When I purchased my property in 2005 I was looking forward to my new business venture with such enthusiasm, a feeling that was very quickly deadened never to return. I was finally going to be my own boss and open the store I had been dreaming of for years. I worked many long hard hours to clean up and repaint, restoring an old building to the all it's glory, new lighting, new shelves and then the inventory. I had a great time visiting auction sales looking for the perfect antiques for the store. I had consignments from all over Ontario and locally. Some very unique and one of a kind objects, my own line of jams and preserves, another of my passions. All was great and I had a wonderful customers from all over Ontario,out of province and several from the United States. It was the perfect location and with the business starting to take off I moved on to the next part of my business plan. I was getting ready to renovate the second floor, which I was told when I purchased my property was the residential part of the property and was so looking forward to living above my store and waking up each morning and just walking down the stairs to my job, being able to just run up the stairs for lunch or anything I needed. In December of 2006 after many months of planning I applied for a residential renovation permit for one room on the second floor so the renovation could get started. And this is when my whole life was turned upside down and my new job of CHANGE AGENT FOR THE COMMUNITY began.
When I asked the building inspector (and I use that term loosely) what the cost was going to be I was floored to hear it would be $5000.00 plus. For one room?????? This cost included development charges. Having done many renovations and building a 2000 sq.ft home I new something was not right and decided to stand up and say so. I now understand why people do not stand up, but that could be the problem they should. Change never happens if no one tries. It takes but one voice....."The Municipality may by law impose a development charge against "land" to pay for services not already being paid for through taxation". The building in question was constructed somewhere between 1860 and 1880 and had been paying, through taxation for services it did not receive for many years. This began my research and subsequent filing and mediation with the Ontario Municipal Board.
It was wonderful dealing with the Ontario Municipal Board. They were helpful understanding and spoke a language that I understood. They helped me through the whole process and made mediation an alot easier than I thought. The only problem from mediation was that the Municipality got it's hand slapped and were told that development charges did not apply to my one room renovations and this made them mad, they would not go by the decision. This forced me to ask for a full hearing to force the Municipality to go by the ruling. And the war began.......next, the lengths a Municipality will go to when caught in a lie
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6 comments:
It is risky being a Change Agent. Stick your head up and you're asking for it.
All comments are welcome here as long as they show respect. Your comment is on the border of anything but repect. You do not walk in my shoes and have not lived what I have lived. I did not ask for this, but I do not plan on backing down and not even to a coward like you .... that is anonymous. Comments like this will no longer be allowed, get your jollies somewhere else
Sherrie: I don't know who anonymous is in the earlier comment, but is there any possibility at all that their comment could be interpreted as not intentionally being threatening? That is one of the difficulties of written posts. You can neither see the person's face nor here the tone of their voice. Most certainly the commenter is correct in that being an agent of change is risky. What do you think; could it be possible?swant
Yes Alan it could be quite possible that it was not threatening. But some people have been leaving not very nice comments hence the comment moderation. I do not want this to become a forum for people to attack others for having an honest educated opinion of the facts. It is risky be a change agent but it shouldn't be. I also did not chose to do it.... I have to do it. And if it helps someone else then that is a good thing.
Actually that first comment was a positive one, it was stating that it takes guts to be change agent, but apparently you are a little too sensitive to get that..sorry
I apoligize for not taking the comment the way that it was meant and thank you for posting again. I had been and still am receiving some not very nice comments and yes I am very sensitive to what has and still is being done to me. I will try not to be so harsh. And please fell free to offer your posts
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