{"id":621,"date":"2014-10-15T21:52:00","date_gmt":"2014-10-15T21:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rf.podcastfixit.com\/index.php\/2014\/10\/15\/taxation-inequity-transparency\/"},"modified":"2015-06-01T19:40:52","modified_gmt":"2015-06-01T19:40:52","slug":"taxation-inequity-transparency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newscoverage.org\/index.php\/2014\/10\/15\/taxation-inequity-transparency\/","title":{"rendered":"Taxation inequity, transparency"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bletas: \u201cThey have to make the move\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

By Joel Ceausu<\/b>
\nwww.thesuburban.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe population is screaming outrage about this,\u201d says Steve Bletas. \u201cit\u2019s discriminatory against the English speaking population and it has to be rectified. <\/p>\n

The issue is taxation, specifically the infamous inequality faced by the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board, enshrined by section 308 of the Quebec Education Act, which ensures two school boards with jurisdiction over the same territory have different maximum tax rates. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhy should neighbors have to pay two different tax rates if their children are getting the same education?\u201d says Bletas, running for chair of the board in the Nov. 2 election.<\/p>\n

It would be inconceivable in most jurisdictions and at most levels of government, but the inequity has been institutionalized in the 450 region where a property owner in the Laurentians whose children attend a SWL school can pay a stunning 200 percent more in school taxes than their French-schooled neighbours. <\/p>\n

Throw in enrolment-choking language laws and budget cuts (about $4 million in the last two years from an approximately $160 million budget) and it\u2019s the perfect storm to hobble a school system\u2014possibly a community. This year the board had to cut $300,000 in services to students he says, because of the budget squeeze.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cWe\u2019re losing our tax base,\u201c said Bletas, leader of the Students First slate for the Nov. 2 election. \u201cIf property owners can choose between two vastly different tax bills, that\u2019s money we lose out for programs for special needs services, bullying prevention programs and more.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cWe are going to go at this aggressively until they get sick of us. Those tax rates must be standardized.\u201d Bletas says improvements can be made to the taxation scheme, if cities collect taxes through a line item, or boards partner to produce economies of scale in collections. But ultimately he says, rates must be equal and the only way that will happen is through government decree. <\/p>\n

For years the issue has been brought up with successive governments, he says, yet keeps being shuffled to the next administration. \u201cI don\u2019t care anymore what government is there, they have to make the move.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n
\nBletas told The Suburban <\/i>that the current MNA cohort in Laval are allies, but laments that there was no progress and no pressure put on the government for the last two and a half years.<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cAll we heard is that it is on the agenda. That\u2019s not good enough, it has to be on the table and I\u2019m going to make sure it happens.\u201d
\n
\u201cSickening\u201d <\/b><\/p>\n

But the existential threat over Quebec\u2019s school boards increases the urgency says Bletas, who took umbrage at Education Minister Yves Bolduc\u2019s thinly-veiled suggestion that low turnout may jeopardize their future.<\/p><\/div>\n

\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cThat\u2019s nerve to say that. He wants turnout, but we have to go to all this trouble to make sure that people who want to vote in our board can do so. It\u2019s sickening how many people are automatically transferred to the French voting lists once their child graduates English school. I myself moved and was put on the French list. It\u2019s an outrage.\u201d <\/p>\n

The Quebec English School Boards association (QESBA) has to take a more aggressive position on this says Bletas. The stunning lack of progress on such important files as taxation and voter lists are just some of the criticism leveled at the English board lobby group over the years. (QESBA\u2019s new executive director is former Lester B. Pearson chair Marcus Tabachnick, who replaced David Birnbaum who in turn won the safe D\u2019Arcy McGee seat for the governing Liberals in the last election.) <\/p>\n

Also running under the Students First banner are Tracy Friedman, Frank Baker, Ailsa Pehi, Nicholas Bianco, Mike Pizzola and Steve Mitchell.<\/p>\n

Bletas says on November 3 the new council will usher in an era of real transparency at a board that alienated many of its stakeholders over the last year or so.<\/p><\/div>\n

\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cCouncil meetings will be televised live on the internet,\u201d he said, \u201cand for question period there will be none of that submitting questions 48 hours in advance. That\u2019s over.\u201d<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nBletas also promises to have all commissioners\u2019 expenses posted online\u2014the Lester B. Pearson board already does, the English Montreal School Board is still wrestling with the issue. <\/p>\n

Moreover, two seats will be opened up on council for students, he says, giving them a true voice for the first time.<\/p><\/div>\n

\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cCouncil has the right to do it, and we can give them a strong voice in the board, something students tell me has been lacking, especially over the last year with the Laval high school issue. That\u2019s real two-way communication.\u201d <\/p>\n

One bit of communication he does not relish is having to justify new hires with parents and school communities. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe made cuts to services to students, and then hired people at the board level. That grinds me to no end. We\u2019re at about 13,500 students and we need two assistant directors-general? When we had more kids six years ago we had one who also doubled up as secretary-general.\u201d <\/p><\/div>\n

\n<\/div>\n
\nBletas \u2013 and running mate Mike Pizzola\u2014voted against the second position. \u201cI had absolutely nothing against the individual, but it was the second position I don\u2019t believe in, specifically when we cut $300,000 from student services. That\u2019s a six-figure salary.\u201d <\/p>\n

Does that mean a Bletas council will clean house in upper management? \u201cNo,\u201d he said.<\/p><\/div>\n

\n<\/div>\n
\n\u201cCouncil decides but I will say that our team does not agree with maintaining a second ADG when numbers don\u2019t warrant. I can\u2019t justify it to the schools, the parents, or the taxpayers.\u201d
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Bletas: \u201cThey have to make the move\u201d By Joel Ceausu www.thesuburban.com \u201cThe population is screaming outrage about this,\u201d says Steve Bletas. \u201cit\u2019s discriminatory against the English speaking population and it has to be rectified. The issue is taxation, specifically the infamous inequality faced by the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board, enshrined by section 308 of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nTaxation inequity, transparency - Newscoverage<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/newscoverage.org\/index.php\/2014\/10\/15\/taxation-inequity-transparency\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Taxation inequity, transparency - Newscoverage\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Bletas: \u201cThey have to make the move\u201d By Joel Ceausu www.thesuburban.com \u201cThe population is screaming outrage about this,\u201d says Steve Bletas. \u201cit\u2019s discriminatory against the English speaking population and it has to be rectified. 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