The Pyramid Centre's Lack of Government Grants
In the August 16, 2006 issue of the St Marys Journal Argus
St Marys Town Council wrote:
Recreation buildings are owned by the Town of St. Marys. It is our responsibility, not the Province’s, to maintain them in a respectable state.
In recent years, the province has increased our grants to help with the costs of roads, bridges, water systems, land ambulance and public health services. Increased grants in those critical areas mean we have more capacity to bring our recreation facilities up to modern standards.
The Province has also responded to the Town’s need for a cost-effective way to fund this project. The OSIFA program provides financing that is low-cost with a fixed interest rate for long-term. While this is not a grant, it is provincial help that allows us to improve the quality of our public services. These services contribute to a high quality of life and a strong, prosperous economy.
Andrew Atlin / John Munro on behalf of a ratepayer group wrote in reply:
No municipal government would consider a project of this size without exploring whether grants were available. The other levels of government expect to participate in major infrastructure projects. The SuperBuild and COMRIF programs were specifically designed to help Towns like ours. You dismissed this possibility even when one of your colleagues suggested it.
St Marys Town Council wrote:
Recreation buildings are owned by the Town of St. Marys. It is our responsibility, not the Province’s, to maintain them in a respectable state.
In recent years, the province has increased our grants to help with the costs of roads, bridges, water systems, land ambulance and public health services. Increased grants in those critical areas mean we have more capacity to bring our recreation facilities up to modern standards.
The Province has also responded to the Town’s need for a cost-effective way to fund this project. The OSIFA program provides financing that is low-cost with a fixed interest rate for long-term. While this is not a grant, it is provincial help that allows us to improve the quality of our public services. These services contribute to a high quality of life and a strong, prosperous economy.
Andrew Atlin / John Munro on behalf of a ratepayer group wrote in reply:
No municipal government would consider a project of this size without exploring whether grants were available. The other levels of government expect to participate in major infrastructure projects. The SuperBuild and COMRIF programs were specifically designed to help Towns like ours. You dismissed this possibility even when one of your colleagues suggested it.
1 Comments:
Aylmer's East Elgin Community Complex has been cited as an example St Marys should follow. That facility received about $1.4 million from the federal government through Industry Canada, another $1.4 million from Ontario's SuperBuild. It also received funds from neighbouring Malahide for the $10 million project.
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