Municipal Affairs and Environment
November 7, 2017

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

Minister Joyce Highlights Achievements of Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in this Honourable House to highlight the great work of municipal councils, councillors and community administrators and volunteers in our province. Last week I was fortunate to join the Premier in Corner Brook and take part in the Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador Convention and Annual General Meeting.

The event was a great success as so many of the people working hard to address local governance issues came together to exchange ideas about how we can all work collaboratively to improve the quality of life for residents throughout the province.

Mr. Speaker, I should note that those who attended acknowledged the excellent work of outgoing Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador president, Karen Oldford, who presided over the events.

On November 1 we held the second annual Premier’s Forum on Local Government with 52 delegates representing all areas of the province. We continued the process of consulting on regional government and noted the ideas and concerns from the delegates that we will strongly consider as we address this important issue.

On November 4, I announced that the department will amend its municipal infrastructure policies to eliminate the requirement for municipalities to enter into Limit of Service Agreements; which were previously required in order for municipalities to be eligible for cost-shared funding. This will allow us to make quicker decisions related to infrastructure funding.

We anticipate that Phase 2 - The Investing in Canada Infrastructure fund should be in place by March 31, 2018. And, we have also begun a review of the Municipalities Act and other municipal legislation, both of which Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador have indicated were important issues for them.

I am pleased to also highlight our strong relationship with the Professional Municipal Administrators who are undertaking excellent work for municipalities.

I extend thanks to the executive and all the attendees of the convention and annual general meeting for sharing their knowledge and expertise and for working with our government. We look forward to working alongside them again this year and I know we can accomplish a great deal together as we continue towards our collective goals of achieving greater efficiency, strengthening the province’s economic foundation, enhancing services, and improving outcomes for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

Thank you.

2017 11 07                              1:50 p.m.