Thank you, Mr. Chair. It's always flattering to be mentioned in committee.
Mr. Mayor, I appreciate your comments about performance targets on that. I always appreciate any chance to talk about Mr. Poilievre's private member's bill on linking infrastructure funding for large cities to the actual results of houses built, doors open and families and individuals living in them.
One of the things that I particularly like and gives me a chance to speak again about my municipal experience in a rural municipality is that there are different factors in terms of infrastructure. Sadly, if interest rates keep as high as they are, based on the current economic environment between the Liberals and the NDP, it makes it very difficult for a young family to build a home at $600,000, $700,000 or $800,000 in my part of Ontario, as an example, and, at that, to afford a mortgage.
It's certainly about understanding a local context, but I think the big thing and the opportunity for a community like Stratford is to reward and bonus those that go out and not only meet the target but exceed that. There are actually building bonuses, and to the point of where you're talking about removing barriers and trying to get things built, those who not only deliver on the targets but exceed them in rural communities will benefit from that.
Mr. Killorn, in your time here with the federation of agriculture, I just want to give you an opportunity to talk about input costs and some of the costs pertaining to the carbon tax. You've alluded to and spoke well about climate mitigation and measures that farmers could take, but particularly, perhaps, speak about the transport costs of being here in P.E.I. and using either the ferry or the bridge to get potatoes in the province over there. Do you have any numbers through the federation of agriculture about the impact on the cost of business for farmers pertaining to the carbon tax here on the island?
Where I would go with that is to say that perhaps those are dollars that are being taken away from other mitigation measures. I'm just wanting to see what the impact would be, in your estimation, particularly with the transportation of agriculture on the island.