PM pledges to be fair with cash for cities
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is promising to be flexible and fair with billions in new infrastructure money as mayors from the country’s biggest cities press the Liberals for carte blanche on the new cash.
The details around how cities will be able to use the promised new infrastructure money will be unveiled in the budget.
Trudeau said the new program — valued at $60 billion over the next 10 years — would meet the needs of communities and get money “flowing in a responsible and rapid way.”
“Cities across the country have varied and diverse needs and we’re meeting with them, we’re talking with them about where their priorities are and how best we can create opportunities for Canadians and growth for the medium and long-term,” Trudeau said.
Trudeau and the mayors billed their talks on Friday as building a new deal for cities.
In their meeting with Trudeau, the mayors of Canada’s largest 21 cities urged the federal govern- ment to ensure the provinces don’t hold up funds. Give the money directly to cities, they said. Let them spend the money as they see fit to meet local needs and stimulate the economy.
“Give us strict criteria that we have to abide by for what we need to build, give us stringent report-back and transparency requirements, but don’t make people in Ottawa make a decision on every roof of every arena that needs to get fixed,” said Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi.
“Let the municipalities make those decisions.”
Toronto Mayor John Tory said the government and cities don’t have years to argue over the details of the new infrastructure program.
“Canadians, Torontonians, want to see stuff done now so that people can go back to work,” Tory said.
The government plans to spend $5.1 billion in new infrastructure money this year and next, for a total of $10.2 billion. The government has said it is interested in funding shovelready projects that will help give the economy a boost.
Raymond Louie, president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, said the government should also make the new money available to larger projects that are still in the planning phase and won’t be ready to go for some time.
More immediate is the federal government’s desire to distribute more than $8.5 billion in unspent infrastructure dollars. Half of that money is destined for Ontario and Quebec — a combined $4.3 billion, according to figures provided to The Canadian Press — with $900 million slated for B.C., followed by Alberta at $700 million.