Premier Rachel Notley delivered the message of her government's March 8 throne speech the next day to more than 200 mayors and reeves and it left them “nervous and frustrated”, said Innisfail mayor Brian Spiller.
“Nervous and frustration because we are not getting many answers up here,” said Spiller, who attended the two-day Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) mayors' caucus in Edmonton on March 9 and 10.
The day before Notley's address her government released its throne speech, a broad message of intentions the NDP wants to accomplish in 2016 to combat the province's economic downturn as oil prices remain in the doldrums and the province braces for a record $10.4-billion deficit in the upcoming April 14 budget.
And while the throne speech promised the recession would be blunted with investment in infrastructure, increases to benefits for low-income parents and stimulus for small- and medium-sized businesses, mayors also wanted to hear from Notley and senior officials that provincial government support to municipalities would at least stay the same.
“She gave broad promises but didn't really (put) monetary values on anything, until the budget on April 14,” said Spiller. “And that is what we are hearing from every minister we've heard today (March 10). Right now we have the minister of labour in there and nobody is releasing anything until the budget is released.
“They can't give us any details on any funding, and changes on MSI -- (if) there is any, help for the Syrian refugee status for training and English language lessons,” added the mayor. “It is kind of frustrating because they are talking good things, but they won't tell us the monetary figures on anything with the budget.”
In fact, noted Spiller, he said he was told there would be some programs cut, but again, no details on what they were and if these cuts would directly impact Innisfail.
“There will be some programs where the funding is going to disappear from and we don't know which ones those are either,” said Spiller. “They don't tell us which programs, so we don't know which ones they are, whether or not they are programs the Town of Innisfail utilizes or not. We don't know.”
The mayor said he and many other mayors and reeves attending the AUMA caucus told government officials that during the current economic downturn municipalities at least wanted to retain the status quo when it comes to provincial government funding support. However, that is now in serious doubt, said Spiller.
“But it looks like some of the status quo is going to be cut somewhere along the line, and (for) every municipality, from the ones under 2,500 to the ones over a million,” said Spiller, adding many mayors and reeves were left wondering whether their attendance at the caucus had any value.
“A lot of them (mayors) are saying, ‘Why did we come here?' kind of thing because we can't get any answers, and the government isn't updating us on much except to tell us there will be programs and there will be money but they won't tell us whether it will be an increase or a decrease in money,” he said. “Their standard line is that ‘you have to wait until April 14.'”
Mayor Brian Spiller
"She gave broad promises but didn't really (put) monetary values on anything, until the budget on April 14. A lot of them (mayors) are saying, 'Why did we come here?' kind of thing because we can't get any answers."
