Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs
October 22, 2015

Supporting Communities Throughout Newfoundland and Labrador

Provincial Government Provides Update on Community Sustainability Partnership

As part of Budget 2015, the Provincial Government announced a new community sustainability partnership. Significant progress has been made on several key initiatives including the advisory committee to explore regional governance, water and wastewater operators, Crown lands reserves and consultations regarding the blending of business and realty taxes.

�We continue to hear from municipal leaders about the benefit of the community sustainability partnership to their communities. Significant progress is being made on all initiatives and we have had several interested municipalities inquire about the Crown lands reserves. The initiatives of the community sustainability partnership support all regions of the province, especially rural communities, as they develop social and economic activities and projects to support, maintain and grow their communities.�
- The Honourable Keith Hutchings, Minister of Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs

Progress has been made on the following community sustainability partnership initiatives:

• Members of the advisory committee to explore regional governance have been appointed;
• Letters were recently sent to all municipalities in the province outlining the new Crown lands reserves initiative;
• The three regional service boards (Eastern, Central and Western) are well underway with hiring a water and wastewater operator. Eastern has hired an operator and Central and Western are in the process of hiring an operator;
• Government has initiated consultations regarding the potential expansion of the authority for municipalities to allow for blending of business and realty taxes. A schedule of the consultations and an online questionnaire can be found at the following site: //www.miga.gov.nl.ca/csp/blendedtax_consultation_schedule.pdf; and
• To further assist communities in the area of clean and safe drinking water, a contract to develop standard operating procedures that will assist in reducing boil water advisories in Newfoundland and Labrador was awarded to Big East Engineering Inc.

For additional information on these initiatives as well as a list of members of the advisory committee and communities involved in the water and wastewater operator pilot please see the backgrounder below.

�Progress is being made on all initiatives of the community sustainability partnership and we are pleased to be part of the implementation. We look forward to working with our members to build on these initiatives and create a sustainable future for all communities.�
- Churence Rogers, President of Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador

Through the community sustainability partnership the Provincial Government is investing over $46 million in additional funding over the next three years in communities, annualized at approximately $25 million thereafter.

QUICK FACTS

• Through Budget 2015, the Provincial Government announced a new community sustainability partnership which is investing over $46 million in additional funding over the next three years in communities, annualized at approximately $25 million thereafter.
• Significant progress has been made on several key initiatives including the advisory committee to explore regional governance, water and wastewater operators, Crown lands reserves and consultations regarding the blending of business and realty taxes.

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Media contacts:

Kevin Guest Director of Communications Department of Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs 709-729-1983, 730-2320 kevinjguest@gov.nl.ca

Gail Woodfine Communications and Public Relations Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador 709-753-6822 gwoodfine@municipalnl.ca

BACKGROUNDER

Updates on Community Sustainability Partnership

• Members of the advisory committee to explore regional governance have been appointed.
• Letters were recently sent to all municipalities in the province outlining the new Crown lands reserves initiative. This initiative provides municipalities with the ability to reserve Crown lands for social and economic development purposes for a five year period.
• The three regional service boards (Eastern, Central and Western) are well underway with hiring a water and wastewater operator. Eastern has hired an operator and Central and Western are in the process of hiring an operator. All operators will be in place by the end of October. Government committed to invest approximately $1 million over a 3.5 year period beginning October 1, 2015, to March 31, 2019, to provide funding for three regional service boards to engage regional water and wastewater operators.
• Government has initiated consultations regarding the potential expansion of the authority for municipalities to allow for blending of business and realty taxes. A schedule of the consultations and an online questionnaire can be found at the following site: //www.miga.gov.nl.ca/csp/blendedtax_consultation_schedule.pdf
• To further assist communities in the area of clean and safe drinking water, a contract to develop standard operating procedures that will assist in reducing boil water advisories in Newfoundland and Labrador was awarded to Big East Engineering Inc. The consultant has been engaged to focus exclusively on solutions to reduce the number of boil water advisories, and have selected two communities, Portugal Cove South and Gander Bay South, to pilot these solutions. Once the Standard Operating Procedures are verified through pilot testing, they will be available to other communities affected by boil water advisories.

Members of Advisory Committee to Explore Regional Governance

Name	Title
Ms. Sheila Kelly-Blackmore	Chairperson Rural Secretariat Provincial Council
Mr. Ed Grant	Chairperson Eastern Regional Service Board
Mr. Allan Scott	Chairperson Central Regional Service Board
Mr. Nigel Black	Chief Administrator Officer, Town of Bay Roberts Professional Municipal Administrators
Ms. Mallary McGrath	Committee Member Premier's Youth Advisory Committee
Fire Chief Vince MacKenzie	Past President Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Fire Services
Mr. Craig Pollett	Chief Executive Officer Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador
Ms. Kay Riggs	Vice President Operations/ Chairperson Dynamic Air Shelters Ltd./Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters
Ms. Gillian Skinner	Director of Regional Economic Development Department of Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development
Ms. Lorelei Roberts-Loder	Director of Community Sustainability Partnership Department of Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs

Communities for Pilot Water and Wastewater Operators

• Eastern Regional Service Board �Aquaforte, Avondale, Biscay Bay, Brigus South, Fermeuse, Ferryland, Georgetown, Marysvale, Renews, Swift Current, Goobies, Garden Cove and North Harbour;
• Central Regional Service Board - Crow Head, Purcell�s Harbour, Herring Neck, Tizzard�s Harbour, Merritt�s Harbour, Cottlesville, Port Albert, Stoneville, Buchans, Buchans Junction, Millertown and Badger; and
• Western Regional Service Board - Rose Blanch, Isle aux Mort, Fox Roost-Margaree, Burnt Islands, Picadilly Slant-Abraham�s Cove, Flat Bay, Flat Bay West, Black Duck Siding, Ship Cove-Lower Cove-Jerry�s Nose, Sheave�s Cove, Picadilly Head and West Bay.

2015 10 22                             11:15 a.m.