By Dori Modney (@Dori_Modney on Twitter)

FCM Conference Offers Lots of Info But, Doesn’t Get Lethbridge Closer to Federal Infrastructure Money

Jun 7, 2016 | 3:42 PM

LETHRBIDGE: It was a jaunt of opportunity and somewhat disappointment for city officials over the weekend. Mayor Chris Spearman joined Councillors Bridget Mearns, and Liz Iwaskiw, as well as City Manager Garth Sherwin, at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Conference in Winnipeg.

Several members of the federal government were in attendance, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was one of the key-note speakers.

Mayor Spearman says the best part of conference was meeting with other municipal leaders to learn what they’re doing in their communities and what successes they are seeing.

“The key message that I took away from this particular meeting was that there are new investments in infrastructure, there are new funds being made available federally and we need to make sure those funds reach the municipal level”.

That’s where the “Devil in the Detail” comes into play.

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The federal government has already announced $700 Million specifically for Alberta, to help the province through the downturn in oil prices. However, that money is contingent on the province signing an agreement with the feds before money can be released.

That agreement hasn’t been signed yet, and until it does, there will be no federal money filtering down.

Spearman notes, local communities invest in about 90 per cent of the infrastructure in Canada but, right now, communities only get about eight per cent of the funding.

While the Mayor didn’t get positive information on when federal infrastructure might be coming through, he says these types of conferences are still important. Spearman noted it offers a chance to think beyond Lethbridge, to learn from other municipalities and find out what successful programs they have in place and how they are being implemented. He says that has been the case in terms of “Smart City” initiatives and how to move forward with infrastructure issues which may be a commonality for other communities

by Dori Modney (@Dori_Modney on Twitter)

FCM Conference Offers Lots of Info But, Doesn’t Get Lethbridge Closer to Federal Infrastructure Money

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