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6- The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday May 17, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 905-632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Commentary Guest Columnist Oakville residents need new businesses Gerry Popp, President Oakville Chamber of Commerce ast week The Oakville Beaver reported "residents may have to dish out $70 a year in taxes to cover what Halton Region would lose through giving developers mandatory Gerry Popp and voluntary discounts on development charges." However, a study prepared for the Oakville Economic Development Alliance using 2005 tax data, estimates that if new business investment in Oakville slows by 20 per cent, residential property taxes would increase by almost eight per cent or $271 per household annually. There is an urgent need to attract business investment to Oakville. Our tax base is seriously out of balance. Oakville's industrial/commercial tax base has been steadily declining as a percentage of the overall assessment base. It is currently at 13.44 per cent compared to 20-25 per cent in surrounding municipalities. Businesses in Oakville pay between 2.4 and 3.6 times the tax rate of residential property owners, yet on average, use less than half the municipal services used by a typical resident and pay for services, such as waste removal, which they do not even receive. The fact is businesses subsidize programs and services for residential tax payers. We must attract new business investment for more than economic reasons. A low ratio of employers to residents has serious environmental consequences. Sixty per cent of Oakville's employed residents leave the community every day to work. Transportation accounts for 30 per cent of green house gas emissions in Ontario. Encouraging businesses to locate and stay here will help reduce the impact commuting has on our natural environment. Quality of life is important to all of us. Increasing the number of local jobs will help balance the work/live ratio in Oakville. Time spent commuting is time not spent on family, leisure, learning, cultural or community service activities. Through donations, sponsorships, fundraising and volunteering, businesses make significant contributions to social, cultural, sports and health needs in the community. An increase in the number of businesses in Oakville will result in increased investment in local cultural activities and philanthropy. A livable community must be financially sustainable. Development charges in the short term and additional property taxes gained from businesses over the long term will provide revenues to build needed infrastructure. Retaining and attracting businesses to Oakville will help offset increasing costs for delivering municipal programs and services and will help reduce the rate of increase in residential property taxes. The economy has grown over the past 15 years, yet with the current economic uncertainty we cannot assume business investment will continue at the same pace. Many municipalities are aggressively pursuing desirable businesses to locate within their jurisdiction. We are competing in a global marketplace and many municipalities have tools and resources not available to Oakville to attract and retain businesses. One tool available is the rate set for development charges (DCs). Halton Region and the Town of Oakville have some of the highest DCs in the GTA. Proposed increases will more than double those charges. Significant investment planned for Halton has already been cancelled and relocated to other municipalities. To attract business investment, Oakville must maintain a competitive economic development position. The setting of tax rates, development charges and related policies should always be considered within the context of their impact on local economic development. If this issue does not become a priority, Oakville's economic, natural, cultural and social environments will suffer. NEIL OLIVER Publisher DAVID HARVEY General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director SANDY PARE Business Manager Metroland Media Group Ltd. includes: Ajax/Pickering News Advertiser, Alliston Herald/Courier, Arthur Enterprise News, Barrie Advance, Caledon Enterprise, Brampton Guardian, Burlington Post, Burlington Shopping News, City Parent, Collingwood/Wasaga Connection, East York Mirror, Erin Advocate/Country Routes, Etobicoke Guardian, Flamborough Review, Georgetown Independent/Acton Free Press, Harriston Review, Huronia Business Times, Lindsay This Week, Markham Economist & Sun, Midland/Penetanguishine Mirror, Milton MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution ALEXANDRIA ANCHOR Circ. Manager WEBSITE oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver is a division of IAN OLIVER Group Publisher Media Group Ltd. Canadian Champion, Milton Shopping News, Mississauga Business Times, Mississauga News, Napanee Guide, Newmarket/Aurora EraBanner, Northumberland News, North York Mirror, Oakville Beaver, Oakville Shopping News, Oldtimers Hockey News, Orillia Today, Oshawa/Whitby/Clarington Port Perry This Week, Owen Sound Tribune, Palmerston Observer, Peterborough This Week, Picton County Guide, Richmond Hill/Thornhill/Vaughan Liberal, Scarborough Mirror, Stouffville/Uxbridge Tribune, Forever Young, City of York Guardian L RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: United Way of Oakville TV AUCTION May is a trying time for mere mortals and their mowers I t's May. I know it's May not solely because my daybook duly documents, and my calendar proclaims, but because my senses say so. And while I may not have good sense, I do indeed have good senses. I know it's May because the weather is fickle, fluctuating on a daily (hell, hourly) basis between fair and foul (with teasing, naughty bits of `fabulous' thrown in for good measure). It's May because after months of disheartening dormancy, the countryside is springing to life -- a sudden kaleidoscope of color -- growing so fast mere mortals and their mowers (and hedge clippers and weed whackers) cannot possibly keep pace. Unless, like me, they quit their day jobs and become fulltime gardeners. I know it's May because the air is redolent of rebirth and the intoxicating scents of nature -- grass growing, trees budding, flowers blooming -- are mingling with the not altogether unappealing smell of oil and gas (asked whether she'd rather smell a rose or gasoline being pumped, my daughter chose gas). And, likewise, the busy sounds of nature awakening are mixing it up with the throaty roar of lawn-care equipment and, here in the country, ATV's Gone Wild. I learned at an early age of the fickleness of May. Every Victoria Day in the city where I grew up, they held a parade that was followed by a carnival, replete with rides and games. As kids, we looked forward to that event like it was the second coming of Christmas. I can't tell you how many years were dashed with disappointment: weather too cold for anyone to enjoy the festivities, or too hot, or, most frequently, too wet. Forget April Andy Juniper showers bringing May flowers. As kids we figured out: April showers just bring more showers in May. These childhood realizations were reinforced when I ran track in high school, and each year had to suffer through May's capriciousness during the sport's most important events. Sunstroke one meet. Frostbite the next. Soakers the next. All things considered, I still love this month. I guess it runs in my family. You see, my father loved May. And no wonder: he hated being cooped up all winter, and May meant release from house arrest. Also, my father was a realtor and spring just naturally goosed sales that had gone cold over the winter months. My father was also a gardener -- our backyard was his masterwork -- and for garden- ers, May is a month both rigorous (in labor) and rich (in rewards). For gardeners, May is about getting your hands back into the earth, turning soil, aerating, planting, fertilizing, weeding. May is a month of rebirth, hope budding and possibilities blooming. I can't help but think fondly of my father every May. I think of him as I head outdoors to gamely try and tame the rain forest that is our property. And, of course, I think of him whenever I cut grass. While I have a riding mower to cut the acreage, I still use a regular mower for trimming. And the mower I use was once my father's. He had it for a few years before he passed away, one grey, cold day, 12 years ago in...May. Now, I never give plugs in this space, but I'm going to make an exception. Even after a winter of dormancy, of being banished to a dark, dusty corner of our garage for seven months, my father's mower ­ my father's 15-year-old Lawn Boy ­ still starts each season, still roars to life each May, on the second pull. I'm sure it would start on the first pull, but that would just be showing off. It's May. I'm enjoying it while it lasts. Soon will come summer and months that are sure to arrive packing unbearable heat. Andy Juniper can be visited at his website, www.strangledeggs.com, or contacted at ajuniper@strangledeggs.com.