Finance committee  Good morning, and thank you for letting us present today. We have a written submission, and there are three points I would like to highlight. The first is on the innovation strategy to meet our infrastructure challenges. As we know, there is a $123 billion infrastructure deficit

Finance committee  From what we're seeing of the programming, especially what municipalities are seeing from the federal government, it's just that the rural Canada voice doesn't seem to be at the cabinet table. Programs and policies are designed, it seems, more from an urban setting than from a ru

Finance committee  What was good about the gas tax model was that it was on a per capita basis. It wasn't application-based, so at least everyone got some money.

Finance committee  They got something. No matter what size of community or municipality you were, you had access to some dollars. We're very appreciative of the money we've received under the Building Canada fund, but it's an application-based program. It's basically like a lottery: if you got pick

Finance committee  Yes, and FCM got that in as well.

Finance committee  Yes, but if I may answer, that was my response in my presentation. We weren't at the table, yet we're a one-third funding partner of the Building Canada fund. We didn't, as municipalities in Manitoba, have a seat at the table. So we were a little upset about that.

Finance committee  There were 300-and-some projects that went in from Manitoba and 52 were approved.

Finance committee  I would say 60%. I'm guessing.

Finance committee  We do not have a seat at the table. We weren't privy to any of the applications, as we were in previous infrastructure programs, so I can't answer that.

Finance committee  Yes. There has been quite a bit out, but there's still a concern about some of the rules. There was a delay in getting some of the okays to get started. As you know, there is the March 31, 2011, deadline, so there's concern about the completion of these projects, but the money is

Finance committee  There are water and sewer projects, some street repairs have been done, and there are some other recreation facilities that are starting to go.

Finance committee  One thing about the gas tax model, as I said, is that it's accessible to everyone. It's on a per capita basis. At least we'll receive some money. It provides a long-term planning tool for municipalities to plan their infrastructure. You know every year under the current gas tax f

Finance committee  I think you need all of them. You need a combination. I keep saying gas tax, but I think you need a combination of Building Canada and gas tax. You have to look at all of them, but the key here is the long-term predictable funding source for municipalities. Whatever program you c

Finance committee  Health care is not a municipal responsibility, it's a provincial responsibility. Yet over the years we've been constantly downloaded. In Manitoba you have to pay 10% toward capital cost if you have a hospital or clinic in your area. We've gone to the RHA system, which is ineffici

Finance committee  Well, Mr. Chairman, I think we were the only province that didn't have a seat at the table. I talk to my counterparts in Alberta and Saskatchewan constantly, but we don't know. We go to the federal government and they say it's the province. We go to the province and they say it's