Work continues on stalled Orange Buffalo Lodge project
Regina Watch
WATCH: The province is approaching Ottawa to find a way forward for the stalled Orange Buffalo lodge housing project in North Central. Wayne Mantyka reports.
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CBC
29 minutes ago
- CBC
'Not here to scare people,' but P.E.I. watchdog raising alarm bells about historic debt levels
Social Sharing P.E.I.'s auditor general says the province's net debt, the highest in the province's history, is unsustainable. Darren Noonan told MLAs the net debt is closing in on $3 billion, or nearly $15,000 for every single person in the province. He said if the current trend continues, that net debt could hit $5 billion in the next five years. Noonan says the province may need to make some tough decisions soon. "I'm not here to scare people, but I'm here to let people know that we have to start thinking about this. It has to be paid at some point," P.E.I.'s financial watchdog said in an interview with CBC News. "Our net debt continues to grow… The only way to bring it down is to address it through increased taxes or decreased spending. It's a tough thing for politicians to have to do." The auditor general was speaking as the legislature's public accounts committee met this week. This is not the first time Noonan has raised concerns about the province's mounting debt, prompting provincial officials to describe his comments as "alarmist." "I wasn't offended at the word 'alarmist,'" Noonan told MLAs at the committee meeting. "In fact, if you have to be a bit alarmist to get some attention to it… that's what it takes." In a statement, the Department of Finance said it works to ensure the province can manage its debt levels and agrees that it is important to monitor the province's debt. However, it added, "fiscal planning is complex, and it is necessary to balance a number of perspectives and factors, including Islanders' needs and being prudent financial stewards while monitoring today's uncertainties." 'We're spending money that we don't have' Liberal MLA Gord McNeilly, who chairs the public accounts committee, said these debt levels are accumulating while the province is getting record transfers from the federal government. He said the province has to control its spending. "We're spending money that we don't have," McNeilly said. "All Islanders should be concerned about this." Green Party Leader Matt MacFarlane said the more the province has to pay to service the debt, the less money it will have to deliver programs and services. "It means that we're losing programs and services and capital infrastructure that we could be having, simply because the debt is growing and growing and growing," MacFarlane said in an interview. We need the infrastructure, we need the repairs to our hospitals and schools, but what's the cost that's going to come at?... We're going to have to cut programs that we've come to rely on. — Green Party Leader Matt MacFarlane "We need the infrastructure, we need the repairs to our hospitals and schools, but what's the cost that's going to come at? It's either going to come at increased debt, which we're going to have to keep passing on to future generations to pay… or we're going to have to cut programs that we've come to rely on – social programs – and we can't do that either, really. "It's a tough position that we're in right now." Interest costing more than corporate tax brings in Noonan highlighted some other troubling trends as well. He said P.E.I.'s economy is more dependent on government spending than the economy of any other province in Canada; the province is the most dependent on federal funding; and interest charges have hit a record high of $165 million, or 5.5 per cent of total revenues. "One of our significant sources of revenue for the province is corporate income tax, and last year, we took in $157 million in corporate income revenue. Our interest expense was over $160 million," the auditor general pointed out. Noonan said the government's record-breaking capital spending is also a concern. His office reviewed eight "significant" capital budget projects, comparing the original budget to the actual completed cost in the last three fiscal years. Those projects were completed at a cost nearly 50 per cent above the amounts originally budgeted, and some were nearly 80 per cent over budget. The five-year capital plan for fiscal years 2020 to 2024 included total spending of about $610 million, but the actual capital spending over the period amounted to more than $1 billion. Noonan said his office intends to keep digging deeper into the capital spending, to find out why so many of these projects are going over budget. "There's been a lot of discussion about investment but there hasn't been any discussion on repaying the debt or how we're going to pay it back," Noonan said.
CBC
38 minutes ago
- CBC
Edmonton to establish new independent body under anti-racism strategy
Three years after approving an anti-racism strategy, Edmonton city council has decided on the parameters for an independent body to oversee efforts within the community. The long-promised body — the last of three strategy priorities to be completed — will be a collaborative group of existing experts, rather than a newly created non-profit organization or advisory board. Council's decision means existing anti-racism organizations or institutions that are independent from government structures will oversee anti-racism efforts and reflect on system racism at all levels in Edmonton. "The reason I'm proposing this motion — a collaborative table — is that it allows the existing organizations to work together, share best practices and be supported by the city," Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said during a council meeting on Tuesday. Edmonton's anti-racism strategy, which council approved in 2022, contained three key priorities: providing sustained funding, creating a high level office to tackle racism within the City of Edmonton corporation, and creating the independent anti-racism body. A study of anti-racism efforts in other jurisdictions over the last three years didn't find anything similar to independent body being created in Edmonton, said Andre Tinio, former chair of the advisory panel that did the review. City council discussed three options for developing an independent body: the collaborative approach, a non-profit, and a council advisory committee or board. "I do have concerns about a non-profit organization or even going back to an advisory committee structure, we've done that before," said Keren Tang, councillor for Ward Karhiio. Anti-racism strategy Sohi, who had campaigned on ending hate-based violence in 2021, introduced the motion asking city staff to implement a collaborative model for the new body. The motion passed unanimously. More than two years ago, some watchers criticized the effectiveness of the anti-racism strategy and questioned why an independent body had not yet been established. "I know that it took longer than expected," Sohi said Tuesday. "In hindsight, maybe taking time was important." Between 2022 and 20223, the city spent more than $3.6 million for projects. Grants will go toward initiatives like an internship for diverse youths to help them gain leadership experience and share their experiences. Funding has also been approved for a high-level reconciliation and anti-racism office, with seven employees, that will be within the city manager's office. Sohi said the city's work was helped by being part of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative. Edmonton was one of three Canadian cities to take part in the North American program, which helps mayors and city officials tackle complex challenges. Edmonton was also chosen for the collaboration track sector within the program, in order to find ways to address these issues through teamwork. "I believe it sets our city on a path to be an equitable and sustainable progress on anti-racism for years to come," Sohi said.
