By rdnewsNOW staff

Budget impact on Red Deer largely unknown for now: City officials

Mar 19, 2019 | 5:14 PM

City officials say they will wait for further details on how much funding Red Deer will see from the 2019 Budget, which was tabled Tuesday in Ottawa.

Mayor Tara Veer notes Red Deer will see new one-time infrastructure funding with about $6 million from the Federal Gas Tax Fund.

“This is potentially good news for Red Deer,” she says. “However, we still need to analyze the budget and explore funding opportunities.”

Gas tax funding can be used for infrastructure upgrades such as road rehabilitation, transit, community energy systems and sport and recreation, to name a few.

“Municipalities are the most nimble order of government working to provide stability to business, residents and communities,” said Interim City Manager Paul Goranson. “The federal budget impacts us at a local level, setting the tone for future focus and determining what level of funding will be funneled to municipalities in response to local needs.”

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Today’s budget made no reference to commitments around safe transport of getting energy to market.

The importance of strengthening relationships with the indigenous community and moving towards reconciliation was also highlighted with the federal government outlining plans to invest in education, housing and continued work on governance, however it is not clear whether or not any of that investment will be realized in Red Deer.

“The City of Red Deer, much like other municipalities across the province, has taken a strong position in supporting the province in endeavoring to get energy to market access,” Veer stresses. “For us to get Red Deerians and central Albertans back to work, securing new markets for Alberta’s energy product is critical to that.”

The City says incentives mentioned in the budget to make homeownership more affordable for first-time home buyers could help improve local real estate and construction industries, while the creation of the Canadian Experiences Fund could also help to boost local tourism initiatives.

(With file from City of Red Deer media release)