Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Walker was extremely disappointed to hear that the Liberal government is back-pedalling on its key election promise to deliver savings to municipal budgets by uploading the full cost of court security. 

After Finance Minister Dwight Duncan revealed in his letter to Owen Sound that he was cutting transfer payments by 10 per cent and cutting again by the amount uploaded for court security and prisoner transportation costs, Walker fired off a letter to the key Liberal ministers, chastising them for misleading municipal partners. 

“That you’re cutting the transfer payments by the amount uploaded for court security costs is a complete contradiction of your original promise, and one that will result in a funding system more inequitable than the one it was meant to fix,” Walker said. “It is a shell game, and an action that shows utter disrespect for the taxpayers of our community.” 

Back in 2008 and during last October’s provincial election, the Ontario Liberals promised to fix the long-standing funding inequity by uploading court security costs from municipal budgets in an effort to save municipalities $125 million a year. 

This means that by 2018, the City of Owen Sound should see an annual savings of at least $450,000. Instead, with the revelations of reductions in the transfer payments, the city will actually see a loss of about $600,000. 

“I’m asking the ministers to reverse this ill-fated decision and to keep their promise to deliver savings, not losses to our municipal partners,” said Walker. 

The potential loss of $600,000 in provincial support would dramatically undermine the city’s financial stability, and result directly in significant property tax increases.  

Walker said it was a double-whammy to the community considering the government just closed the Owen Sound and neighbouring Walkerton jails, resulting in a loss of 100 jobs and $6 million dollars from the local economy.