By Deborah O’Connor
In this fall’s provincial election in Ontario the issue of downloading services is being freshly revived. With a little push from AMO (Association of Municipalities Ontario) all the parties announced their platforms on that contentious but yawn producing topic. For most of us, it’s a term dredged up from the past, when Former Premier Mike Harris led the charge to swap the costs of various programs, with the province off-loading some to the municipal level while taking some costs back in a process that was promised to be revenue-neutral. It wasn’t. And, the battle over who should pay for what has been fiercely fought ever since between the municipalities and the province. Continue Reading →