Out-Filling

Now that Phase 1, the in-filling of the city by way of sale of surplus, serviced properties is drawing to an end, it is time for Phase 2. In this phase of our Building Boom, we want people to build homes on non-serviced land, preferably so far from any existing service that connection to ageing city services will be out of the question for at least sixteen years. If we can persuade these future homeowners (taxpayers) to buy their land from the city, that would be very nice indeed. Right now, we have surplus land at the farthest reach from the city core, near a quiet little, almost private, lake that we want to sell.

Spun properly, the property is attractive to the moneyed rich from the big smoke. The fact that the new homeowners will be miles away from hospitals ( the new land ambulance program by the Liberals will help here); children will have a longer bus ride to enjoy the pastoral scenery on their way to and from the city schools; the Feronia Volunteer Fire department is only ten or fifteen minutes away (adequate time to save a foundation); the nuisance bear problem is only a northern-Ontario myth; the neighbourhood is free of crack houses (although there is rumour of some illicit forest horticulture in the area); the drinking water is pure and un-chlorinated and much cheaper than the City’s flat-water rate; and beeping snowploughs only arrive after 10 a.m. in the winter - the lots should sell like hotcakes.

The rumours of nude bathers and really old unexploded munitions in the area are only scare tactics by the FOOLs, a bunch of tree-hugging liberals who think public land is a sacred trust to be held for future generations. What these bleeding-heart socialists do not understand is the urgent need for money in our reserves.

Without lots of money in Reserves, the City would have a bad credit rating and not be able to get any more credit cards. Well, that might be a little simplistic, but if Moody’s, or some other credit rating company, thinks the City cannot repay its bonds, we have to pay more interest on the credit cards. Other than Manitouwage, I cannot think of a Canadian city, town or village who has had trouble meeting its debt responsibilities. Raising money for capital debt cannot be too hard in these days of zilch returns on GICs. A simple ad in the Nugget would most likely lead to an over-subscription for City bonds by the local well-to-do. In fact, when was the last time city residents had an opportunity to invest in their own city bonds?

Out-filling has been happening for years now in North Bay, but the new regime is going on the marketing offensive. No longer will city folk have to move to other municipalities like East Ferris or Callander to escape the busy city. It will take commuters only moments longer to drive from Widdifield Station Road to the City core than from Powassan, Bonfield and Sturgeon Falls. Large acreage lots in our outlying environs are not urban sprawl but suburban spread, a highly desired lifestyle.

Once the Otter Lake project is complete, there are a number of frontages on smaller lakes within the City boundaries. For those wishing a higher return than on the City Bonds, lake and pond real estate is hot in North Bay. Watch for spam ads coming to your computer soon, as Phase 2, The Out-Filling of North Bay, hits its stride!

Okay, I jest. But do we really need to sell the Otter Lake property?