DFCaper

I do see the need for the province to need to help on some level. And fixing the too low tax rate will need to take time, as people cannot afford for this to happen over night. It's the plan to just dump the issue on all Ontarians with the long term plan being that it is all Ontarians problem is where I have the issue. I too would like to bypass or visit TO without the 1-3 hour traffic delays...

I thought it was implied by both Guyser & August that because of the higher value of homes in TO, for the equivalent quality of house, was why TO needed to pay a reduced tax rate. That the tax rate should be corrected for the higher cost per square footage. So they are advocating to give tax relief on the value, because of the smaller size of homes for the money in Toronto. I was wondering if that belief was only when comparing regions or within a municipality. A 1000 sqft home in the slums is worth far less than a posh neighbourhood. Should we adjust the tax rates between these two places to make it more even, despite the value difference? Municipal taxes are based on the value of the asset. If you are adjusting the tax rate to compensate for value differences between regions, you are taxing regions at a flat rate. The only reason the region to region is an issue is that TO wants the other regions to pay a special tax for TOs municipal services. TO does not want to pay anywhere near the rates other Ontarians pay on their residential assets.

TO residents pay some of the highest taxes as a result of having the highest incomes... Sure, my home would be worth far more in Toronto, but it is not an investment here. After 8 years, if I was to sell, I would be VERY lucky to recoup my initial investment. Plus I have the added costs of requiring an automobile and no major hospital in the area, less employment opertunities, etc. It is the market that sets the prices. A factor in the high property values in TO is the low tax rate. People pay whatever they can afford and property taxes is a factor in that. A friend of mine bought a house at 2.5 times the value of my home in TO and pays the same rate. So he pays as much in property taxes as I do, despite having over double the family income and having a house that he would make money off.

You were justifing that The rest of Ontario should pay because TO makes more money thus pays more taxes argument... Your argument of Ontario pay for TO since to pays more taxes for being richer is the same argument Albertan seperatist make about equalization, etc..

Toronto: General Rate: 0.5337653% Education rate is 0.212000% http://www.toronto.ca/taxes/property_tax/tax_rates.htm London: General rate is 1.155937% Education rate is 0.212000% http://www.london.ca/d.aspx?s=/Taxes/Residential/default.htm Windsor: General rate is 1.1651926% Education rate is 0.212000% http://www.citywindsor.ca/cityhall/Taxes--and-Assessment-/Pages/Tax-Rates.aspx Sudbury: General rate is 1.296946% Education rate is 0.212000% http://www.greatersudbury.ca/inside-city-hall/tax-services/tax-calculator/ Thunder Bay: General rate is 1.689627% Education rate is 0.212000% http://www.thunderbay.ca/Assets/City+Government/Revenue/docs/Guide+to+Your+Final+2013+Property+Tax+Bill.pdf Just to name a few

Sympathize for Albertan separatist much? So retired people who either worked in TO most of their lives or parents of children working in TO should have a far lower standard? Are you against equalization as well?

Toronto on residential taxes is about 1/2 of the rest of the province. They currently collect $3.7B, of which 60% is residential. So doubling property taxes, to the same level as other municipalities, would generate an additional 2.2 Billion Dollars. Funny how it works out the amount they have as a shortfall… And that is exactly what my analogy is. Albertans currently have a huge deficit. If they didn’t want use the same revenue tools (Alberta PST vs TO proper property tax rates) to make up that short fall with proper revenue tools, ask the level of government above them to tax everyone to make up for the shortfall. Since asking Albertans to pay taxes like everyone else would not be popular, have the next level take care of it by taxing everyone. Because you know, Albertans pay for extra into the equalization program, so we should allow this?

Let me see if I understand your logic with another example. Currently, Alberta does not charge it's own VAT and are now running huge deficits.Should increase GST so we can send the extra money to Alberta now that they are running deficits to make sure that they never have to have a VAT? What you are proposing is that the whole province pay taxes to make up for the fact that people in TO pay half the tax rate of the rest of Ontarians. So that the People of Toronto will have a far superior public transit option that the rest of the people of Ontario will have??? The sadiest part is the McGuinty-Wynne Liberials seem to use the same logic as you!! Like a reverse Robin Hood!!

Are unions currently required to present their financials like churches and charities? I believe that they should eliminate the tax deductions on dues and add GST to the dues. I also believe that this move by the senators is an attempt to justify their jobs. Too bad this is the first time in a while since I have seen a use for the senate.

I feel that unions are needed still, but not in today's format in Canada. Unfortunately I think we don't have private sector unions that are what the times require. I have watched the CAW destroy so many jobs. I personally tried to bring jobs to my area, just to have them blocked by the CAW. I seen it with other facilities closing in the area. Is there an area that the CAW is strong that isn't losing jobs? I was a member in one of my devious jobs, till we decertified. The union had it's own agenda and was not allowing the workers the relationship with management the workers wanted. That place is still open... I only have direct experience with the CAW and the UAW, so cannot comment on the others. Working with the UAW was like a breath of fresh air in comparison. The were far more willing to work with management. You know the CAW is stuck in the past since they always bring up events at least 30 years ago. With the public sector unions, Sid Ryan is the poster child for what's the issue I have with them. That and McGuinty-Whinne Liberal government in Ontario. They are way too politically active. Should be illegal. Wages at the municipal level are out of control, but that seems to be more of the arbitration system issue. Unfortunately, the only fixes are right to work that is being presented. Don't think that will fix anything, but can't make things worse. How can we modernize the Labour movement so it is similar to those in Germany or japan????

