With the federal budget being finalized, it's not likely many changes can be made at this point. However, that doesn't stop the Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM) from continuing to lobby Ottawa about some major concerns that our communities have with financing.
President Kam Blight outlines their efforts, including the former gas tax program.
"We're going to continuously try and get a message through and/or point across, and raise awareness about the severity of this issue," says Blight. "I think many Manitobans and Canadians were unaware of the challenges that municipalities are facing. A lot of it is because of the decisions are being made at the federal level and how they're impacting us."
The task of the AMM is to always push Ottawa and inform residents of Manitoba about the challenges they're facing, and why positive change by the federal government must take place. Blight notes the next budget must support municipalities so that they can continue to provide the necessary services and accommodate both residential and economic growth.
He noted, Portage-Lisgar MP Branden Leslie plays a vital role in all of this and says residents must communicate these concerns to him.
"We need to continue just to sound the alarm on this issue. Let your MP know exactly how you feel, absolutely. Hopefully, we can influence change over time."