BREAKTHROUGH IN OTTAWA
As Director of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Len works through the FCM and with individual Members of Parliament, to obtain the municipal share of our tax dollars for infrastructure. The benefits to Canadian municipalities are:
2004
- Municipal Goods and Services Tax (GST) rebate increased to 100%; rebate is now worth $750M/year to municipalities across Canada
- Launch of five-year, $5 billion federal Gas Tax Fund
2005
- $1.2 billion in dedicated federal funding, and $1.9 billion for affordable housing (both over three years), was announced
2007
- New seven-year federal infrastructure plan unveiled, including $8.8 billion Building Canada Fund
2008
- Federal Gas Tax Fund made permanent. Will deliver $40 billion over 20 years
- Federal affordable housing programs renewed and put on longer-term basis, with $1.4 billion in new funding over five years
2009
- Federal Budget 2009: Two-year Economic Action Plan (EAP) invests $10 billion in cities and communities – the largest ever one-time federal investment in FCM priorities
2011
- Federal election sees all parties commit to developing long-term infrastructure plans with municipalities
- Historic commitment in Federal Budget 2011 to develop long-term infrastructure plan, working with provinces, territories and FCM
- Budget 2011 commits to enshrine permanent Gas Tax Fund in legislation – the foundation of a national long-term plan for municipal infrastructure
BREAKTHROUGH IN ALBERTA
As a previous Director with the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) Len has worked through the AUMA and with individual Members of the Legislative Assembly to obtain the municipal share of our tax dollars. The benefits to Alberta municipalities are:
- Alberta Municipal Infrastructure Program (AMIP) – $1B
- Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) – 11.3B
- Canada Alberta Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (CAMRIF) – $214M
The benefits of these funding programs to communities throughout Alberta is outlined below using the City of St. Albert as an example.
Len was serving as a Director with the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) in 2005 when the Alberta Municipal Service Corporation (AMSC) was incorporated as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the AUMA. AMSC is a solutions-based company dedicated to meeting the business needs of municipalities, municipally related organizations and their employees that does $130 million in business annually.
