Edmonton – Municipal Affairs Minister Doug Griffiths has faced criticism since a comment he made during Question Period last week over how rural urban areas are allowed to collect certain taxes.
“It could be asked by rural Albertans why 17 per cent of the population that lives in rural Alberta that has all the oil and gas revenue, does all the work, all the farms, all the agriculture and everything that’s associated with it goes to support urban Albertans who sit in high rises and don’t necessarily do anything to contribute to the grassroots economy,” replied Griffiths.
Griffiths has clarified his comment, saying the question he was addressing suggested cities should get a greater share of the tax pie.
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He discussed the issue again during a speech at the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties (AAMDC) spring convention Tuesday morning.
“Rural Alberta has just as many infrastructure challenges as urban Alberta does, and we are not going to start a discussion, I will not participate in a discussion that is about us versus them,” said Griffiths.
“There is only us. There’s only Albertans and we’re all working for the same goal; success and prosperity for our kids.”
The AAMDC comprises of 69 counties and municipal districts in the province. The association helps rural municipalities achieve strong, effective local government, and provides advocacy and aggregated business services.
Griffiths also spoke to the crowd about the 2013 budget. He told them, despite the cuts that have been made, one of the areas that hasn’t been cut is the Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) because of its importance. The program gives municipalities funding to spend on infrastructure they see fit.
“Municipalities faired well, and the reason why they faired well is because the premier made a commitment not to balance the books on the backs of municipalities,” said Griffiths.
“MSI is the one program is the one program that gave you the resources so that you can make the decisions on what your priorities were, not our priorities.”
The province is considering extending MSI funding another seven years past its current expiry in 2017.
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