Taxes, taxes, taxes! The next election will have a lot of chafe and mayhem; but the bottom 
line will be about taxes.
Under Bob Kilger taxes have gone up insanely now for eight years; mostly to cover the costs of scandals, poor management and a lack of vision, and to essentially not only keep our local service unions happy; but to gain influence and support at election time.
We’ve all paid for that. But if you keep adding 2% per year that compounds and at the end of eight years that’s quite a bill you’re paying.
That’s why I will fight to cut taxes 5% during the next four years and without cutting services. I used one example previously of considering a switch to the OPP. The town of Perth saved 25% on its police budget in its first year doing so and expected to save more in the future.
While I pulled back my support for such a move after the OPPA became involved in the Provincial election I think the CPS can find savings which can contribute to those goals.
City departments, like government departments, always want their budgets to go up. I get that. Most voters get that. But then if you have an opportunity to make your own cuts instead of being told what to cut that’s always beneficial.
Police Chief Dan Parkinson according to Claude McIntosh wants another contract to lead the CPS. I think he owes taxpayers an explanation and needs to have a plan to help save costs. We know because of arbitration that it most likely won’t be via salary so we need answers from the chief.
Housing. Cornwall has an acute shortage of good quality rental property. If you can’t get a mortgage you can’t take advantage of our housing prices. Cornwall has a lot of sub standard housing available on the market and it has more modern and expensive housing. After watching complexes like the Glengarry go condo under Bob Kilger’s watch we need to make sure that Seniors and the working poor who can’t afford to purchase a home have an ability to find good housing and this is a factor in attracting people to our city. We don’t want Cornwall getting a rep as a place you can’t afford to move to.
Jobs & Small Business = Culture & Youth Retention
While most people know that City Hall doesn’t really create jobs except on the public payroll it can and does set the tone for the environment to create and attract them.
Waiting 12 months for permits, attacking small business, having no vision or real support to attract small business are all anchors of Bob Kilger’s leadership.
The focus on distribution centres is short minded and eats up valuable development lands which you simply can’t replace without buying up costly land to expand. While any new business is welcome and positive, to really help build our economy and incomes better jobs need to be attracted.
For example Cornwall is an ideal location for remote workers who tend to be a bit older. With our location and services, and potential quality of life, this is a key segment that can help up the average household income in our community. These people have more disposable cash to spend locally too. It’s a win win. Yes, $12 jobs help when you don’t have one. But $25 per hour jobs help buy new cars, houses, and appliances. We need to attract those jobs and there really is no reason why Cornwall can’t except our poor reputation in some areas.
Small businesses are like trees. Their roots, their fallen leaves; the offshoots of healthy trees create healthy soil and the perfect storm to grow life, culture, and prosperity. Cornwall currently has a very poor environment for small business which I’ll delve into further in future commentary. The bottom line is that community’s that are successful in growing need diversity and sparkle and that usually comes from small business.
While the city is giving corporate welfare to Smart Centres what are they giving to small business? We can and need to do better.
Questions? Post your comments below and I’ll do my best to answer you or you can contact me at electgilcig@gmail.com
Together we can make Cornwall grow!
Taxes: I agree a cut OR freeze is needed. Perhaps tell ALL city departments, including CPS, that they need to cut 1%, but not through layoffs. I’m positive 1% is achievable without too much trouble from all departments simply by applying better business practices.
Housing: Not an easy one to tackle. There needs to be incentives by the three levels of government to builders, developers, etc. to build / maintain housing for those who cannot afford to own their own home.
Jobs & Small Business = Culture & Youth Retention: Again, not an easy one. City Hall red tape must be cut or at least minimized. It’s obscene how long some businesses have to suffer due to red tape. Distribution centres provide jobs and tax income to the city. But we need more non-distribution centre jobs in this city. Corporate welfare is everywhere. It won’t go away anytime soon. They have the attitude of either they get it or they’ll go where they do get it. We also must do something to retain our youth from leaving because “there’s nothing here for me.”
OMG! There are $25 an hour jobs in Cornwall??? I haven’t heard of any jobs that pay more than minimum wage or thereabouts unless you work for Kilger & Cronies.
