Region of Waterloo's preliminary budget includes 8.6 per cent property tax increase
The Region of Waterloo’s budget discussions began in earnest Wednesday as regional staff tabled the preliminary 2023 budget.
The draft budget includes an 8.6 per cent property tax increase, which would see the average home with an assessed value of $354,500 paying an additional $188 on the regional portion of their annual property tax bill. Of that, around $50 would go toward policing.
The region’s chief financial officer says inflation is the main driver behind the tax hike proposed in the preliminary budget.
“We’ve experienced significant levels of inflation across all areas both from an operating and a capital perspective,” Craig Dyer told councillors Wednesday afternoon.
A report from staff says the preliminary budget "focuses on maintaining critical services during a period of unprecedented fiscal challenge and proposes investments focused on areas of top community need."
Those priorities include affordable housing, initiatives to address the homelessness crisis, transit service recovery and increased paramedic services.
Final approval of the budget is set for the end of February.
“Over the new few weeks I know we’ll have our sleeves rolled up,” Coun. Michael Harris told CTV News, noting councillors must balance people's ability to pay, given the rising costs of groceries and household items, with maintaining frontline services.
RESIDENTS SHARE BUDGET SUGGESTIONS
Members of the public had the chance to weigh in on council’s plans for the tax dollars at one of two budget public input sessions Wednesday night.
From a spike in inflation to the police budget – residents were open with councilors about where they wanted their tax money to go.
“It’s not cheap to hire police officers,” said delegate Eden Philip Kubassek. “A lot of police officers make $100,000 per year at the taxpayers' expense, plus healthcare, benefits and pension for life.”
Some wanted more support for emergency shelters.
“When you take a population of people with unsupported mental health and disabilities, remove all of the programmings and let them remain on waiting lists for years, you are creating shelter dependence through your system,” said delegate Lynn Charlton.
Others called for initiatives to help the homeless.
“This is maybe being quite optimistic, but I would like to see everybody in supportive housing. I don’t think we should need a support like tent city in the long-term,” said Jeff Willmer, board chair of A Better Tent City.
Others were looking for the region to invest in both sustainable and public transportation.
“Busy roads filled with people that could be taking public transit, or maybe even would be, if it weren’t so slow and consistently late,” delegate Brooklin Wallis said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."