So are you advocating that it is right that special interest groups should be allowed to use unlimited funds for please political campaining? That it would be okay for the oil changed industry to spend millions or even billions on slamming environmental groups during campaigns, as long as it is done within the current laws? I personally think that allowing this behavior of these unions and of big business in campaigns need to change. Surprised you don't, or you only do when conservatives lose at it?

When did Transit become a provincial responsibility? Just because TO always votes for incompent the Muncipal Governments, doesn't mean it should become the focus of the government. Plus as stated, these Liberials are not capable of any kind of management. If the only way they can come up with 2 Billion is to raise taxes, How much do they need to raise taxes to fix their 15 Billion dollar issue... They have enough problems, they should worry about their own responsibilies before they try to take on new ones. Even if their problems are huge and created by their own incompetence.

I cannot believe that Big Wind was given permision for this. Though I am shocked by your mocking of the removal of a protected species for the agenda you support. When programs like wildlife protection are ignored by big business, I would expect people like Waldo to have a sober second thought. I guess you feel that the Green agenda is so important that nothing should slow it down. Your like an Oil industry Lobbiest in Green cloths...

That is my point. With and without GMOs our farming practices are destroying the land. Even if there was no GMO farming in SW Ontario, most of the land will not be worth planting within our generation anyway. I cannot defend Monsanto, but do not feel that because we have a bad apple in the industry, doesn't mean that the industry in question must be destroyed. I don't think we should abandon science. With all of the issues that we have long term with our current farming practices, we will likely need science and GMOs to grow food on our damaged lands.

Maybe it is a low cost retailer in their area that they fear. Want the neighborhood to be only for the upper crust of society?? I am not familiar with that neighborhood, but I am wondering if this is the case.

If you are worried about destroying our land, you have far more to worry about in our farming practices than GMOs. I took a Food Resource course as an elective in University (Early 90s) and they taught about sustainable farming. I now live in a farming area, and they are not practicing what we were taught. The soil in this area is just getting worst year after year as a result of lack of trees and lack of crop rotation, etc... The biggest improvement to saving the soil long term here was the no till farming. Who cares about that issue.. it's all GMOs!!!

Not all of them. Does adding Temperary Foreign Workers make up some of this 95,000? Isn't that who we now use for McJobs?

What I find most ironic is that the same people who are outraged by Duffy and Ford are the same people who are giving the Ontario Liberials the pass... !?!?!?!!?

Still, not one single person who used science to justify their stand. Just fear mongering without fact. Maybe Monsanto is aware that people would fear monger against there product without any evidence. And people will panic and leave there product because some idiot on the internet told them to avoid GMOs. Do we not also have the right to know what fertilizers and pesticides were used at every set of the process to produce the food being sold. Seems to me that would be more relevant. Should we be warning people about to be vacinated that people believe that the vaccination may cause autism? Sure there is no science to back it but would have the same result.

I am so disgusted that the Tax and spend liberials is again trying to use tax payers money to buy seats in TO. "We are going to tax all Ontarians to subsidize the GTA so the can keep their tax rate well below the rest of the province." I would take the 1% HST tax hike if the would change my property tax rate to be the same as TOs. I guess the NDP rewarding them after the Gas Plant fiasco has given the Liberials the OK to keep using my money to buy power!!!!

No one has yet answer 2 questions that I think are at the center of the Labeling aspect of the debate: Why is "Organic" or "GMO Free" not suffice to inform customers? As I stated before, I assume all others are likely GMOs What negative impacts have GMOs proven to have in humans over the last 40 years? And I am not referencing the pesticides, as they are a different issue than GMOs, despite the relationship. No one here has justified to me that the label of "Contains GMOs" is nothing more than fear mongering!

I wouldn't limit my belief that outside special interest groups to one issue or side of an issue. Besides large multi-nationals having too much power, I would also say unions and other groups have too much influence as well. Monsanto's lobbying power being too large is shown in how they are not liable for poisoning others and the power they have in the US over farms and there patents. Forgive my laziness and not getting "facts" and links, but I don't feel the need to dumb things down by going to Naturalnews.com or equivilent.

I hear them complaining about the cost. It is not the reason Organics can cost far more? I hear people complaining all the time about how expensive it is for an organic farmer to be certified. Now we are proposing that we put this added burden to other food suppliers. I think a big part of the problem is that to be certified is too difficult. What is stopping someone from being non-organic but advertising that they are non GMOs? Maybe we need a 3rd catagory. I know there are a lot of people scared of GMOs, so why hasn't industry moved to satisfy the this demand? Is it because it would be expensive, or is there a conspiricy against it. On the other side of the coin, Monsanto does appear to have too much influence on our governments. It is an other example of how we need to reduce the power of Lobbying. If Monsanto's unethical behavoirs we punished, instead of rewarded by governments, then we would likely have less paranoia and fear mongering about GMOs.

Since GMOs have been available since the 70s, we are about 4 decades in. What are these negative effects? We live longer despite being fat lazy slobs?