It is 2025, and we are reaching the quarter-mark of this century. While many like to reflect on what has happened over the last year or years, we at The Leader have decided to look ahead – to look forward – to the next year at our local, provincial, and federal governments and say what we hope to see happen in 2025. And why. Starting with our most local level of government, South Dundas.
South Dundas council faces a daunting task. After a 5.5 per cent tax increase in 2023 and a 6.67 per cent tax increase in 2024, staff is proposing an 11.91 per cent tax increase for 2025. A tax hike that high, following increases of over 12 per cent in the last two years, is frankly unacceptable. If approved as is, that would amount to taxes increasing by 24 per cent across the first three years of this council term. That is not a feather in any politician’s cap. There has been heightened inflation, the economy is sputtering, and families across the income spectrum are having to figure out how to do more with less, or in some cases, just do less with less. Our hope for 2025 is that South Dundas council digs into the budget and makes the tough decisions about hiring, services, and capital projects to cut the tax increase to about the rate of inflation – or better.
SDG Counties is a three-sided coin consisting of Dundas, Stormont, and Glengarry. The last 12 months have seen every coin toss come up for Glengarry, with very little focus on the other two-thirds of the county. Our hope in 2025 is for a more balanced approach to capital projects and spending in the Counties – one that reflects all three areas of the counties. We also hope to see the next warden come from outside of Glengarry, because politicians from that area have set the agenda for far too long in recent years.
Education continues to be a hot-button issue for many families. SDG formed an education subcommittee in 2022 to continue to advocate for rural schools in our communities. Two years in, however, the group appears to be mired in the weeds. Instead of directing resources to collect enrolment data, they are spinning their wheels and ignoring their duty to champion our community schools. It is our hope in 2025 that the committee gains some traction and focuses on its task.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford appears hell-bent on calling an election this year, a year earlier than required. A flood of announcements of financial support for municipalities, infrastructure, and programs is all well and good, however the province continues to fail on its previous promises to end hallway medicine, lower wait times, and improve our ailing health care and education systems. In 2025. we hope to see the current government focus on the mandate they already have, rather than seek a new mandate for their unfinished work.
Lastly, the federal election is scheduled for October 2025. Almost all parties are primed to go to the polls early. Our hope for this new year is that everyone will take a step back and try to work collaboratively to accomplish something before the October election – and wait until then for the election. Recent polls have shown that Canadians are not interested in an early election. Canadians are interested in politicians getting to work. We hope, for at least part of 2025, they do just that.
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