FCM a Good Deal or Not?

By Ben Meisner

Prince George City Councilor Cliff Dezell says the city's membership in the Federation of Canadian Municipalities has provided good value for our money. 

He says lobbying for 100% rebates on the goods and services tax has yielded the city an additional $300,000 in the first four months of 2005. Prior to the change the city received 57.4% of the GST. 

In terms of infrastructure funding, the city has received 3.8 million over the past four years. The city’s share of the federal excise tax on fuel may total $1.6 million a year in the fifth year of the program, subject to further definition of what types of programs can be funded with the money. The city has received $206,000 in payments in lieu of taxes. 

If you say all that fast,  you would think that we have hit a gold mine. 

Well let’s take a closer look. 

Just over 3000 delegates attended the meeting in Newfoundland this year.  Suggesting that Prince George's contingent was the reason the Federal Government is going to hand over some more money to the Municipalities is a bit of a stretch now isn’t it Cliff?  

Did we not ever receive grants in lieu of taxes from the Federal Government or are you in some way suggesting that this all came about in the last few years?  Did we not receive Federal grants long before even you began attending the meetings of the FCM?  Of course we did. 

Now suggesting that we may get some money from the Federal Excise program, (maybe, dependent on what sort of work we are doing in the city) again a very long stretch.  The major cities of Canada have been calling for that one for years and you may recall, Toronto gave the Liberals 44 seats, they get the gold, we gave them lets see ….. 

Now there is no doubt there have been some gains, for example the City's trip to Ottawa last fall was not a total waste.  The Mayor and City Manager got to take in the Grey Cup.  They said, in part, they were in Ottawa giving a helping hand to Prince Rupert in the Terminal deal. Well Prince Rupert could use a hand right now trying to get government to force Canfor to build its sorting plant somewhere out west, because most of that wood they are shipping to the Orient is coming from as far west as Houston. Not a peep there. 

As for attending these kinds of get togethers, we all remember only too well, when the PG contingent to one Municipalities convention was threatened with being thrown out of their hotel for their behavior.  

If we are to get a bang for our buck in these affairs, does half the Council need to attend? Or as the editorial comment from Calgary recently suggested, is there a little holiday at the taxpayers expense in the cards?

That, is one man's opinion.

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