At one end of the street is the Region, headed by chair Gary Carr, who — while leading the Fairness for Halton campaign — says the Province is being unfair in asking Halton to accommodate thousands of new residents in the coming years through the Places to Grow plan without offering enough funding for infrastructure.

The Province, through Minister of Energy and Infrastructure George Smitherman, has said the Region’s infrastructure deficit — pegged at $300 million — is the fault of the Region and precedes the Province’s Growth Plan. He’s called Carr’s plea for fairness ‘grandstanding.’

It’s hard to believe this is the same George Smitherman who, four years ago as health minister, helped neighbouring Georgetown win its fight against the William Osler Health Centre to keep its hospital’s obstetrics ward open.

That situation isn’t unlike the one between the Region and Province today. In both cases, a more powerful body (in this case the Province) is trying to impose its will on the weaker one (the Region) without proper justification.

While the Province has provided some infrastructure funding, it clearly falls short of what the Region requires if it is forced to follow the Province’s plan to add 300,000 more people in Halton in the next 25 years. On top of that, the Region is now being told to pony up money to pay for badly-needed new and renovated hospitals in south Halton.

The Region, rightly so, isn’t inclined to place that huge financial burden on the backs of local taxpayers.

That’s why last week regional politicians indicated they will use a loophole in the Region’s Official Plan, which allows them to refuse sewer and water pipe connections to new developments until a more equitable funding arrangement with the Province is worked out.

That move won’t please developers, but it’s the only hammer the Region has to wield in this battle.

Time will tell who blinks first.