Carolyn Fast, director of the Waterloo Region Food Bank stands on a pallet nearly emFty of food as a result of increased demands for food. The Food Bank, which services 13 agencies in the region, is considering conducting a spring food blitz in order to respond to the needs. Isobel Lawson photo vâ€" Mayor Turnbull disagrees. The Peterson government is making "municipalities act like a branch of the provincial government where they make decisions and we raise money and carry out the decisions. ‘"Many of the initiatives that they‘re taking are good decisions. But I think the bottom line is people who take the p‘nitiatives should pay for the decisions." Empty pallets municipalities. i Turnbull is inviting Epp to meet with city council to "‘discuss various problems," preferably next week during the provinciallyâ€"designated "local government week." Turnbull said that while he agrees "it is the province‘s freezing of unconditional grants was the straw that broke the camel‘s back," it is the general pattern of "less money and more responsibilities coming with very very little consultaâ€" tion" that is the bigger concern. "You have to remember the feds are cutting us back, too," replied Epp. "We can‘t just raise provincial taxes." The real problem between the province and municipalities is a "communication breakdown," said Epp, who was Waterloo mayor from 1975â€"77. ‘"I think we have to keep in mind the province is not going to give unlimited funding to municipal government." The province receives heat from taxpayers when it raises sales or excise taxes or increases the deficit to pay for muchâ€" needed programs, he said. > © When a need is identified in society, ‘"we don‘t always have the funds to transfer (to municipalities). Yet we see thefeeds out there. As a provincial government we have to govern provincially. â€" â€" _‘There are tough decisions to be made and some people don‘t like the decisions. That‘s the way it is. And I don‘t say that arrogantly." _ lan Kirkby Chronicle Staff Waterloo Mayor Brian Turnbull and Waterloo North MPP Herb Epp do not see eyeâ€"toeye on provipcial funding of Epp/Turnbull disagree _ (Continued from page 1) Municipal politicians unite to protest underfunding Higlito®. . SAMS 3: M 10 0 Sn "But this is one issue that is finally going to unite the muncipalities in this province." While the politicians present could not agree on a longâ€"term strategy, fearing they would tip their ‘*"I think we should send a clear message to Queen‘s Park that municipalities are united in the view that the province should get its own fiscal house in order." Municipal government must be treated as an equal, if junior, partner to the province and "not like a special interest group," said Clark. In his opening comments to the politicians, AMO President Stephen Clark (who is also mayor of Brockville) denounced the province for what he sees as underfunding traditional programs while simulâ€" taneously saddling municipalitiee with new and @ostly responsibilities. "It‘s easy to divide the municipalities of this province because of our geography," said Peter Pomeroy, chair of the Ragf»el Municipality of They came from all over the province â€" 550 councillors and mayors from municipalities from the east to the west and including the north and greater Toronto. They converged on a hotel in downtown Toronto last Thursday with one mission in mind â€" to unite in a strategy to get snore municipal funding from the provincial govermment, and to apply as much heat to the Peterson government as they could. It was an e meeting of the Association of Municipalities 3 Ontario, called to address the increasingly adversarial attitude that is developing between the province and Ontario‘s more than 800 "The halfâ€"day session was named "The Hidden Agenda â€"â€" Provincial priorities at local cost?" lan Kirkby Chronicle Staff Fast wonders about the day when she will be out of a job because the government has inâ€" stituted changes to help poor people â€" changes like the first stage outlined in Transitions, the report produced by the Social Assistance Review Committee. Government‘s commitment to make changes is the only way Fast envisions the end of food banks. "If nothing changes at the provincial level I don‘t see our work level changing or decreasâ€" ing." During January, February and March the Food Bank took in 97,795 pounds of food â€" 34,695 pounds more than last year. Apâ€" proximately 110,880 pounds were sent to its 13 member agencies; 19,200 pounds more than in the first three months of 1988. Fast is considering conducting a oneâ€"day blitz sometime | this spring to tide the food bank over through what is traditionally a lean period in the summer. "I would venture to guess 35,000 to 45,000 people in the region need some sort of help during the year," said Fast. And contrary to what people may think, those receiving hampers, on average, get less than two per year. They are not returning time after time. "It‘s meant to be three days of food to tide people over." Because food is "expendable" poor people pay their accommodaâ€" tion bills first, consequently the last week in the month is the peak time for hamper requests, she said. have kept prospective homebuyâ€" ers out of the market further taxing an overburdened renter‘s market. Wilf Muller of Gueélph gives fourâ€"yearâ€"old son Jason a taste of taffy that was on sale in downtown Elmira on Saturday. WATERLOO CHRONICLE, WEDNESDAY APRIL 5, 1989 â€" PAGE 3 COProposed provincial legislation would require for municipal police forces to provide court security. The resolution called for the province to revert to past policies in funding municipalities for growth, to cease adding responsibilities without paying for them, and that municipalities clearly explain to their ratepayers "the extent to which tax increases are due to reduced grants and subsidies and to the costs of unilaterally transferred but unfunded provincial responsibilities." Concerns of the municipalities include: CAn increase in 1989 "unconditional grants" that is below the actual rate of inflation. The 1989 grant parts with tradition, in that it does not give municipalities extra monies to help pay for growth, something that could affect fastâ€"growing areas of Ontario such as Waterloo Region. CTransportation costs such as the ministry proposal that eligibility criteria for disabled transit be broadened and the freezing of Roads Assistance Program grants at 1988 levels â€" so that municipaliâ€" ties will have to absorb all costs of some routine road maintenance and postpone or cancel proposed new cosntruction projects. OThe Treasurer‘s Green Paper proposing the use of lot levies for growthâ€"related capital costs, includâ€" ing possibly allowing school boards to create their own lot levies. Lot levies have been a traditional tool for municipalities to raise funds. CA variety of new and proposed legislation including pay equity, Workplace Hazardous Materiâ€" al Information System (WHMIS), firefighter turnâ€" out gear, Occupational Health and Safety Bill 208 and Worker‘s Compensation Bill 162, which add to the dayâ€"toâ€"day costs of muncipalities. hand to the province, they did unite long enough to unanimously pass a three part resolution