By Bruce Holland, Publisher
We had an incredible response to the two requests we had in the February edition of the Parkview News! Thank you to all of you who asked to receive the Parkview News direct to your inboxes. We have entered you in the Craft Beer Kitchen Party ticket contest and you can find out the winner inside this months paper along with information on the Savour Food and Wine event contest. If you already asked to receive the Parkview News direct to your inbox you are still eligible for this contest. Just send us an e-mail.
My Publisher’s Column evoked a tremendous response! There were far too many to print them all. I would like to highlight some of the responses and give you a summary of the others.
We had one person who thought it was okay to increase taxes to maintain the current level of services and there was one response that was okay with increasing taxes to deal with extreme weather events related to climate change.
There was a response that, while they did not express an opinion one way or the other on increasing taxes, believes with the dramatic increase in immigration/population expected in the future said, “ I believe it’s a very positive thing for our city”, the Provincial and Municipal governments need to apply tax dollars to revitalize the infrastructure for the future. This is a very forward thinking opinion that went on to say, “start thinking a decade in advance. More lanes, mass transit (train/subway/high speed ferry) maybe a tunnel or another bridge”.
Another contributor said, “It is nice to see someone with an audience bring up this topic.” This reader provided a very extensive review of a study on property assessments and the CAP on assessments and how they negatively impact the municipal tax structure.
Perhaps the most interesting and surprising response came from one of our City Councillor’s who said, and I quote, “I’m reconsidering whether to continue running ads in the Parkview News after an article you wrote. In the most recent edition (February) you suggested most of the councillors in HRM should be voted out. Why should I continue supporting a publication that is actively working against me?”
To be clear, it was not my intention that the voting public support one candidate over another. My point was that elected officials who do not consider nor respect public input may face significant challenges in future elections. This applies to all levels of government. The BC example is not an opinion. It is a statement of fact. If I offended anyone, I sincerely apologize. That was not my intent.
All the other responses were very critical of how taxes are spent, many felt Council should consider suspending additional spending until there is more certainty about the economy. Perhaps the line that can best sum up all of these responses came from a respondent who said. “Real change only comes with great disruption. It will probably take an event like your story (the elections in B.C.) before the elected officials wake up!”
Thank you for all your responses! I enjoyed reading each one of them. Please keep them coming.
