It's more about when the amount is available notionally, for instance, to New Brunswick, but to all the provinces. Once the money is all committed, the municipalities line up for the next program.
I appreciate that much of the last round hasn't been spent, but as long as it's all committed you can begin the process of allowing people access to the program. They're impatient waiting to get a sense of when that might be, because the money has been made available for MRIF since the budget. It was announced for 2006-07, but they can't get at it because they haven't decided what the criteria are.