Ottawa Water Crisis Indicative Of Federal Inertia, Says Green Party Candidate

 OTTAWA – An outdoor ban on the use of water in place until the end of August of this year has led the Green Party of Canada candidate for Nepean-Carleton to question the flawed way federal funding of municipal infrastructure takes place.

Jean-Luc Cooke believes the bans, which will affect Barrhaven, Manotick, and Riverside South, flow from a culture of political interference and lack of adequate funds for municipalities.

“We should not have members of parliament determine what projects get funded and what are neglected. The busted water main that resulted from chronic bursting may not have happened had our city government possessed the means to allocate proper resources for basic maintenance,” declares Cooke.

“The Green Party is calling for the GST share of the HST to be allocated to municipalities and also that taxes on gas be provided to local governments. This is long over due and would permit our local residents to have a greater say in shaping their own priorities,” asserts the Bells Corners resident.

“We have seen a consistent pattern of interference from our area M.P.’s vis-à-vis municipal projects.  For instance, it is highly likely that we would have already had light rail transit if not for the petty jockeying on display at the federal level.  We are saying that local priorities ought to be determined local people and that the federal government should channel adequate revenue to municipal governments as a way of recognizing the reality of our evolving democratic needs and aspirations,” says Cooke.

The Green Party of Canada earned close to a million votes in the 2008 election and defeated the NDP in Nepean-Carleton.
    

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For more information, please contact:

Jean-Luc Cooke
Small Business Critic
Green Party of Canada Candidate for Nepean-Carleton
Phone: 613-800-0571
Email: jean-luc.cooke@greenparty.ca