By Katie Strachan
The Oshawa Express
This year may be even tougher than last year for regional councillors, says Regional Chair Roger Anderson.
And the region will face financial pressures as a result of the weakened economy in 2009, he says.
The chairman recently held his annual breakfast, in conjunction with the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce, where he spoke about the year ahead.
“This year, while unemployment rates are still too high in our region…markets seem to be improving and real estate sales are strong,” he says.
“Things are moving in the right direction.”
Although 2009 was a difficult year not only for the region, but also for the country, there are positive spins that came out of it.
“There have been some positives for our lagging community,” explains Chair Anderson, adding increased sales of the Chevrolet Camaro is just one example.
“It would be a great decision for General Motors to build their products here…we have the facilities.”
Expansions at the city’s education facilities, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) and Durham College are other examples of positive movements, says the chairman.
“In many ways 2009 was a surprisingly great year for Durham,” he says.
The region launched plans of an immigration portal, a web-based site that would offer immigrants to the region employment services and business opportunities in many different languages.
“Over the next two decades, Ontario’s population will come mostly from immigration not the maternity ward,” says Chair Anderson.
In addition, regional council moved forward with plans for the Energy From Waste facility last year.
“Plans for the Energy From Waste facility began in 2005, it was approved by council (last year) and is now in the hands of the province,” he says.
“Hopefully we’ll have an answer from the minister by June 2010.”
But Chair Anderson says new projects will have regional council busy – at least until the municipal election in October.
“For regional council, 2010 may actually be harder than 2009. This is a municipal election year so we only have a nine-month window to accomplish it all,” says Chair Anderson.
The high volume of residents who required social assistance last year in conjunction with low development charge revenue has caused the region to hold off on some projects, he says.
“More than 9,200 people were receiving social assistance through Ontario Works at the end of December (2009). The region will be dealing with financial pressures in 2010 as a result of social service demands,” says Chair Anderson.
“The development charges collected by the region in 2009 were much lower. Unfortunately a number of planned projects had to be delayed.”
But stimulus funding the region received from the government has allowed it to continue with some projects, he says.
“When the economy falls, we have something to weather the storm,” Chair Anderson says.
In total $21 million will be used for road and bridge rehabilitation, $22 million for water and waste water projects, $33 million for the Duffins Creek pollution plant expansion and $94 million will go towards Durham transit, he says, adding the money has to be used by March 2011. |