Hugger1, it would be interesting to see if provincial courts and Police could get together to reduce overtime for scheduled court time. No idea what savings that would be, but there must be something.
What is ridiculous is that cops whether the Barney Fife PD in Cornwall or the Hawkesbury cops or the Toronto or Ottawa cops get the same pay which is completely and utterly ridiculous. None of this sounds sane at all. As for jobs there are none not even in Ottawa. People coming out of universities and colleges look for part time and contract work since there is nothing. One girl that works with my daughter finished her early childhood education course and nothing and works as a cashier. Another lady has her bachelors degree in business administration and works in the office of the supermarket where my daughter works and is also a cashier when needed. As for housing Cornwall has tons of shacks that most people would not live in and I know because I have been around to a number of them looking for a place to live in the past. No tanks. Even a lot of houses for sale are shacks. You have to really be around to see what is really going on. About taxes Jamie that is what is pushing businesses out of town. Businesses go where things are cheap and that is why globalism took over and they go to countries where things are made cheap and the price of doing business land and all is cheap. Like I said before Cornwall had a great deal of opportunities in past years when things were good and industries were in full force but they turned their back on prosperity. I know I am 63 years old and saw things go from good to the worst.
I don’t know where you get your info, but it is wrong. The only police that are paid the same are the OPP. And they have a clause in their contract that says they must be the highest paid in the province. City to city police are not paid the same.
People graduating are having a hard time finding jobs because the older workers are choosing to stay in their jobs longer instead of retiring. I don’t see that changing any time soon.
I sort of agree with Jules on taxes. But not on globalization. Companies are learning how they do business in one country will not always work in another country. Just ask Target and trying to do business in Canada.
Cornwall has not turned its back on prosperity. Cornwall needs to get out of the distribution centre / call centre is good enough mentality. Being on the 401 and between Montreal and Toronto should be an advantage, not a disadvantage.
Seniors that we know are leaving Cornwall in a couple of weeks for Ottawa. Cornwall is losing more and more people and less tax base. That is what happens when you have a mayor like Bare Ass and you don’t know which end is up with him around. If anybody votes Bare Ass back in again God help everyone.
Not everything that happens in Cornwall is the mayor’s fault. Some people leave because they want to live in a bigger city. There are more services for seniors in Ottawa than Cornwall.
Cornwall needs positive leadership..from SOMEBODY because it isn’t happening now and even Todd Lihou and the free newspaper that keeps littering my mailbox is attacking what media is left in Cornwall Looks like CFN might be the last MAN standing
sincerely
Melvin
ps
This was posted at SF where staff seems to change monthly
Everything is closing down and Journalism is almost DEAD
Take this editorial at Free Seaway News
“Rumor has it”
“Apparently”
“Whispers”
So much for the gold standard of TWO sources for a story Todd
” When I started in this business we had six reporters at the
Standard-Freeholder, and five editors.”
I think they’re down to something like three and three at the Freeholder today, with whispers of more cuts on the horizon.
Rumour has it there could come a day when the local daily has nothing
but reporters in the newsroom. Apparently in Belleville, at The
Intelligencer, there are no longer newspaper editors. People in Kingston
call the shots in Belleville, and what few reporters left are working
in a rudderless office.
It’s not just Cornwall… I’ve been in Kingston a year, and this city suffers from the same ills as Cornwall. High rent and a deteriorating downtown core.( I think Cornwall is actually doing much better than Kingston…we have nearly as many vacant store fronts as we do non-vacant). A high concentration of government jobs that pay well with less and less private companies employing people at rates that pay more than mouse turds. Our tourism is seeing declines. Housing is priced out of reach for most people, housing that is affordable is in unfavorable parts of town or turned into student ghettos. Anyone want a fixer upper with 900 sq ft …only $200k, no joke!
These challenges aren’t isolated to Cornwall, it is everywhere.
As citizens we have an important role, we must redefine what we expect from our governments. I’m of the belief that governments should have a very limited role in the life of its citizens. And citizens should have more freedom. But with freedom comes great responsibility and a lack of security. You can’t have both. Government should maintain the “field” ( basic infrastructure and minimal services ) and allow people to engage in an open and free market.
