Green leader wants sustained funding for Rural Growth Initiative
Green Leader Peter Bevan-Baker has called on the province to provide sustained funding for the Rural Growth Initiative.
During Tuesday’s question period, Bevan-Baker noted the initiative is set to expire in March 2019.
“In order to create sustainable rural communities, we need sustained commitment from this provincial government,” said Bevan-Baker, who questioned whether it would be a oneyear program that will be cancelled next year.
“Or is this a permanent commitment?” Rural and Regional Development Minister Pat Murphy said the initiative supports the work of the regional economic advisory council and noted it will be cabinet’s decision on whether to renew it.
“In order to create sustainable rural communities, we need sustained commitment from this provincial government.” Green Leader Peter Bevan-Baker
“But I’m fairly confident that if I’m there, I’m going to be fighting to keep this program funded,” said Murphy.
The $2.5-million initiative to promote growth and prosperity of rural communities replaced a $5 million Island Communities Fund the government failed to renew in 2015, said Bevan-Baker.
Despite being a larger pool of money, Bevan-Baker said the previous fund had problems, including that it was being used to fund projects in urban areas like the Charlottetown Event
Grounds.
Bevan-Baker noted the new initiative states that activities “not targeted in rural areas” are ineligible for funding.
“Defining rural is not straight forward, and by some people’s definition, even Charlottetown might be considered rural,” said Bevan-Baker, who asked Murphy what his definition of rural would be.
Murphy said there was a simple way to define rural.
“It would be ‘not urban’,” said Murphy. “That being said, there are things, programs and projects that are located in different parts of the province that are used by all Islanders, rural and urban.”