It Is Not Our Money, It's Everyone's Money

That's the way the system works. We promised to help out the guy who doesn't have property tax bsse with money to buy a new bus or put in a new sewer line or water filtration plant or repair Main Street, etc. etc. but it appears the mayors of the large urban centers want a bigger piece of the pie. And I don't have any problem with that but when they want to make it al a mode I have to shake my head. The mayors seem to forget that we agreed that the federal government can use our tax dollars to cover indians and the reservations (they are not a contributor), that we would help our the poor and hungry in the "third world," that we would have a national police force and an army, that we would pickup the major cost of health care for everyone and the list goes on and on and maybe the mayors want to come out publicly and tell the governments which programs they should eliminate.

Big bucks from PM cut off mayors' strategy
March 05, 2007
Royson James

Even before Canada's big-city mayors gather today to press the federal government for a long-term, ongoing, sustainable national transportation strategy, the Stephen Harper government has responded with a NO.

But the negative is so greased with a large, though temporary, infusion of cash that the mayors will have difficulty mustering anything but words of praise and cautious optimism.

In fact, Harper doesn't even have to respond to the latest ask from cities. He just has to point to the announcement he and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty are about to make, giving nearly $1 billion to Greater Toronto municipalities for transit.

(No doubt, other such announcements targeting urban areas across the country will roll out as the minority federal government prepares its budget and a plan it can take to the public in an election on a moment's notice).

The Harper money for the GTA may not come wrapped in an envelope labelled National Transportation Strategy but there is no denying it is real money, new funding and needed cash.

As such, who can look this gift horse in the mouth and beg for something else?

The mayors will try. They will say the $1 billion is greatly appreciated, but it must be the first step in a multi-phase, permanent funding regime that allows cities and towns to plan a decade at a time.

But from what we've seen in the giddy reaction to the anticipated cash – mayors gushing and praising the federal government for the money – the legs have been knocked out of the mayors' campaign, at least for the next political cycle.

The star's Bruce Campion- Smith reported Saturday that Stephen Harper is about to send close to $1 billion to the GTA for transportation projects ranging from subway expansion into Vaughan to highway construction, to dedicated lanes for buses in Mississauga, Brampton and York and other transit projects

The money will likely be in the federal budget, expected in two weeks.

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