Renfrew County’s representative in Ottawa says she’ll advocate for less downloading of costs to municipalities, ahead of the federal budget.
Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MP Cheryl Gallant met with several County mayors recently. She says there was “unanimous agreement that raising property taxes, particularly for ratepayers on fixed incomes, will cause undue hardships.”
Gallant, a member of the Opposition Conservative Party, said the feds are putting too much pressure on municipalities, who are already dealing with infrastructure deficits.
She also said the municipalities shouldn’t have to pay for health care or rural transportation initiatives. And she criticized the federal government’s carbon tax, saying it’s unfair to those who heat with fuel when they don’t have an alternative.
The federal government completed pre-budget consultations with the public on Feb. 10. It’s not yet clear when the federal budget will be released.
Gallant said the overall message from her meeting was that “without financial assistance from upper levels of government, necessary infrastructure cannot be built.”