Councillors Defend FCM Trip
The issue of federal infrastructure money was front and centre at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference in Niagara Falls last week, and some Cape Breton Regional Councillors say it was well worth their time to attend. District 9 Councillor George MacDonald acknowledges the recent bad press that local politicians have been getting when it comes to their expenses, but he tells The Coast that municipal politicians can’t afford to stay isolated in their efforts to lobby other levels of government. District 8 Councillor Kevin Saccary tells The Coast that the conference gave attending councillors the opportunity to network with colleagues from across the country and to discuss issues of common concern. Bearing of one those common concerns in mind, the FCM passed a resolution at the conference asking the federal government to speed up the Building Canada Fund, which some municipalities and provinces say lacks clarity in terms of its application requirements. The fund is also the likely source of much of the federal money that’s being sought for the CBRM’s 300 million dollar capital plan.