‘It simply doesn’t make sense’: Federal minister slams potential Alberta law blocking direct city funding

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A neighborhood federal Liberal cupboard minister is criticizing the Alberta authorities’s plan to drive municipalities to get provincial sign-off to obtain federal funding.

On Tuesday, federal Employment, Workforce Improvement and Official languages Minister Randy Boissonnault instructed reporters in Edmonton such a regulation in Alberta can be a hurdle. He pointed to related laws on the books in Quebec, noting in his function as tourism minister he additionally “bumped into it repeatedly.

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“It’s going so as to add extra forms. It’s going to sluggish issues down. It’s going to take longer for cash to achieve municipalities, and I’ve present in my expertise, that it hurts smaller municipalities extra, so the query Albertans ought to be asking is ‘why?’” he stated.

“Having seen the consequences that it has had within the Quebec expertise, it merely doesn’t make sense as an Albertan to have that come into place right here,” stated Boissonnault, the MP for Edmonton Centre.

On the identical time, the Alberta authorities is constructing an argument that it isn’t getting a justifiable share of federal money.

In December, the province reached out to municipalities asking for an itemized checklist of federal funding agreements, all in an effort to advocate for a greater deal for Alberta cities and cities from the federal authorities.

In January, Alberta Municipalities president Tyler Gandam expressed concern that the unprecedented ask added pink tape and will introduce obstacles for underfunded municipalities getting the money they want.

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When requested for remark Wednesday, Sam Blackett, spokesperson for Premier Danielle Smith, pointed to a press release from Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver’s workplace in January.

Ministry spokesperson Scott Johnston stated the province has a proper to supervise municipalities with out “federal interference.”

“This will likely imply that Alberta tables laws just like Quebec, which requires the federal authorities to interact in negotiations with our province, fairly than side-stepping us by participating solely with municipalities,” Johnston wrote in January.

The Council of the Federation, which represents provincial and territorial premiers, has referred to as for the federal authorities to not depart premiers out of housing agreements.

“The difficulty can’t be solved by the federal authorities and municipalities performing with out the significant involvement and help of provinces and territories,” the council stated in a November assertion.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has spoke in opposition to the federal authorities delivering funding on to a city or metropolis.

“That’s unacceptable. We name it jurisdictional creep,” he stated in November.

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In Edmonton after a gathering Tuesday targeted on housing with Treaty 6 Grand Chief Cody Thomas, Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, and Alberta Housing Minister Jason Nixon, federal Housing Minister Sean Fraser instructed reporters there’s a bilateral settlement within the works with Alberta akin to the recently-announced BC Builds program.

Fraser additionally touted the $4-billion country-wide Housing Accelerator program as a hit.

In relation to Quebec’s adoption of the Housing Accelerator Fund, Fraser stated they have been capable of make a deal due to matching funding from that province.

“I’ve a tough time understanding, when we have now a program that for my part has been an enormous success, why to pivot away from a profitable technique,” stated Fraser.

lijohnson@postmedia.com

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