Renee Lilley
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Portage Graphic Leader
As Members of Parliament return to Ottawa, Canada’s municipalities are calling for federal action on two critical fronts: sustainable infrastructure funding to support housing and concrete measures to improve public safety.
Joe Masi, Portage la Prairie city councillor who also serves as a board member for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), said the organization will be pushing for these priorities in the upcoming parliamentary session and federal budget.
“We need the federal government as a good partner,” Masi said Wednesday. “Municipalities are up to the challenge to partner with the federal government, and by working together, we’re going to have a better community.”
The first major priority is linking the national goal of building more affordable housing with the need for foundational infrastructure. Masi explained that to create new homes, communities require streamlined and predictable investments in core services like roads, bridges, and water and wastewater systems.
He pointed to Portage la Prairie’s planned multi-million dollar water treatment plant as a prime example.
“When we do a project of that magnitude, we just cannot do it strictly on the property tax base or on utility rates,” Masi said, noting municipalities collect only about eight cents of every tax dollar paid in Canada. “You can build homes, but unless you have the water and the sewer and the wastewater as all part of that, it’s not a home yet. It’s just a structure.”
He added that a recent Association of Manitoba Municipalities survey found 83 per cent of Manitobans agree that governments need to help fund these essential projects. FCM is advocating for a dedicated federal funding stream for water and wastewater, as well as a separate fund for smaller, rural communities so they don’t have to compete with larger urban centres.
The second key issue is public safety. While highlighting the success of Portage’s local Community Safety Officer program, Masi said federal partnership is needed to address pressing national issues.
“People have to feel safe in their communities,” he said.
FCM’s calls to action include urgent bail reform legislation, more resources to help police services fill vacancies, and support for mental health and addictions services, not only for the public but also first responders.
Masi highlights how in recent days, the man accused of killing beloved Portage la Prairie resident Kellie Verwey was recently granted bail where he then skipped out on a treatment centre after mere hours of being released. RCMP did re-arrest him for breaching conditions.
Masi and other FCM representatives will be in Ottawa for advocacy days in October to press these issues with parliamentarians directly.
“We’ve had good discussions,” Masi said. “I think they understand the need… and hopefully they will act on it.”
— Renée Lilley is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Portage Graphic. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
