Time for Cape Bretoners to rise together

In response to David Jala’s front page coverage of the march by Nova Scotians for Equalization Fairness (“Signs of the times,” Cape Breton Post, May 10), I would like to offer my thoughts on how Nova Scotia governments, past and present, have been distributing the socalled equalization monies within this province.

According to proponents of this march, the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) received only $15 million from these funds this year even though the state of our economy and population numbers would indicate that any “fair” distribution would be more in the order of $239 million.

Assuming these numbers to be accurate, there seems to be quite a level of unfairness in how our political leadership in Halifax has been dealing financially with our community. Fifteen million out of $239 million ¬- REALLY!

Secondly, Municipal Affairs Minister Derek Mombourquete was quoted in the Post (“Minister weighs in on equalization,” May 9) as saying the $15 million CBRM receives from the provincial government has nothing to do with the federal equalization transfer program. Rather, some of that money came from the Nova Scotia Power grant-in-lieu program and the rest came from province’s own general funds.

I must assume, then, that the CBRM actually got zero dollars from the equalization fund. Nada, not one cent. This truly is an outrage that should anger and disgust every taxpayer in the CBRM, including the honourable minister.

We elect people to represent our concerns election cycle after election cycle and what is the result after trusting in their ability and desire to articulate our situation in the CBRM rather than to adopt the party rule? While there have been a few exceptions, it seems to me that crossing the Causeway generates amnesia within the political class. As a former CBRM councilor, Mombourquette must know the dire state of local finances, but what has he said at Province House to help remedy our situation? I am aware of nothing.

I recall another Cape Breton MLA in a previous administration during the CBRM mayoralty of John Morgan at a meeting on the same topic that was held on the Northside. He waved several sheets of paper in the air claiming that he held proof that the CBRM was, in fact, getting more than its fair share from the province. At the same time, he was decrying the intent of the Morgan administration to sue the province and stated that reasonable discussion with Halifax could easily remedy this ongoing dispute.

Well, how are those negotiations going, Mayor Cecil Clarke? You must be very uncomfortable in John Morgan’s shoes.

In the Cape Breton Post coverage, Sydney resident Brenda Matheson was quoted as saying: “If we don’t stand together we won’t succeed …”

With that in mind, I would remind all CBRM citizens that if we don’t we surely will soon fall together as did Canso, Bridgetown and Springhill. Will we all rise together or we will be swept away in a sea of red ink? It is time to make a choice. I now implore you all – let’s stand. Ray Morrison River Ryan