Federal NDP leader Jack Layton has waded into the ongoing debate on whether there should be an extension to the March 2011 deadline for use of stimulus dollars.
At a news conference in Ottawa earlier in the day, Layton called for the federal government to "show some flexibility given the weather conditions" to Saskatchewan municipalities, who are having difficulty meeting the deadline because of the rain and flooding that hit the province. He said a special exemption should be granted to Saskatchewan to complete the projects and not lose out on the government funding.
Mayor Don Atchison of Saskatoon in particular has been calling for a pushback of the deadline, given the impact storms have had on delaying infrastructure projects and road work in that city.
Speaking with the Regional Optimist later in the day, Layton said that over 30 projects were in jeopardy because of the looming deadline, based on his talks with the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association.
"Clearly you can't finish sewer and water projects and road projects on schedule when you've had to delay them because of the weather," said Layton.
Layton described the March 2011 deadline as an "arbitrary" deadline. The federal NDP leader also raised the prospect that the bill for infrastructure projects would have to be footed by local municipalities if the deadlines weren't met.
"It's going to be the local property taxpayer that faces an increase in the property tax because of the Conservatives' intransigence," Layton said, taking the federal government to task for what he perceived as inflexibility.
He described the approach of Prime Minister Stephen Harper on the issue as "my way or the highway, and too bad for you."
"I don't think that's a responsible position given that the funds were dedicated and therefore ought to be spent," Layton added. "Why should the people of Saskatchewan be punished because they had a season of flooding? That's not right."
Layton said he thought this approach "is not good government." He also said sensible decisions by contractors to delay work because of bad weather "should be respected and understood and accommodated."
Layton also responded to concerns Harper expressed that moving the deadline might set a precedent for other parts of the country.
"Well, if other parts of the country had similar conditions, and there may be some other places that face similar 'act of God' delays, they should receive some flexibility."
To this point, Conservative government MPs have held firm on the March 31, 2011 stimulus funding deadline, although federal agriculture minister and Battlefords-Lloydminster MP Gerry Ritz has left open the possibility of accommodating those municipalities facing difficulties in meeting the stimulus deadline.
At a March news conference following the federal budget announcement, Ritz said municipalities facing issues meeting the stimulus timelines were advised to talk to their government contacts.
"Maybe there's legitimate reasons - we'll work on them on a case-by-case basis," Ritz had said at the time. But he also made clear the government expected municipalities to make every effort to get projects done in time. "We've expedited everything as quickly as we can. We expect everyone else to do the same," Ritz said.
Since then, the government has not budged on the March 31, 2011 deadline.
A number of infrastructure projects are in progress in and around North Battleford, including expansion of Water Treatment Plant No.1 and various road work. Federal stimulus money is going towards the water treatment plant expansion to the tune of $2.5 million, and construction is already underway.
North Battleford was one of the cities hardest hit by the summer storms in the province, due to flooding of intersections and homes in various parts of the city. Also hit hard were Yorkton and Maple Creek by extensive flooding as well as Kawacatoose First Nation, damaged heavily by a tornado.
However, the city said Wednesday afternoon there are no concerns about meeting any of the stimulus funding deadlines.
Communications coordinator Mike Halstead told the Regional Optimist that the city did not have any projects affected by flooding that had stimulus money attached, and that there is no concern from the city that projects will not be complete by 2011.
