The recently released federal budget has left some municipal leaders questioning its spending. Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton says, although the budget has covered some significant areas, it should have included financial support for RCMP contracts she calls expensive and burdensome for local governments that contract their services.
“City Council is pleased to see the continued support of the Canada Community Building Fund, which supports building critical infrastructure in our community. At the same time, we are disappointed to see limited funding for new housing initiatives and a lack of financial support for retroactive pay for RCMP contracts.”
Clayton says the budget is a step towards ensuring sustainable ways to access and transport resources to market and strengthen the economy.
“As a nation, province, and city reliant on natural resources, our Council is interested in the announcement of new dollars allocated to operationalize clean technology including hydrogen processing which is a step in the right direction.”
County of Grande Prairie Reeve Bob Marshall adds that he does not think the budget will help reduce the inflation pressure people are going through.
“I’m a little concerned with the amount of spending that is within the budget and the deficit that is increasing. I don’t know how that is gonna help the inflation or the pressure our residents are feeling right now.”
This year’s budget comes in with a much higher deficit of $43 billion than the $36.4 billion previously forecasted.