On September 27, 2016, Steinbach will be hosting a roundtable meeting to discuss new approaches to strategic infrastructure investments. The meeting will be held by Indigenous and Municipal Affairs Minister Eileen Clarke and is part of a regional series of meetings being held throughout the province.
“Municipalities have told us provincial infrastructure funding needs to be more flexible to address local priorities, as well as easier to access with less red tape,” said Clarke. “We want to bring municipal leaders together to get their input and ideas, which will be critical to developing new approaches and better ways to invest in infrastructure.”
The minister noted the roundtables build on existing work to consult with municipal officials including meetings at the district level of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities in June and a survey sent out last month.
“We want to make sure municipalities have a fair say in how infrastructure funds are invested in their communities,” said Clarke. “Our government is committed to keeping the politics out of infrastructure funding decisions, and we will continue to work constructively with our partners across the province to make strategic infrastructure investments that are based on merit and demonstrate value for taxpayer’s money.”
In August, the province launched a new streamlined application process for cost-shared infrastructure funding. Municipalities are now able to apply for funding from multiple programs through the ‘single-window’ Manitoba Municipalities Online system.
“We remain focused on reducing red tape and I look forward to hearing innovative and practical ideas from municipalities across Manitoba,” said Clarke.
