Will it really create new jobs? They seem to be missing the point that the existing casino in Cavan Monaghan is a major employer. It is also interesting to hear members of city council claim how it will create hundreds of new jobs. People who would be going to the casino would not patronize the downtown businesses and in that location it would be likely to attract an undesirable crowd to the downtown. The traffic congestion would make the downtown even less attractive than it is now for anyone to consider shopping there. Why would anyone in their right mind suggest that it should be located in the downtown core? That would be, without a doubt, the worst possible location. Some thought was apparently even given to locating it downtown. It has been interesting, to say the least, watching the city of Peterborough debate the location of a new casino. You can agree or disagree with my point of view everyone is entitled to their own opinion but for what it’s worth that’s my view from the country. One question would need to be answered definitively and that is would the municipality eventually be required to assume responsibility for any water and sewage treatment facility that might be developed initially by a private corporation? There are a lot of unanswered questions but careful consideration of the proposal would be worth a look. Perhaps the residential component of their plan is a bit aggressive but it would be worth investigating and making an attempt to work out details that could benefit the entire area. It would be necessary to scrutinize all aspects of the Kawartha Downs proposal in order to know what the municipality was getting itself into but on the surface it sounds like a good plan. Of course this will not happen overnight, nor would annexation, but it seems like a potential answer to the problem of serviced land for the creation of jobs in the area while retaining a much needed tax base for the municipality. This, in my opinion, would be most beneficial to the township and the city would also benefit because most of the jobs created would likely go to city residents at no cost to Peterborough. Perhaps they could also provide services to commercial and industrial lands along Whittington Drive. They are even willing to discuss the possibility of servicing the airport. Perhaps even better would be the proposal from the owners of Kawartha Downs to further develop that property and provide their own services. When they supposedly had a potential developer looking for suitable land they would not share any information about the proposal with the neighboring township. The last time Peterborough annexed land from North Monaghan ward for industrial purposes they almost immediately rezoned it residential then complained they had no land for industrial development. Past experience should be kept in mind when having such discussions with the city. This is a never ending process and eventually the township would get so small that it would not be a viable municipality. There would be an initial payment and likely annual payments for a few years but in the end the land and the tax base is gone. Once land is annexed to the city it is gone forever. Unless both parties are willing to sit down and discuss all possibilities there will never be a viable solution to the problem and simple annexation is detrimental to the township in the long run. That option would however need to be carefully considered and worded to protect each municipality. It could also be that the township could simply buy services from the city and retain the tax base. How about cooperation? The township has the land and the city could provide the services and a revenue sharing formula could be developed that would be fair to all concerned. It seems ludicrous to me that the only option that is ever considered is annexation. In the past it has been initiated by the city. This time the proposal comes from the Mayor of Cavan Monaghan. Recently the suggestion to annex more land from Cavan Monaghan to the City of Peterborough has been proposed.
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