160 Municipalities Agree

During Monday night's regular city council meeting, councillors passed a motion requesting that the Government of Ontario consider directing a portion of revenue derived from HST charged on gas sales to a new predictable funding mechanism that will allow municipalities to make the critical investments needed to be effective stewards of transportation infrastructure.

A copy of the resolution will be forwarded to Premier Dalton McGuinty as well as the Ministers of Finance, Infrastructure and Transportation. It will also be sent to the Leaders of Opposition MPP Monique Smith and MP Jay Aspin. The motion was moved by Councillor Mike Anthony and seconded by Councillor Darryl Vaillancourt.

Councillor Mike Anthony says that a lack of sufficient funding for essential transportation, infrastructure construction, maintenance and rehabilitation has created a situation where many Ontario municipalities do not have the financial capacity to construct new transportation or infrastructure and cannot conduct the maintenance and rehabilitation needed to sustain existing transportation infrastructure.

Anthony says that a motion was put forth from the Ontario Good Roads Association as well as the CAA Ontario. They have suggested that the municipalities of Ontario band together to ask that the HST revenue on gas tax be shared equally.

“Wherever there is funding,” Anthony says, “there must be some kind of permanent mechanism put into place so that all municipalities can use those funds for transportation infrastructure such as roads, bridges and for transportation systems such as buses.”

Anthony says that North Bay has already benefited from some gas tax dollars over the last few years but other cities haven't been as fortunate. He believes that others should have that benefit as well.

Ten out of the eleven city councillors were in favour of forwarding the motion, all agreeing that it's a fair request.

However, Councillor Mac Bain, who sits on the Association of Ontario Municipalities Board, did not agree with the rest of the council. Bain says that the Board has a difference of opinion than the CAA and The Ontario Good Roads Association do in regards to receiving revenue from the HST to deal with the infrastructure deficit that all the municipalities in the province have.

Although 160 municipalities have supported the motion, Bain believes that it's a matter of "holding off for a little while" and waiting until a review has been completed and questions have been answered.

Anthony says the municipalities have already done the studies and that council is waiting for the same roads and bridges study as the Association of Ontario Municipalities Board are regardless, he says that council should go forward and ask for the funds.

"Being proactive is the smart way to go," Anthony says.

Anthony believes that there needs to be a permanent lasting infrastructure implemented for HST on gas for as long as tax lasts...or at least until we're all driving around electric cars.

In the meantime, Anthony says, "Let's share the revenue and make sure that every municipality gets something to go towards filling that structured gap."

"North Bay has been fortunate enough to benefit in the last few years but other cities deserve it as well".