A pre-budget roundtable meeting was held by Palliser MP Ray Boughen and chamber members Thursday morning at Mosaic Place, focusing on ways to improving federal spending in Moose Jaw over the foreseeable future.
Issues that were raised in the meeting include improving municipal transportation and infrastructure as a way to create jobs and improve quality of life, addressing the distribution of wealth through taxation reforms, early childhood education investment and immigration barriers in employment.
Boughen said in the meeting that the federal budget will be released in late March or early April of this year.
Mayor Glenn Hagel said that in order for the city to stay on the right track economically, there would have to be a higher level of investment from the federal government.
He focused particularly on the need for investment in public infrastructure projects over the next few years and the issue of taxation in Moose Jaw at the federal and provincial level.
"For every dollar in Moose Jaw, 50 cents goes to the federal government, 44 cents to the provincial government and only 5 cents stay in the city. It is significantly disproportionate," Hagel said, adding that the city's proposed capital budget over the next five years would be about $103 million.
Hagel also said that over the next 10 years $176 million worth of work needs to be done on the city's infrastructure, and without help from the provincial and federal government that would necessitate a taxation increase of 88 percent for Moose Javians.
"Funding needs to go up substantially," he said.
"Directing money to municipalities to deal with infrastructure affects the quality of life of people and creates jobs."
Boughen said that the Finance Minister understood the need for funding from the federal government to successfully implement projects locally, but said the taxation system needs to be reformed.
"The distribution of wealth through taxation needs changes," he said.
"We need to design something that is fairer for everyone."
Read more in Friday's Times-Herald
Adam Miller can be reached at 691-1258
