NSNDP

August 20th, 2019

CBRM needs provincial support

NORTH SYDNEY - The provincial government must step in and provide support for the CBRM. The final CBRM Viability Study was presented to council last week and identified serious concerns about the municipality’s future.

“The CBRM is the second largest municipality in Nova Scotia, and we have serious challenges that need to be addressed,” said Mary Beth MacDonald, NDP candidate in Sydney River-Mira-Louisbourg. “The provincial government needs to step up to the plate and help CBRM find solutions. We need representatives from Cape Breton who will fight tooth and nail for our communities to have a future.”

The NDP introduced legislation last year to create an economic stimulus plan for the CBRM. The plan would provide $50 million a year for three years to the municipality as a stopgap measure while the larger plan for revitalizing the region and addressing the fiscal imbalance is developed.

“The NDP has a plan to help the CBRM,” said Ronald Crowther, NDP candidate in Northside-Westmount. “The Liberals and Conservatives talk about helping CBRM, and sometimes even give lip service to the idea of addressing the equalization challenge, but only the NDP has actually introduced legislation with dollar figures attached to make this happen.”

The legislation was introduced by Cape Breton Centre MLA Tammy Martin in March 2018.

“The legislation has been on the books for well over a year and neither the Liberals nor the Conservatives have agreed to support it,” said Martin. “A great way to start addressing the fiscal viability of CBRM is to get more NDP MLAs elected from Cape Breton. I want Ronald and Mary Beth with me in Halifax to get our message heard.”

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