Mr. Carlton and Mr. Miller, I just want to say as a former mayor that I have appreciated the work of the FCM in representing municipalities on the national stage.
One of the things that the FCM did in the past was to secure certainty and funding for capital works for municipalities through the gas tax funding. That certainly has helped municipalities to plan. Of course, our government has accelerated that funding, and we've also extended the life of that funding, which, I think, is something that we're missing.
The stimulus funding was a one-time, very unique funding to address economic concerns, not just capital infrastructure concerns. The uniqueness of it is that our former minister, John Baird, made sure that the application forms were streamlined so they would move out quickly. He guaranteed payments within 30 days of receiving invoices from municipalities. I think our minister did a great job in speeding things up.
So I'd like to ask you a question on the gas tax funding. That comes into play, so that is something that's ongoing. When you talk about the next steps, that should be included in your next steps. How do you feel about that?
My other question is on the application forms. Did they work well? Were they clear enough? Have you had good feedback from your membership as far as the application forms are concerned?
Finally, have you heard any problems with the payments not being in a timely fashion?