At the end of May the Federation of Canadian Municipalities released their latest report on rural municipalities entitled, "Wake-Up Call: The National Vision and Voice We Need for Rural Canada." For those who are interested, the report can be read and printed from the following address:
http://www.fcm.ca//CMFiles/20090526_RuralReport_Final_EN1IWR-5262009-9425.pdf
The report provides a strong overview of the problems that currently affect rural Canada including declining populations and declining revenue - two concerns that are particularly relevant to rural Newfoundland and Labrador. Two of the reports recommendations are particularly important. First, it recommends that rural Canada have a champion at the federal cabinet table. This is essential if rural Canada is not to be lost in the shout or urban unrest. Second, the report recommends that rural policy not adopt a one-size fits all approach. This is simply a common-sense recommendation, but one that needed to be said. Canada is a huge country, and its rural areas are varied. We need a federal rural sustainability policy that is catered to our provinces needs.
Lets hope this report does not get lost in the political cycle.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Something to Keep in Mind
Hello everyone and welcome to the new CCRC blog. I'm Robert Keenan, the new CCRC project officer and your resident blogger. I'm settling in to the position and am willing to help all municipalities with matters of regional cooperation and the ICSP process.
In my first post I would like to discuss some recent announcements that could impact the spirit of cooperation between Newfoundland and Labrador municipalities. What I am referring to is the announcement of the hundred and seventy million dollars for infrastructure improvements in the province. There is no doubt that this is welcomed news that will provide necessary improvements to many municipalities. With that said, however, a closer look at the projects being funded highlights the fact that many are designated for specific communities. Yes, I’m certain that many of these projects will impact an area that is larger than the community in which the work is to be completed, but I’m certain that there are scores of municipalities that are wondering why their projects (which may be of equal importance) were not selected.
What communities throughout the province must realize is that this funding is representative of the extraordinary financial times that we now live. These projects have the intention of providing a long-term benefit as part of a quick-fix solution to severe economic troubles. I’m not suggesting that this minimizes the sting of a community’s project not being selected, but some context must be provided for these decisions.
The point I am trying to assert is that community-specific funded projects should not deter municipalities from future cooperation. Communities that received funding for projects should not perceive their selection as indicative of a trend in municipal funding or as a suggestion that regional cooperation is not necessary. On the other hand, communities whose projects were not funded should not let their disappointment temper any future collaborative efforts.
Cooperation cannot proceed if it is based on one community receiving what its neighbour already has; cooperation based on “covet thy neighbour” is too one-sided. Cooperation must proceed on the grounds of mutual benefits – to make programs better for all, and better than what could be provided as individual municipalities acting alone. It is this form of cooperation that will build sustainable communities in Newfoundland and Labrador. In the Harris Centre’s report on regionalization in the province, they note that “Newfoundland and Labrador is hampered by a tradition of community rivalry and by a population suspicious of solutions introduced from outside.” This is a tradition that must be broken. Our future is in regional and trans-regional cooperation. Rivalries must be set apart. It is time we showed each other and the rest of Canada what we could achieve through collaboration, compromise, and unity. This is the bridge the CCRC is trying to build – with your help it will not be a bridge to nowhere.
In my first post I would like to discuss some recent announcements that could impact the spirit of cooperation between Newfoundland and Labrador municipalities. What I am referring to is the announcement of the hundred and seventy million dollars for infrastructure improvements in the province. There is no doubt that this is welcomed news that will provide necessary improvements to many municipalities. With that said, however, a closer look at the projects being funded highlights the fact that many are designated for specific communities. Yes, I’m certain that many of these projects will impact an area that is larger than the community in which the work is to be completed, but I’m certain that there are scores of municipalities that are wondering why their projects (which may be of equal importance) were not selected.
What communities throughout the province must realize is that this funding is representative of the extraordinary financial times that we now live. These projects have the intention of providing a long-term benefit as part of a quick-fix solution to severe economic troubles. I’m not suggesting that this minimizes the sting of a community’s project not being selected, but some context must be provided for these decisions.
The point I am trying to assert is that community-specific funded projects should not deter municipalities from future cooperation. Communities that received funding for projects should not perceive their selection as indicative of a trend in municipal funding or as a suggestion that regional cooperation is not necessary. On the other hand, communities whose projects were not funded should not let their disappointment temper any future collaborative efforts.
Cooperation cannot proceed if it is based on one community receiving what its neighbour already has; cooperation based on “covet thy neighbour” is too one-sided. Cooperation must proceed on the grounds of mutual benefits – to make programs better for all, and better than what could be provided as individual municipalities acting alone. It is this form of cooperation that will build sustainable communities in Newfoundland and Labrador. In the Harris Centre’s report on regionalization in the province, they note that “Newfoundland and Labrador is hampered by a tradition of community rivalry and by a population suspicious of solutions introduced from outside.” This is a tradition that must be broken. Our future is in regional and trans-regional cooperation. Rivalries must be set apart. It is time we showed each other and the rest of Canada what we could achieve through collaboration, compromise, and unity. This is the bridge the CCRC is trying to build – with your help it will not be a bridge to nowhere.
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