Better use for funds than public toilets

To the editor:

Re: 'City funds toilets at new cricket pitch,' article Friday Feb. 25

Once again, another fine example of 'tax and waste' by the brain trust at city hall.

On Jan. 1, water rates climbed again for city of Toronto ratepayers, climbing another 10 per cent.

Another double digit rate increase, which has been the case for several years now, and will continue into the distant future.

Even the former health minister David Caplan believes Ontarians should be paying the 'true' cost of water, which in his private members bill, equals the cost of high speed internet at $50 per month.

Again, to replace aging pipes.

Fine, if - and it's a huge if - that the monies be used for that expressed purpose.

We the taxpayers have been hearing on a regular basis from politicians, that rates have to increase because of aging infrastructure. The pipes are 50 to 100 years old. Fine, then use the monies collected from the poor home owner, to which many have dial up or high speed light internet service, and cannot afford $50 per month municipal water.

Fix the pipes that are leaking like sieves all over the city during cold weather snaps.

Maintain and extend the life of what we have. However, don't spend hundreds of thousands for a sewer line into a cricket park, using monies from the city water surplus fund. Use it to replace the rotting pipes under our streets instead.

It's not only treated water that's escaping through leaky pipes thus being wasted...our tax dollars are as well, judging by this 'political move' by city hall.

Paul MacDonald