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Mayor waits for word on infrastructure cash

Red Deer Mayor Morris Flewwelling is waiting anxiously to find out how much cash will come from the Alberta government to finance municipal infrastructure projects.

Red Deer Mayor Morris Flewwelling is waiting anxiously to find out how much cash will come from the Alberta government to finance municipal infrastructure projects.

The Progressive Conservative budget released this week gave no indication how much the city would receive through the Municipality Sustainability Initiative (MSI) program.

“We don’t have the details yet as to how the budget affects us,” said Flewwelling on Thursday.

“But I am reasonably confident we’ll get the same amount as last year (which was $5 million).”

Flewwelling doesn’t sympathize with Calgary Mayor Dave Bronconnier, who is outraged over reductions in infrastructure funding.

“I am not sure how he can say that, unless he’s talking about how the MSI program was originally described and how it was going to be ramped up over three to four years,” Flewwelling said.

The province told municipalities that it was going to increase these dollars over so many years, but that practice would change if the economy turned.

Red Deer saw reductions in MSI dollars last year, which prompted city officials to estimate conservatively on how much it would receive in 2010.

Bronconnier is threatening legal action against the province. “It’s not a wise move,” Flewwelling said.

“We’re the only province in Canada to get provincial money for our infrastructure. You can’t hold a gun to the head of the province when their economy has been threatened.”

While this funding has been a key concern among municipalities, Flewwelling said he was encouraged with some dollars announced in the provincial budget.

He’s pleased to hear the province has committed itself to Green TRIP (Green Transit Incentives Program), which had fallen by the wayside.

A total of $470 million over three years will be set aside for environmentally friendly municipal transit.

The city has indicated interest in hybrid buses in the past.

Flewwelling also hopes the city will receive money for one or two Mounties as part of the province’s plans to fund another 100 front-line police officers.

ltester@www.reddeeradvocate.com