On the right, Drummond didn't go far enough and the cuts should be made regardless of their impact on lower-income and working-class families. To the left, Drummond's recommendations are a recipe for disaster that will decimate our workforce, our economy, and cripple our already struggling labour force with additional costs.

A town can try to sell itself on its charm, its appearance, its vaguely beneficial "lifestyle" -- but none of these can compete with the lure of a tax moratorium or free, serviced land; the attractive offers of yesteryear. Is charm worth more to a company than easy access to the transportation network? Or lower taxes? Not likely.

Just like your personal insurance, municipal insurance costs keep escalating, and it's you, the taxpayers, who pay these spiralling premiums. You're getting hit by a double whammy: home and town insurance.

To absorb costs, the province either has to cut services or raise taxes. Maybe both. The gloomy economic reality means that most provincial funds for local projects will dry up after the election while the debt gets tackled. That's more money municipalities have to get from local property owners.