The Infrastructure Funding Council (IFC) today released their final report, a comprehensive document that outlines an overall infrastructure funding strategy and provides recommendations regarding internal infrastructure funding options within the control of the municipalities, along with recommendations regarding external infrastructure funding options requiring intergovernmental negotiation and approval.
Executive Policy Committee and the AMM is seeking immediate action to:
- Dedicate infrastructure funding (for all AMM members) equal to 1 point of the existing 7 points of PST over and above 2011 provincial budget allocation;
- Receive a rebate of the PST paid by municipalities to the Provincial government similar to the rebate of the GST paid by municipalities to the Federal government;
- Seek permanent and indexed transfers to municipalities of the Federal Gas Tax Fund.
The IFC report outlines a series of recommendations with a three-pronged approach that proposes a 20-year staged in process, from 2011 to 2030, to implement municipal organizational and efficiency gains, generate the revenue needed to address the infrastructure deficit, and gradually develop new funding relationships.
The recommendations are separated into three distinct groups:
- Recommendations that can be acted upon by municipalities on their own;
- Recommendations which require provincial agreement, approval and legislation;
- Recommendations associated with a joint provincial / municipal national strategy to secure the federal government’s rightful participation in funding municipal infrastructure investment.
Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz
“This is a multi-billion dollar problem which needed to be looked at extensively if we are going to see some real action taken. I am glad to receive the council’s final report which I believe will provide us with a wide variety of options to consider,” said Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz. “The City of Winnipeg has a limited revenue base to solve some major problems and deliver the key services our citizens expect. There are some items in the report I believe make tremendous sense to move on immediately and we will be asking the administration to do so and review the full menu.”
“Manitoba municipalities face a number of very serious core challenges that affect our ability to create strong, vibrant communities for our citizens,” said Doug Dobrowolski, AMM President. “The AMM has been lobbying for some time for a long-term, coordinated plan amongst all three orders of government, along with additional resources dedicated to municipal infrastructure. We are pleased that the recommendations calling for one per cent of the PST over and above current funding and an escalator clause within the Federal Gas Tax fund effectively support our position.”
“The IFC has crafted a series of 17 recommendations and revenue transition modeling which form a comprehensive plan for Manitobans to debate, and conclude upon a final strategy to address Manitoba’s municipal infrastructure deficit” said Chris Lorenc, Chair of the Infrastructure Council. “Make no mistake; we face a real deficit, with real challenges. The numbers appear daunting, the solutions are challenging. But the problem is not insurmountable.”
The final report will be presented to Executive Policy Committee for consideration on June 1st, 2011. The report is currently available online at www.winnipeg.ca
For more information contact:
Carmen Barnett, Press SecretaryMayor’s Office, 510 Main Street PH: 204-986-5569
E-mail: [email protected] Lynne Bereza Communications Coordinator Association of Manitoba Municipalities Ph: 204-856-2366
E-mail: [email protected]
