Seniors, taxes, hospital top of mind in Vaughan Ward 4

Yorkregion.com
Oct. 3, 2014
By Simone Joseph

When Mario Ferri was campaigning Thursday in Vaughan, a resident told her story which was so heartwrenching, he couldn’t take it anymore.

“I had to leave after a while. It was hard to listen to,” he said.

The woman came to Canada with nothing. When she and her husband finally had enough money to buy property, owning a home meant everything to them.

Her husband has since died and she is alone. The senior told Ferri the high property tax rate has put her at risk of losing her home.

“She sees it as a betrayal,” Ferri said. “Her husband worked hard to put a roof over her head.”

Ferri sums up the issue bluntly: “Property taxes are becoming home destroyers.”

Ferri was at a meet and greet event Thursday night for Ward 4 Concord/Thornhill organized by the Canadian Automobile Association or CAA. He was among mayoral, council and school trustee candidates who discussed issues with residents, promoted themselves to voters and generally schmoozed in the gym at the North Thornhill Community Centre.

Some seniors are continually asking for property tax relief, Ferri said.

Seven years ago, he created Seniors Association of Vaughan Initiatives - S.A.V.I,, an umbrella organization that promotes policies and advocates for better quality of life for seniors.

The association held a summit seven years ago and invited provincial and federal parties, asking what they would do to help seniors. Municipalities don’t have enough authority to change the formula for property tax rebates, Ferri said. The Liberal party introduced a property tax rebate. Now everyone 65 and older has the option of receiving up to $500 per year as a rebate, depending on income.

Ferri wants to propose a City of Vaughan version of this that will be only for seniors on pension who receive a supplement. These seniors will qualify for a $300 rebate. The rebate would be tied to property taxes so if taxes go up, the rebate would go up, too.

Would Ferri’s rebate get passed by council?

“I am going to fight like hell to get that,” he said.

During an interview at the CAA event, Giacomo Parisi said he believes voters need more civics education explaining how to vote, what municipal politicians do and more.

For example, many people have no idea that you can pick three regional councillors, he said.

“I blame the candidates,” said Parisi, who has lived in Vaughan since 1982.

What is the difference between a regional versus a local ward councilor? Parisi said voters need to know.

He hosted a program called What’s New Vaughan on CHIN radio. He is part of a pilot project called Vaughanradio.ca. Next election, people should get a civics crash course, Parisi said. Some people are also confused by the difference between separate and public school trustees.

Parisi is disturbed his 18-year-old son is not interested in voting. “They don’t talk about it in school,“ Parisi said.
He wants to vote for regional councillor candidate Mario Ferri because he was a leader in shutting down the Keele Valley garbage dump and is very involved with seniors, he said.

He also advocates regional councillor candidate Michael Di Biase because of his experience and said: “He has got great qualities as a French teacher.”

These politicians deserve to be re-elected, Parisi said.

“They want to finish what they started.”

For his part, Di Biase spoke about an issue on many people’s minds: When will the Vaughan hospital be built?

“Infrastructure is being built. If you drive along Major Mackenzie or Jane Street, you can see roadwork has started and they have started doing water, sewer and roads. We are getting hospital land ready to start construction.”

He is hoping to see the breaking of ground for construction of the hospital next fall, to be completed 2018-19.