Dear Editor:
I’m writing today with a modest proposal: let’s continue allowing developers to build subdivisions in our quaint little village without charging them a single dime in development fees. After all, why should people who stand to make millions pay anything toward the roads, sewers, or services their projects will overwhelm? That’s what long-time taxpayers are for, right?
Who needs fiscal responsibility when you have “growth”?
Of course, some killjoys will suggest that development charges help cover the cost of expanded infrastructure – you know, water mains, road widening, sewage treatment. But I say, let’s just let our current residents cover those bills through rising property taxes. After all, isn’t it an honour to pay for someone else’s profits?
And what a joy it is to watch farmland disappear faster than a plate of butter tarts at the fall fair! Each new cul-de-sac brings us closer to that cherished dream: becoming just like every other overbuilt exurb with traffic, sprawl, and a Tim Hortons drive-thru lineup longer than the Nile.
Why stop there? Let’s give the developers a fruit basket too – perhaps with a card that says: “Thanks for paving over our character. Hope your margins are healthy!”
But if we’re feeling particularly radical – maybe, just maybe – we could introduce development charges. Not to punish anyone, but to ensure the village doesn’t go bankrupt trying to keep up with new demands. Ambulance service, schools, fire hydrants, you name it – they don’t materialize from thin air, despite what certain suits at the real estate board might imply.
Charging developers doesn’t stop growth. It just ensures the people growing it chip in – instead of treating local councils like ATMs and small towns like discount dumping grounds for the GTA’s overflow.
So let’s be smart. Or sarcastic. Or both. But let’s not be suckers!
David Wood
Mildmay, Ontario
(A concerned resident who’s not buying the “Growth is Free” Kool-Aid)
