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A couple of weeks ago I wanted to write about the need for pushers of change to understand the local conditions and be aware of the pitfalls that occur when outside experts tell the locals how to do it. This happens all the time and the latest case that came to my attention was the recent "summit" of Chambers of Commerce held in Brighton. The "faux-pas" came about when the meeting was held to extol the virtues of restructured government and the consequent boost in economic activity, and used the City of Quinte West as the shining example. The only problem was that the organisors, in my opinion, failed to judge the animosity toward Quinte West held by the people of Brighton. This has been borne out by the scathing press reports of the "summit" published in the "Brighton Independent".
However, this event does bring up a very interesting linkage between business and politics. As you should know the relationship between Chambers of Commerce and local restructuring efforts have been close. In Haldimand Norfolk the commissioner stated that he was impressed with the arguments made by local businesses. In Northumberland the Cobourg Chamber of Commerce has been in the forefront of local pressure for restructuring into larger municipallities. In fact a local councillor has told me that the only letter that his council has received informing them of the Minister's recent decision to allow the County's application for restructuring was a copy of a letter addressed to the President of the Cobourg Chamber of Commerce that explained the decision. This action so infuriated the Mayor of Cobourg she actually got a phone call from the Minister himself explaining that protocol was important but missed on this occasion.
Anyway, back to the summit in Brighton! This event would have not been thought of again except as a touch of irony but the Brighton Independent carried stories. Not only did the organisors inflict punishment on the people of Brighton by boasting about the successes of Quinte West's economic development but since they had forgotten to invite the chair of the Quinte Economic and Development Commission (QEDC) they did not get to hear him say that Brighton, Campbellford and Seymour were already part of the effort. In fact the Chair of the QEDC, Lou Rinaldi of Brighton, went so far to say "To say I am insulted is an understatement!" He said in another interview that he only found out about the "summit" after a local reporter phoned him for comments. It turns out the organisors not only forgot Rinaldi but the Mayor of Brighton, who is also the Warden of the County, did not get invited either. Another reason this event popped up like a red flag was that the local MPP Doug Galt chaired it. Now why would the sitting member chair a business summit?
If the relationship between business and the government is getting closer I ask myself why. One possible reason is that the municipal taxation mess is far from being settled. The seven tax bills passed so far have left us with a situation where business taxes have been capped at 5%. 5% and 10% for the next three years. But what happens after that when business taxes are scheduled to rise rapidly? I think that the move to shift the tax base from business to residential taxpayers will be made. In the last assessment the tax base shifted 12% of the existing business taxes to the residential taxpayer, more is coming and it will be justified by the expression "What's good for business is good for Ontario!" The Chambers of Commerce and I salute them for sticking to their objectives in trying to reduce business taxes, will have won. But at what cost? If you have created the image of the taxpayers representative, Doug Galt, as a business lackey, who has lost: him or us (the voters and taxpayers)?
Danger;
Business at Work!!