Private sector disappears

To the editor:

It appears to me that one very important link has been missing in the makeup of the past four years of progress in the City of Thunder Bay.

With all of the dollars quoted being spent on projects that are improvements to our revitalized city, not many seem to realize that all of the dollars for these projects are coming from your pocket, one way or another.

The private sector that should be leading the way in tax generating capitol projects, does not appear to be required anymore in the growth of Thunder Bay.

You might not have noticed, but the only significant new private-sector construction in Thunder Bay has been in the retail and residential sector, while new industrial sector construction has been minimal, if any, and all the while, the existing industrial tax base has been diminishing.

The future major tax base of Thunder Bay will surely come from a civil service-based community, complete with a service industry to support it.

This will be a far cry from the vital grain handling, ship building, paper making, industrial and transportation center that it once was.

If the guardians of your tax dollars keep their focus on leading the way in the role as the major developer of non tax generating facilities, there can only be one outcome: higher and higher municipal taxes.

You will have to decide at the next election who will best serve your vision for the future of Thunder Bay and who will manage your hard earned tax dollars diligently.

Ron Limbrick,
Thunder Bay