The Squamidian Report – March 31 / 07
Issue # 253
Also in this issue:
The Ontarion
Hi All,
Well, it’s about time. We finally had some half decent weather. So I took the little Honda dirt bike out for a spin around town. Felt good. Anyway, while I was out I put-put-putted my way up into the new university site grounds. It is still under construction but expected to be open by this Fall. The university is being carved into the side of the mountain, just under Garibaldi Park. The views out across the valley are quite nice, being basically the same views we have from our deck.
There will be two kinds of housing there. The normal student kind and private housing. A small subdivision of building lots will be made available. That’s one of the ways Quest University will pay for itself. Some homes are already being built, along with some dormitory space. The school itself will cater to the affluent international students who don’t actually need an education in real things. They will come away with Liberal Arts degrees. The school won’t cater to the local population. No one here will be able to afford to attend. That’s how it seems to go these days.
Anyway, I took a few pics, they can be seen at:
http://www.thedougsite.net/Quest/Quest1.htm
*
Pollen season. No kidding! Actually, it has been pollen season here for a month now but with all that endless rain we had to endure the alder pollen was simply washed down off the trees. So for a while it didn’t really matter. But now that we have had a week of near summer dry sunny weather the pollen has exploded with a vengeance. There are other kinds of course but the alder trees are the big producers right now.
I’ve gone through a box of Kleenex in the last couple of days and will probably do the same again in the next couple. But I guess the only place on this planet where pollen wouldn’t be an issue is at the middle of Antarctica. Can’t live there, wouldn’t mind visiting but it’d be hard to earn a living or got motorcycling. So we put up with wheezing and sneezing and blowing until the season is over.
All that rain had some other ramifications as well. There are major blueberry operations in the lower Fraser Valley and those berry plants should be greened up and blooming right now. Instead, the fields are still under water and there is concern about root damage. Other field crops are also affected. Things are drying out but not fast enough yet. Those berries should begin hitting the market in about 3 months from now. Keep your fingers crossed.
doug
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Hello
everyone!
I’d like
to start today’s report with something that really bugs me!
There is
a farmer in the Guelph area that has been put in a financial dilemma by the
reassessment of his property. He purchased a power generating windmill from
Holland and had it erected on his farm. The total cost of the machine was
$160,000.00. He followed the legal requirements and applied for a building
permit to erect the energy saving and producing device. He was granted the
permit and proceeded with the installation. The completed project saves him
approximately $3600.00 per year and also produces twice the amount of hydro he
uses to run his farm. He can therefore apply for reimbursement from Ontario
Hydro for the extra hydro he is able to feed into the OH grid. This is a win
win situation and in my estimation is a great encouragement to all of us to do
something like this to improve our environment. However, a couple of months
after he completed his project, a property assessor showed up at his farm and
conducted a reassessment of his property value. The new assessed value was a
whopping $59,000.00 more than before he had the windmill installed. Now grant
it, this is an advantage to him should he ever want to sell his property but it
has also caused an increase in his property taxes. His bill has now increased
annually by the exact amount he is saving by having the windmill in operation.
My question here is (and what really bugs me) “What the hell’s the point in
going to all the trouble and expense this man has gone to if the end result is
a big fat “0” as far as savings goes?” The true benefit seems to me to be the
one the government is gaining. The Hydro One Corporation is receiving the
benefit of the added power to their grid which they can turn around and charge
a huge profit for when they sell it back to the public. The local and
provincial governments benefit by receiving the increased property taxes paid
to them by this conscientious conservation minded citizen. It really doesn’t
seem fair that someone willing to put his own money into an environmentally
sound project be penalized to the point of frustration by the very government
that purports to support such projects for the good of all! If someone is able
to invest such time and money into a project that is a benefit to all citizens
then the government should at least treat this person with the respect they
deserve. It’s ridiculous to think that people are encouraged by our government
to invest in such energy saving plans only to have their taxes increased by the
very amount they are trying to save. I think the Provincial Liberals should
step up and make things right for anyone that invests in such projects. Do you
think for one minute that the provincial MPPs would do the jobs they do if at
the end of the year they were told they would have to give their pay cheques
back? Like Hell! I sincerely hope that this gentleman fights the ridiculous
circumstances being forced on him and his fellow citizens/taxpayers should
stand behind him. I’ll be anxious to see if his local MP does anything to
assist him toward a positive outcome. At the very least, he should be allowed
to deduct the cost of this project from his taxable income over the next
several years. I’m not so sure he can’t at this point but just the fact that
he’s being screwed around like this makes me wonder what kind of a government
we have elected! It’s time to give the boot to the Liberals in Ontario and
elect someone that will make this a better province in which to live! It’s
truly unfortunate that they give it to you with one hand and take it away with
the other. I believe that anyone willing to do something positive for our
environment should receive a benefit from the government in the form of “No
Taxes” whatsoever when purchasing the equipment, installing such equipment and
operating such equipment. That means they pay no PST/GST when buying what’s
necessary and are not assessed for any property improvements involved after the
project is complete. Of course we should all be willing to do our part to
improve the environment just for the sake of saving mother earth for our
children but unfortunately our world revolves around money. If the government
wants to interest people in helping improve our environment, tax breaks are the
only way they will succeed in doing so. Kicking a taxpayer in the ass after
smiling to get them to do something is hardly the way to succeed.
I rest my
case for this week!
Thanks
for tuning in and I look forward to talking to you all again next time in The
Ontarion Report!
Bye for now… Greg.
PS:
Something To Think About>
Proverb:
War does not determine who is right, war determine who is left!
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The Family and the Squamidian sites:
http://members.shaw.ca/doug_b/ and http://www.thedougsite.ca
Have a good one..
the
doug
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