The Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) is rallying the troops to speak with “one voice” in having a greater say on provincial legislation and resource sharing.
In an April 28 statement, FONOM's president, Kapuskasing Mayor Al Spacek, said both Queen's Park and Ottawa have “gained considerably” on the revenue side from the North's resources, but the communities are not getting much back in return.
“Federal and provincial corporate taxes have been on an overall upward trend with recent significant increases in tax revenues,” said Spacek, but he added many mining towns are seeing a decline in industrial and commercial property tax revenue.
He said municipalities are losing millions from assessment appeals by industry and commercial taxpayers.
Spacek said Queen's Park needs to ensure the North receives “sustainable revenue streams for municipalities to maintain and update local and regional infrastructure.”
He also urges the FONOM board to “speak with one voice” on provincial policy development that reflect the realities of the North and not Southern Ontario needs.
Spacek cites the diamond royalty tax, the Far North Act, the Caribou Conservation Plan and Forest Tenure Modernization Act (Bill 151) as examples of provincial legislation based on limited consultation with Northerners.
Spacek said Bill 151 was fast-tracked through the Ontario legislature with limited consultation with Northerners. The “one size fit all approach” that “could be disastrous in the North,” he said.
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