Great. Thank you.
Infrastructure is a constant concern for our members—I talk a lot about infrastructure—such as how to maintain what they have and how to build new. Our members struggle to apply for and access the funding they need. They are not in a state of readiness, I would argue, to be successful in any federal funding competition. I use the word “competition” to signal an inherent problem in most infrastructure funding calls. The system as it's constructed now sets them up to fail. They lag in asset management planning because they have not received necessary supports. They struggle to access funding, even through the “ruralest” of streams, because our rural is different. I know it's true across the country, but it is particularly true here.
I would like to speak about and comment on an example from Harbour Main-Chapel’s Cove-Lakeview. There's a population of 1,065. They've applied three times for federal and provincial disaster funding to support a breakwater in the community. The breakwater was estimated to cost a million dollars, which is equal to their annual operating budget. They were denied because of restrictive funding parameters and because they lacked the appropriate data to make their case. They were forced to apply through the provincial municipal capital works program, which is usually reserved for essential municipal infrastructure, for a breakwater necessary to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
We have to do better. Funding earmarked for municipalities needs to get directly into their hands without bureaucratic red tape. Our members know what they need. We echo FCM's call for a doubling of the Canada community-building fund with a 3.5% annual indexation. This is the best infrastructure funding tool to ensure that our members can address their priorities directly.
I would be remiss if I didn't talk about waste water. Please give me another minute for that and housing. Here in Newfoundland and Labrador, we're well behind the country in terms of waste-water infrastructure and compliance with the waste-water systems effluent regulations. Our members will need an astronomical funding package to comply, and we really need some dedicated funding for that.
Finally, I want to comment on housing. I'm proud to say that MNL has been leading the charge on municipal housing conversations in this province. We are in a crisis here, not just in St. John’s, but in communities everywhere. The housing accelerator fund was a welcome addition to the suite of housing funding possibilities, but for more of our members to be able to access it, these types of applications need to meet them where they are. Capacity support at the local level is required, and it must be a whole-of-province approach, with all partners at the table.
Municipalities can play a role in all of this, and they do, but they need more support—funding, legislative and otherwise—to make this happen. They can’t do more with less. Let’s do this together. Let's get to work.
Thank you.