Mayor of Antigonish Sean Cameron says the new federal budget is a big win for municipalities.
Cameron tells our newsroom the Feds are focusing so much on infrastructure, especially for bigger expenses such as roadways, sidewalks, water, sewers and bike lanes.
He says this will not only help accessibility and housing as the town grows, but will save the public money.
“Whenever the federal government gives us money, our dollars can stretch further. So, if we only have to pay 30 cents on every dollar that we spend on increasing our infrastructure, it saves our taxpayers a whole lot of money,” says Cameron.
He adds this funding shows the government is serious about housing.
“In Antigonish, we’re kind of unique because the county has grown around us. And so in order for us to support that growth, we have to increase our water source and sewer capacity,” he shares.
The town has received some federal money for their sewer treatment plant and the Housing Acceleration Fund (HAF).
“Anytime they offer more and more money, it can only help development in these municipalities that are lacking these services,” said Cameron. “At the end of the day, the federal government typically has the money, the provincial government has the legislation, and the municipal governments, we have all the problems. So we can benefit from those other two levels of government to ensure that we provide for our citizens.”
He is confident that this funding will help the town afford the required upgrades to their systems over the next three to four years.