Not only that, but as citizens we need to learn to get along, first with ourselves, at home and with our neighbors.
I’m tired of being legally forced to pay taxes to people who are worst at managing it than I am.
If you can’t opt out, you’re not free.
Excellent comments Jason, reinforces what I’ve been saying for a while….that the Cornwall situation is NOT unique to Cornwall.
Gee you can’t even find a fixer upper for that price here in Ottawa since the land itself costs out of this world. I wouldn’t want to own a townhouse or a condo since I know what it is like to live with other people around me and when I have to live like that I will rent where I am free to leave if things get bad and they usually come to that point. When we lived in Cornwall there wasn’t much choice and everywhere we rented was bad which was even in the desirable area. Even a lot of homes were badly kept and when people saw my husband and I out planting trees, shrubs and flours they would be imitating us like a herd of monkeys. We changed the color of the house and the previous owners thought that they had the wrong house. People let their properties deteriorate something awful and nobody will buy them. “No tanks” I am very well the way I am.
That’s why some of us live here Jules. The cost of living is a lot lower. We’re halfway between Ottawa and Montreal if we need to go there. And the Big Smoke is not far either.
MELman said something that is important for people to know about and that is the toilet paper of record “SF” is on its way out. When you hear about the New York Times being in trouble as well as other top knotch toilet papers of record then what do you all think about Cornwall’s rag SF. Yes it is corporate owned and it is they who are going under. It is people like Jamie who is making more of the real truths come out in his paper whereas the corporate owned papers are dying literally. Both Jamie and Leslie are two excellent people and Leslie does have a much better chance at defeating Bare Ass and this is the truth. I care very much for these two men and I am proud of both of them. Jamie has accomplished so much and I know that Bare Ass and company are very jealous of his achievements. Way to go Jamie and you too Leslie and all the best to both of you in whatever you do.
Some of us prefer print info, newspapers. I`m one of them. Every medium of media has its advantages and disadvantages. One disadvantage of print media is that it`s out of date as soon as it`s printed. Print media is learning how to take advantage of the new methods of information distribution. A lot of papers have gone to electronic only.
I fear if Leslie enters the race and it is a three person race the vote will be split between Kilger and Leslie / Jamie with Bob Kilger coming out on top. The same thing will happen in Toronto. With over 50 candidates for mayor and 5 or more being as serious candidates the vote will be split and Rob Ford will return as mayor.
What needs to happen in Cornwall is for a real strong candidate to come forward that has a chance at defeating Bob Kilger. I think Jamie said if that happened he’d consider dropping out of mayoralty race.
Hugger Jamie is a top notch person and Bare Ass cannot face Jamie. I think that someone strong and very capable of defeating Bare Ass is needed. Yes properties here in Ottawa are mighty expensive indeed. A good 7 years ago there was an old house on Heron Road past Bank Street and they knocked that old house down and built a side by side duplex in brick. Back then one side was asking $1900./month plus utilities. Can you imagine it now. The previous tenants left and new ones came in and that is when the rent hiked up. There are no fixer uppers here in Ottawa at $200K unless it was an outhouse. LOL LOL. The land itself is a killer in price. The land here is more like a postage stamp lot very small. I am talking about single house lots not garden homes or anything like that just singles. You can even vault across the roofs of the new houses – way too close together and not good at all.
I agree Jamie is a good person. But I feel he is not known enough to defeat Bob Kilger in the mayor’s race. (Sorry Jamie) I think the best person capable of defeating Kilger is Leslie O’Shaunessy.
Hugger I am going to have you in shock this evening but I fully agree with you again. My my this is amazing. LOL LOL. Don’t have heart failure for me agreeing again. You are right Jamie isn’t known enough in Cornwall to be able to overcome Bare Ass in the election. I totally agree with having Leslie O’Shaughnessey in to get rid of Bare Ass once and for all to the glue factory. Jamie is an excellent person and I can’t give him enough praise but it takes someone who knows the politics of Cornwall and has the experience behind the mess of Bare Ass to come forward and win. Jamie is excellent at what he does best and that is journalism to the finest extent.