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Big Move plan not sitting well with Regional Chair continued from p.1 · a Regional fuel tax -- five cents per litre · a business parking levy · development charges amendments · high occupancy toll lanes · paid parking at transit stations · land value capture The proposed Big Move plans and investment strategy are not sitting well with Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr who says Halton residents are being asked for too much for not a big enough return. "All of these new projects, none of them relate to Oakville," said Carr. "So essentially, what they are going to be doing is asking the Halton residents to pay $477 per household without any new projects in Halton. One example is Milton where we were promised the all-day GO service a few years back. They said that was coming, but that is no longer part of what is being proposed." Carr said residents are being asked to pay for mostly Toronto projects like the Pearson Rail Expansion, which will link Pearson International Airport to Toronto, but have little affect on Halton. Carr also said a vote will come before regional council today (Wednesday), which, if approved, will call on Metrolinx to consider all-day GO Service to Georgetown and Milton and the electrification of the Lakeshore West GO line. Improvements to Hwy. 401 through Halton have also been requested to reduce congestion and improve productivity for businesses. Regional staff said the highway's capacity has not kept pace with growth. Oakville Chamber of Commerce President John Sawyer took a different view of the Big Move and its investment strategy. He said many chamber members are of the Full Delivery: 3 | Wednesday, May 29, 2013 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com opinion the government must act as soon as possible to move these projects forward to alleviate congestion. "We've gotten to the point where transportation issues here are making us uncompetitive and that is taking a toll on the business community," said Sawyer. "The number I hear most frequently is that traffic congestion is costing the economy $6 billion per year." With a large portion of Oakville's population working outside the community, Sawyer said the projects proposed in the Big Move would benefit Oakville residents. He said chamber members called for transpar- ent, consistent, administratively-efficient ways of generating revenue for the Big Move, stating it would make no sense to create an infrastructure to collect the revenue and then spend half the money on maintaining that infrastructure. Most members, Sawyer said, felt the proposed increase to the harmonized sales tax and introduction of a gasoline tax makes sense to help fund the transportation plan. Not everyone within the chamber, however, was happy about the proposal for a business parking levy, stating it requires more discussion. "Nobody likes more taxes. We've got this plan see Report on p.7 inside today's Editorial Sports Beaver www.insideHALTON.com Listen UP Canada, Onward Manufacturing, Salvation Army Recycling, Real Estate, Integra Tire & Auto Centres, Garry Rai - Century 21, Scottee Photography, Innovativa Inc., Ken Mair - Sotheby's Realty, Rona, PW Stone 6 17 Artscene Classified 15 21 Bouclair, Golf Town, Henry's Cameras, Home Depot Partial Delivery: THE PROBLEM WITH INVESTMENT FEES DATES Thurs, May 30th 10:00am, 2:00pm, 7:00pm Fri, May 31st 10:00am, 2:00pm Sat, June 1st 10:00am, 2:00pm SEMINAR For home delivery & customer service call 905-631-6095, 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington New subscriptions call 905-631-6095 or subscribe online @ www.oakvillebeaver.com Let's Play Bingo! OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK 483 Speers Rd. Oakville,(905) LOCATION Peter Watson Investments 220 Randall Street, Downtown Oakville MBA, CFP, R.F.P., CIM, FCSI Certified Financial Planner Peter Watson Free Parking www.deltabingo.com 842-0876 To reserve your seats email us at info@peterwatsoninvestments.com or call us at (905) 842-2100 Ext: 2 (24 hours) www.peterwatsoninvestments.com Don't Compromise on Driver Training UPCOMING COURSES · 20 hours in class · 10 hours online · 10 hours in car (automatic) OR · 12 hours in car (manual) · MTO Approved Beginner Driver Education Program Provider June 1, 2, 8, 9 Sat & Sun 2 Weekends 9:30am to 3:30pm June 24, 25, 26, 27 Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs 9:30am to 3:30pm July 2, 3, 4, 5 Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri 9:30am to 3:30pm www.drivewiseoakville.com 905-845-7200