part of Kapyong for housing and native-owned enterprises.

The base has been vacant since 2004, when the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, relocated to CFB Shilo near Brandon, Man.

The Canadian military has spent millions in upkeep and maintenance on the property since then.

The city is also anxious to have a decision made on the land because it wants to widen Kenaston Boulevard, a major north-south traffic artery in the city that borders the disputed land.

Chief Glenn Hudson of Peguis First Nation — one of the seven aboriginal groups to contest the land transfer — said the community would be open to sitting down with the city to discuss using part of the land to widen Kenaston.

Katz told CBC News the city will go ahead with the roadwork with or without a decision on Kapyong.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2009/10/01/011009-kapyong-city-katz.html