Politics: The HST Will Hit Renters, Too

Parkdale-High Park Member of Provincial Parliament Cheri Dinovo spoke at Swansea Town Hall on 27-October-2009

TORONTO, ONTARIO - I've mostly kept silent about the upcoming implementation of the HST, or Harmonized Sales Tax, that will occur next July in the province of Ontario. While it is a regressive tax, in a time of deficits and as a general believer in appropriate taxation, I did not think it appropriate to take a stand against a tax. Also, while all Goods and Services Taxes are fundamentally regressive, they are also a tax on consumption, which in an environmental era strikes me as an appropriate thing to be doing; rather than not have a HST, I would like to see the costs that poor and middle class people incur because of the HST be accounted for in reduced income taxes in their tax bracket. Granted, Ontario is not doing that in its implementation of the HST (at least on a permanent basis), but that still wasn't enough to get me upset.

The HST will have items that are currently not subject to the Provincial Sales Tax but are subject to the Federal Goods and Services Tax be subject to the Harmonized Sales Tax including both rates. Thus, the tax will affect me. Items such as Internet access, postage stamps, prepared foods under $4, and many services will all cost 8% more than they do now, and depending on my tax bracket in 2010, it's extremely unlikely that I will come out ahead.


Trinity-Spadina Member of Provincial Parliament Rosario Marchese spoke at Swansea Town Hall on 26-October-2009

This evening, my local Member of Provincial Parliament for Parkdale-High Park, Cheri Dinovo, held a town meeting mostly informing condominium owners about how their condo fees will be going up by 8% as a result of the HST. Since his riding has more condominiums, her colleague from Trinity-Spadina, Rosario Marchese, spoke to the issue at length, whereas Dinovo mostly focused on the HST itself.

What I did not realize until this evening is that as a result of the HST, landlords will be able to claim an extraordinary circumstance and apply to raise their rents by the amount that the HST is costing them, and there is no question that the requests will be granted. While not all rent money goes to services currently exempt from provincial taxes so the increase would not be 8%, depending on circumstances it might be quite high, on the order of 4-5%. So, renters may actually be hit more than even condo owners as a result of the HST. Nobody in the media seems to be talking about that.

Still, for the same reasons that I've held all along, I remain unconvinced that I really want to oppose the HST--I'd rather work on making the income tax more progressive, particularly at the high end.

Heritage: Milton Steam Era

A 1913 Sawyer-Massey steam tractor moved around the grounds at the Milton Steam Era festival on 5-September-2009

TORONTO, ONTARIO - In 2009, Milton, Ontario seems like a somewhat odd location for a historic tractor show. Most such shows take place in rural areas surrounded by miles and miles of farms. Milton now has hourly or better transit connections to Toronto and zero-lot housing development bolstering its population. However, as it has almost since World War II, the Milton fairgrounds still plays host to the "Steam Era" show each Labour Day weekend.


A view over the boiler was obtained while riding behind a steam tractor at the Steam Era show in Milton, Ontario on 5-September-2009

A highlight of show, of course, are the steam tractors. Many of the steam tractors present came from the Ontario Steam Heritage Museum in Puslinch, Ontario. These enormous tractors are operational, and moved about the fairgrounds throughout the weekend, including one serving as a "people mover" so that people could experience the thrill of riding behind one of these early 20th-century beasts.


A line of classic Ford tractors was typical of the many groups on display at the Milton Steam Era festival on 5-September-2009

The bulk of the tractors, though, were diesels. Most were from a classic era of diesel tractors, which in the case of one manufacturer, John Deere, lasted as long as two-cylinder engines were adequate to power the tractors. The population of tractors from the 1920's to the post-World War II era was simply incredible. Even rare one-cylinder models from several European manufacturers were present.


A John Deere model 620 orchard tractor, with extra sheet metal to protect against branches, was in the parade returning to the Milton Steam Era site on 5-September-2009

Motion was really the dominant theme of Steam Era. Tractors were in moving for a parade through Milton, for a threshing content, and for the ever-popular tractor pull contests. Other activities included displays of classic automobiles, a country music contest, and the perennial favorite corn roast.


A classic Farmall tractor participated in the tractor pull at the Milton Steam Era festival on 5-September-2009

Next year will be the 50th anniversary of the Steam Era event, with a variety of retrospective displays related to the first decade of Steam Era shows. Those interested should mark it on their calendars for Labour Day weekend!

Photos: Trip to Michigan, Part I

Some of the four-day attendance of 36,000 at the Train Festival in Owosso, Michigan wandered between steam locomotives, model railroad pavilions, and railroad maintenance equipment on 24-July-2009

TORONTO, ONTARIO - This week's update to my photo site begins coverage of my recent trip to Michigan on 23-27-July-2009. This set includes a trip on VIA Rail Canada from Toronto to Windsor, Ontario, a look at downtown Flint, Michigan, scenes around Owosso, Michigan, and scenes from the Train Festival grounds in Owosso including non-excursion equipment, the miniature railway, and model railroad pavilion.

Photos: Summer Fireworks around Toronto, 2009

Red and white fireworks gave a patriotic flare to the Canada Day fireworks at the Mississauga, Ontario Civic Centre on 1-July-2009

TORONTO, ONTARIO - This week's update to my photo site focuses on recent fireworks displays. With the city strike canceling some of the displays in Toronto, I decided to take in the Canada Day fireworks at the Mississauga Civic Centre on 1-July-2009, including some of the day-long festivities beforehand. Toronto still had a number of shows, including the finale of the Festival of Fire over Lake Ontario observed on 4-July-2009.

Photos: Holidays in Toronto

BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON - This week's update to my photo site features holiday scenes around Toronto, Ontario.

Toronto holiday scenes in December 2008 included the performance of the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's live Sounds of the Season broadcast of "Here and Now," display windows at the Hudson's Bay Company, the Cavalcade of Lights fireworks display at Toronto City Hall, the Trail of Lights at Downsview Park, and more.

Photos: September Steam in Ontario

TORONTO, ONTARIO - This week's update on my photo site features opportunities to step into the past.

The smell of steam was alive and well in the province of Ontario in September 2008. Classic tractors dating back a century gathered in Milton, Ontario on 1-September-2008. The following weekend, a Railfan Day was held at the Huntsville and Lake of Bays Railway in Huntsville, Ontario featuring steam locomotive #2.

Historic buildings in Milton and Huntsville were also included.