The title of one of the water articles in last Saturday's K-W Record is "Water crisis costing major dollars ". Both developers and municipalities allegedly are losing money with delays from the water crisis. Frankly I may feel badly for the construction workers who may or may not be currently losing employment but I'm less sure of feeling badly for the municipalities. They and their politicians are and always have been part of the problem. Also I thought our brain trusts had finally admitted that growth does not pay for itself and never has. That growth is subsidized year after year by higher taxes from long suffering residents .
Parts of Waterloo Region can still build and develop as usual such as most of Cambridge , North Dumphries, Baden and New Hamburg. Also developments and buildings that do not require additional water demand are exempt from the current hold on development. Supposedly municipalities are losing out on Development Charges (DCs) as they are being greatly delayed. Again my understanding is that Development Charges may offset the costs of extending sewers or water lines etc. but that they do not cover 100% of the costs of growth which eventually include greater snow plowing, fire service and police service not to mention health care, hospitals etc. All in all I don't feel that citizens are remotely getting the full and honest versions of the negative sides of growth which of course also include environmental costs. Just ask residents of beautiful neighbourhoods whose vacant lots and wooded areas are under constant pressure from developers nibbling at the edges or worse.
My advice to the Region of Waterloo is stay the course, get your water infrastructure improved and don't be harassed into premature lessening of the current development restrictions until everybody's water supply is stabilized and improved.
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