CBC
38 minutes ago
- CBC
Aging Granville Island needs up to $300M in upgrades. Is housing a solution?
Social Sharing There's nothing in Metro Vancouver like Granville Island — but that's part of the problem in making changes to keep it financially viable. "We're kind of stuck in where we can get money from," said Granville Island general manager Tom Lancaster. He estimates up to $300 million is required for all the infrastructure upgrades needed for the popular arts and tourism hub, which has remained relatively unchanged since it was transformed in the late 1970s. "We are approaching a financial situation now where change has to happen," said Lancaster, citing buildings that were either shuttered or facing a significant need for structural upgrades, including the roof of the famed public market. "The problems can be pushed into the future over and over until it's no longer really that desirable. We're not there yet, but we're close." This week, the island held an event to discuss its future, with a panel discussion and a video produced by popular urbanist and columnist Utaye Lee that accumulated nearly 200,000 views in its first three days. The video ended with a plug for a survey by the island, which asks people about a potential "Granville Island Foundation" charity that would allow them to raise money from interested donors. WATCH | Debate over the future of Granville Island: Does Granville Island's future include housing? 7 hours ago Duration 2:40 One of Metro Vancouver's marquee attractions could soon be in financial trouble. Granville Island is warning the public that it won't be able to pay for mounting infrastructure renewal without future investment. It has led a former Vancouver mayor to push for bold changes to raise the money, including putting housing in the arts and tourist hot spot. Lancaster hopes that by sounding the alarm, Granville Island can help bring the public and stakeholders together to create a new era for the peninsula. "If people in Vancouver want to see a revitalized Granville Island, something that inspires them the way that it did in the 1980s and 1990s, that's the change that we need. That's the investment we need." Complicated governance structure But that investment has historically proved difficult because of the peculiar governance structure of the island. While it's right in the middle of Vancouver, the modern history of Granville Island began in the late 1970s, when city council agreed to transfer the land to the federal government, which would convert the decaying industrial land into the eclectic mix of spaces that remains in place today. But while the land is owned by Ottawa, it has been managed by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation in a hands-off fashion, with the requirement that it pays for its own maintenance and expenses. The plus side is Granville Island has been immune to market forces or politicization for 40 years, while maintaining rental subsidies for artists and a focus on independent and local businesses. ARCHIVES | How Granville Island changed the course of Vancouver urban design history: Vancouver Centre MP Ron Basford - 1977 8 years ago Duration 0:58 Vancouver Centre MP Ron Basford, champion of Granville Island's redevelopment, outlines what he'd like to see the place become. The downside is a lack of capital available for major projects, and no level of government historically accountable to the public for changes. "Our hands are tied a little bit because of the governance … the model seems to have either stalled or is just simply not working today," said Vancouver Coun. Mike Klassen, who called the island "a gem" and agreed with Lancaster that a revitalization is needed. "The corroding buildings, the infrastructure that's been there for decades — it doesn't represent the city well. And I think that if we want to get serious about it, we're going to have to make those investments." 'Build housing' proposal gets booed As for where that money comes from? A person who voted in favour of the original plans for the island has a bold — if controversial — idea. "Let's put housing in," said Mike Harcourt. The former mayor of Vancouver and premier of B.C. argues that higher levels of government aren't willing to provide money to projects these days without creating more housing units. And he says that one of the island's many parking lots or decaying buildings could be better used for a few mid-size apartment buildings that could market units and designated spaces for artists. When he put the idea to the audience at last week's event, he was roundly booed. "I don't mind being booed … now that I don't have to worry about votes anymore. I just tell it like it is," said Harcourt. "If people have suggestions of how [to solve this] other than writing a check for $500 million, or let the private market come along and the whole place as a commercial venture, I think mine is the reasonable third option." Lancaster didn't want to rule the idea out, saying "at this point in history, we have to really look at everything," but acknowledged that for many people, the idea of change for Granville Island is difficult. "Not everybody agrees on what to do, because Granville Island is a little bit of something for everybody," he said. "People want things to change, but they want it to stay the same. And so in managing change, we really need to tell the story and bring everybody to the table." It was a statement seconded by CMHC, which said "there are no current plans for housing development," while adding "we are keenly interested in engaging [with stakeholders] to understand how Granville Island should best evolve and change." Granville Island has had a good run so far, said Harcourt, but now it needs to be rethought.
