October 30 2020
Today the provincial government announced about $1.6 million in funding to cover COVID-19-related losses for municipal transit systems through the federal-provincial Safe Restart Agreement.
“Municipalities have provided essential services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, including the public transit many essential workers depend on. But during lockdown when most people were home, and with reduced capacity due to distancing rules, those systems have been badly hurt,” says UMNB President Alex Scholten. “This funding was urgently needed to sustain public transit in our cities.”
The province also announced that funding to cover COVID-related losses incurred by municipalities will be announced soon. New Brunswick’s municipalities are projected to lose approximately $20 million by year end due to COVID-19, including lost revenues and unforeseen costs. Per provincial legislation, municipalities cannot run ongoing operating deficits or access additional sources of revenue. “We look forward to hearing more,” Scholten says.
The Union of the Municipalities of New Brunswick is a bilingual association of 60 member municipalities of all sizes and both official languages, representing over one third of New Brunswick’s population.
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For more information, please contact:
Margot Cragg, UMNB Executive Director, (506) 476-5641, margot.cragg@umnb.ca