Region needs to spend millions more on water

After reading the Niagara Region’s public works commissioner Ron Tripp’s comments on how our infrastructure needs an influx of more funding to “deal with the gap,” I sat back and just shook my head.

How did he come up with those numbers, because I’m sure, that $95-million gap will turn into $190 million, or maybe more, based on the Region’s past performances and this council’s record of managing our funds.

How about the $40 million a year being spent now?

Tripp said other Ontario communities have dealt with infrastructure deficits through “aggressive” increases. How are we similar? Are their water/sewage rates comparable to ours? Help us out here. Don’t just focus on percentage increase threats. There’s only so much some households can absorb.

Let’s start with managing funds, will the infrastructure projects be scoped out competently to offset overruns? Will there be a project manager that will be held accountable for each project? Will cost overruns be dealt with properly and not after the fact with finger pointing and to find out later, nobody is accountable?

Who will prioritize the projects? Staff? Council? Coin flip? Because after watching that last regional meeting, the coin flip may not be far off.

Who will ensure we get value for dollar, certainly not the same personnel involved in our glorious bridge project.

Well, to Niagara Region’s credit, you have fixed councillor expenses. After 40 years in governance, what an achievement. I still am mesmerized at how a councillor can bill for mileage to promote the Region on a radio station out of town.

This Niagara Region government needs a good functional analysis review of every department. I can only imagine how much overlap and inefficiency lies within.

I guess, in the past, I read these articles in the paper and let it go, but I’ve lost confidence in Niagara Region governance and had to vent.

I’m sure others are thinking the same thing.

Kelly Lewis St Catharines