Municipal Affairs and Environment
May 10, 2017

The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Eddie Joyce, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment:

Ministerial Statement - Minister Joyce Acknowledges Municipal Awareness Day

Mr. Speaker, today, on Municipal Awareness Day, I respectfully ask that we appreciate the important role that residents, volunteers and local governments play in building and maintaining strong communities in our province.

The staff of the Department of Municipal Affairs and Environment work closely with communities to ensure that they have strong local governance; a solid network of emergency services; and that they can access and share quality services and infrastructure.

This morning, I was pleased to be able to join the Town of Torbay for some of the events that they planned for Municipal Awareness Day. This included the official opening of the new municipal depot, which was made possible in part by contributions from our government’s municipal capital works program.

Approximately $100 million in funding for a new three-year municipal infrastructure program was announced through Budget 2017, and we are pleased to be partnering with federal and municipal governments to advance even more funding for infrastructure. We are investing in projects that support priorities of clean water and wastewater, disaster mitigation, and the sharing of services and infrastructure between communities. As part of the Way Forward, our government has committed to leverage federal infrastructure funding at every opportunity to maximize investments while restoring fiscal balance.

Last week, we attended the Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador Symposium and met with many of the volunteers and officials that we are recognizing today. We discussed their concerns and looked for solutions to challenges that we are all tackling together. We believe that by working together with all levels of government and by joining with the stakeholders such as Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador and Professional Municipal Administrators, we are stronger and will succeed in our common goals of safe and sustainable communities.

Once again, I would like to extend the warmest thank you to everyone across the province who works every day to build communities in which Newfoundlanders and Labradorians can work, live, and raise their families in security and pride.

Thank you.

Government Recognizes Value of Local Government on Municipal Awareness Day

2017 05 10                             2:30 p.m.