Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz is putting pressure on the provincial government to give the city more money to repair roads, bridges and other infrastructure.
In a news release Thursday Katz says among eight major Canadian cities, Winnipeg gets one of the lowest “per capita capital grants”.
“Everyone in Winnipeg knows that our roads, community centres, swimming pools and libraries need repair,” Katz is quoted in the news release. “If Winnipeg is to take its place as a modern, competitive city, we need infrastructure that supports both family life and business.”
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Katz notes that the city has asked the province’s NDP government to provide one point of the existing provincial sales tax over and above existing funding, which would be dedicated as a stable, reliable source of funding for municipal infrastructure.
“Winnipeg has also proposed a share of the fuel tax, a portion collected from motor vehicle registrations, or a percentage of the land transfer tax as potential revenue sources for municipal infrastructure,” Katz says.
The Selinger government presents its 2013 budget on April 16th.
Katz’s office provided this breakdown of capital spending grants to Canadian cities:
Capital Provincial Grants in dollars per capita
2010 Capital Grants (Actual)
Edmonton: $487
Calgary: $388
Saskatoon: $8
Regina: $57
Winnipeg: $91
Hamilton: $257
Toronto: $146
Ottawa: $186
(The average of other cities is $218)
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