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Is the YMCA needed here? As some of you may know the Highland Companies is working diligently, with great expense, to bring a YMCA to the Town of Shelburne. They have "partnered" with six municipalities to do this. A telephone study was just completed which showed an 89% support rate for the YMCA in these municipalities. I am sure there will be very expensive full page ads in all the local papers this week, paid for by Highlands, outlining the very scientific nature of the study. That may be, but the figures that you really need are these: Total population in the six municipalities: 29,400 (Source: Stats Canada) Total phone calls made in the survey: 2,500 Total people who actually answered the phone and took part in the survey: 428 (Source: Steve Boone, YMCA) That means 1.4% of the population was surveyed and 89% of those overwhelmingly supported a YMCA. Would the local youth of Shelburne benefit from a YMCA? Probably. I do know the people in the 5 rural partnering municipalities will not be driving their kids to the YMCA in Shelburne on a snowy night in a Dufferin and Southgate winter. The question is not do we need a YMCA, but rather can we afford it? Melancthon ratepayers now support three arenas (Dundalk, Shelburne and Honeywood) and two pools (Dundalk and Shelburne). And Honeywood clearly has capacity issues, financial, population base and volunteer. Additionally, there has been a significant decrease in taxable assessment in Melancthon due to the Highland Companies bulldozing and burning century and heritage houses and outbuildings on 12 properties. They have permits for seven more. To date the combined assessed value on these 12 properties exceeds $2.9 million. When questioned at the October 16, 2009 meeting of Melancthon County Mayor Fawcett confirmed that any loss in taxation from these demolitions will be "shared" by all taxpayers (meaning those of us left). If these six municipalities felt that a YMCA was needed, why don't they pursue it themselves? The phone survey was $28,000.00. (Source: Steve Boone, YMCA) Split six ways does not seem out the realm of financial ability of any of the municipalities. If they can't afford the $4,000 per municipality to do the study, they had better take a cold hard look at what the capital and operating costs of the YMCA itself will be, unless of course Highlands is paying. If Highlands is in fact paying the whole shot, the next question is: if these municipalities are "partnering" and accepting this kind of cash from Highlands, to benefit their electorate in an election year (or any year for that matter) does that create a pecuniary interest in voting pertaining to Highlands at both the local and County level? One only has to look to Orangeville Council over the rail issue to see how that worked for them. Very, very costly indeed and that is just the legal fees fighting the pecuniary interest in court, both with their tax dollars at the local level AND County level. In effect, Orangeville ratepayers are paying twice (on both sides of the dog fight so to speak). Why does a Boston based hedge fund care about a YMCA in Shelburne? In my opinion they don't. This is cheap advertising for the Highland Companies and is an effective method for them to tie up and or silence, through pecuniary interests, local political votes. So far the following elected officials declare pecuniary interests in relations to Highlands: Ed Crewson, Ken Bennington, Sue Snider and of course all of Orangeville Council pending a judicial ruling. Any more pecuniary interests and we won't have a quorum.
IF a YMCA is needed, then local Councils need to stand up, justify it to their ratepayers, budget for it and pay for it themselves. Kudos to the one lone Councillor who realized this early on, but who was clearly silenced, I mean outvoted by more "seasoned" politicians. |
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