While recession talk tore strips out of the Alberta provincial budget, chopping $100 million out of the municipal sustainability initiatives (MSI) funding has most municipalities sweating. Money they had long been waiting for to expediate necessary capital projects is now gone, with no assurances that it will be coming back. 

Communities across Alberta counted on MSI funding to realize long term capital project dreams. The money was supposed to fix sagging infrastructure, promote the creation of community spaces and generally revitalize communities across Alberta.

While a 37 per cent loss in MSI funding - nearly half a million dollars - won’t kill any of Jasper’s projects, such as the $750,000 in renovations to the provincial building, or $20,000 in library upgrades, it certainly hurts.  

However the municipality’s response needs to be strengthened.

It’s troublesome that the municipality believes lower construction costs will absorb the loss in funding, without providing more details on the subject. While construction costs have dropped, asking builders to absorb the loss is suspect. Are contractor bids coming in 40 per cent lower than expected? 

The municipality must act to ensure the MSI funding returns, or risk dinging taxpayers with a rather large increase next year.

The funding model for the municipality makes life difficult for the municipality, who are busy lobbying for other sources of revenue.

Shifting grant money from one project to another is also risky business, as MSI funding now has more strings attached than ever. Grant funding allows municipalities to accomplish great things with the assistance of the entire province, however the province is becoming quite strict in determining how those grants can be spent.

Administration must be careful not to rob Peter to pay Paul.

The good in everyone

It is comforting to see the community open its arms to the Gil family. 

The family has been inundated with visits, phone calls and offers of help - including offers from the offenders and other community members. While many are quick to point fingers, it should provide an opportunity for the town to reflect upon its own values as a whole. What type of community do we want? Are we inclusive of others, or is this just a thinly veiled myth? 

If the community truly wishes to stop such acts, it must not view them in isolation. Ten years of harassment does not simply come from a few bad apples. It’s time for the community to examine root causes, and not simply the spoiled fruit.