{"id":180,"date":"2026-08-31T16:45:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T16:45:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/barryward3.com\/?page_id=180"},"modified":"2026-08-31T16:45:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T16:45:34","slug":"taxes-and-ontario-regulation-588-17","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/barryward3.com\/?page_id=180","title":{"rendered":"Taxes and Ontario Regulation 588\/17"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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There’s also an interesting Bonaparte-family story<\/strong>: one source attributes a version of the joke to Elisa Bonaparte<\/strong>, Napoleon’s sister. According to that anecdote, while she was dying, someone remarked that nothing was as certain as death, and she replied, \u201cExcept taxes.\u201d<\/strong> <\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Ontario Regulation 588\/17 will start appearing on your taxes for many years to come. The full name of the Regulation is: 588\/17 ASSET MANAGEMENT PLANNING FOR MUNICIPAL INFRASTRUCTURE<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the actual Regulation 588\/17 please Click Here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At an August Council meeting there was a presentation made by a consultant that suggested three plans ranging from over 2% down to 0.8%. While at the time of writing no official adoption (vote) has been done by Council it seems the amount will be in the middle at 1.6%. Ultimately it comes down to affordability vs. residents desired infrastructure levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A simple example<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suppose a municipality has $100 million worth of infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If those assets have an average useful life of 50 years, you might very roughly need to be setting aside:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

$100 million \u00f7 50 = $2 million\/year<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

for eventual replacement, before considering inflation, growth, deterioration, different asset lives, financing, grants, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the municipality is actually putting only $1 million a year toward renewal, there is effectively a $1 million annual infrastructure<\/strong> funding gap<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ontario Regulation 588\/17<\/strong>, is a major reason municipalities such as Lanark Highlands are now having to connect their infrastructure plans directly to long-term financing and taxation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The regulation does not literally require Lanark Highlands to have enough money today to replace every asset.<\/strong> It requires the municipality to identify what it will cost to maintain its chosen service levels over the long term, identify the funding available, and explicitly deal with any funding shortfall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Township said in February 2026 that it was still seeking public input on proposed levels of service <\/strong>for roads, facilities and other infrastructure. I am not certain if this public input phase is over or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is this a problem for Lanark Highlands?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n