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Newsstand: June 14, 2013
Friday! And just when the week was starting to get interesting. In the news: Toronto homebuyers are paying a lot of government fees, it's decision day for Hazel McCallion in court, your weekend travel plans are saved, and Dalton McGuinty gets a sizeable sendoff.
One fifth of the cost of homes in the GTA is made up of various fees and charges that make their way to government, a study by Altus Group, commissioned by the Toronto Star, found. The study looked at fees and charges in six GTA municipalities—Town of Oakville, City of Brampton, City of Markham, Town of Bradford-West Gwillimbury, Town of Ajax, and the City of Toronto—and found that on average, about 20 per cent of the cost of a new home went to government fees and charges like development charges, property and land transfer taxes, and HST.
Longtime Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion will find out at about 10 a.m. this morning if she’s been found to have violated conflict-of-interest laws. McCallion has been accused of violating the Municipal Conflict of Interests Act when she took part in Peel Region council votes and moved amendments that would save her son’s company millions in development charges. Ontario Superior Court Justice John Sproat will release his decision today.
Good news for travellers: a VIA Rail strike was averted at the 11th hour when a tentative deal with the Canadian Auto Workers union was reached last night. A strike looked likely last night until a deal was reached just before the midnight deadline. Details of the tentative agreement haven’t yet been released, and ratification votes are being scheduled.
After 23 years in politics, former Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty will end up with a generous severance package. McGuinty gets about $313,000 in severance after resigning as MPP for Ottawa South on Wednesday. Unlike federal MPs, provincial MPPs do not have a pension plan.