In the midst of a provincial election in Ontario, the "conservative"
governing party has proposed that those over 65 who are home owners need
not pay the education portion of their property taxes.  The following
article illuminate the population-health related implications of paying off
a group that is already relatively well-to-do and removing tax revenues
from other services.

My research found that seniors' groups felt that this government had been
one of the worse in regards to seniors issues: see Toronto report at
http://www.utoronto/ca/seniors
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Seniors challenge Eves' justification of tax break

 HELEN HENDERSON - Toronto Star

 If Ontario Premier Ernie Eves is such a friend to seniors, how come many
seniors' groups are voicing concern about where this
 province is headed?

 Does Eves think seniors can't do the math? Does he think they'll be happy
with tax credits of any kind when home and health
 care services are so clearly underfunded?

 Does he think they don't care about schools that can't afford to give all
kids the education they deserve?

 Does he think they won't notice that eight years of "experienced" Tory
management have done little to improve the outlook for
 anyone spending his or her twilight years in Ontario?

 Traditionally, the 50-plus crowd is a key demographic for the political
right. The older we get, the more small-c conservative
 we become in approaching the future. Rightly or wrongly, we look at change
more warily.

 But eight years of declining services under the reigning Tories speak
louder than empty words boasting about how much the
 party cares.

 In her pre-election budget, Finance Minister Janet Ecker showed how much
she cared by freeing everyone aged 65 and up
 from paying the education portion of their property taxes ? provided they
fill out all the necessary paperwork to apply for the
 savings.

 The Tories predicted the move would save the average senior household
about $475 at tax time in April. The cost to the
 government in lost revenue: $450 million a year.

 That's $450 million that could be better spent elsewhere, seniors groups
responded.

 Some of the harshest criticism came from CARP, Canada's Association for
the Fifty-Plus, a group whose membership includes
 many of the well-heeled property owners who would benefit most from the
tax break.

 In a news release following the budget, CARP noted: "Over 115,000
patients/clients and thousands of family caregivers are
 being deprived of necessary services and have lost more than 6 million
hours of service in home care in 2001/02 alone."

 The group also noted that money for these services "is being doled out in
spurts," inhibiting proper planning.

 "We were led to believe that the budget would address this, but there was
nothing," said Judy Cutler, director of
 communications.

 This month, in another news release, CARP queried Eves' performance. Among
questions asked:

  If Eves' policies are senior friendly, then how come community care
access centres are announcing cutbacks in home and
 community care services because the funding that Queen's Park promised in
1998 is not flowing?

  Why is the crisis facing home and community care being ignored?

  What about seniors who are paying as much as 80 per cent of their low
fixed income on rent? When will Ottawa's funding
 for affordable rental housing be matched and spent in Ontario?

  What about seniors whose property taxes are going through the roof
because current value assessment is well over the
 amount of the property tax credit?

  What about the thousands of family caregivers who have had to leave work
to provide home care for elderly, frail parents or
 spouses? Many of them have no income, and are therefore not eligible for a
tax credit.

  How do tax credits benefit low and fixed income seniors? ... How do they
help the growing number of seniors going to food
 banks?

  Could reimbursements for education taxes create intergenerational
conflict, contributing to ageism (by linking gains for seniors
 to underfunding education)?

 "Premier Eves' policies raise a lot of questions when it comes to
benefiting seniors," the news release concludes.

 Indeed they do.

 Eves tells voters that Dalton McGuinty and the Liberals will raise taxes.
In fact, what the Liberals have pledged to do is roll
 back the planned property tax break, keeping the $450 million in the
system.

 I leave the last word to Marie Lance of Brighton, whose letter to the
editor about education issues was published in the Star in
 June. "A side note to Premier Ernie Eves," Lance wrote in discussing
children's education. "Stop buying votes! I am a retired
 schoolteacher who is gladly paying education property taxes. Their future
is in our hands."

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