The exterior of Saint John City Hall is pictured in this file photo. (Staff photo)
The recently-endorsed financial action plan for Saint John has come under criticism from many, including the Liberals.
Liberal Leader Kevin Vickers says the sustainability deal doesn’t address the root issue of the city’s huge deficit.
He says he would’ve liked to see stronger municipal reform outlined in the report. A lack of such reforms is something he calls “a huge challenge” for Saint John.
The much-anticipated report was endorsed by council earlier this month, with push-back from many councillors who felt the deal doesn’t help fix the city’s financial problems soon enough.
The city has been vocal recently about upcoming budgets that will either have to be run with a massive deficit, or will see the city make a number of cuts to fill the gap.
Vickers says he’s worried city councillors were put in a difficult decision, and made to pass something they don’t truly believe will help them.
“I’m very worried about this whole issue of intimidation. My whole fear was that it really wasn’t something that was truly endorsed, it was something that they felt had to be signed to get them over the next little while,” he said in an interview.
He says he’s prepared to work collaboratively with the Higgs government to make the deal work.
Vickers says the ongoing turmoil around Saint John’s finances may dissuade people from investing in the city, and in turn the province.
“For me, there’s no more important city than the city of Saint John. So goes Saint John, so goes New Brunswick. It’s the economic engine of our province, and we really have to make sure that things are right, it’s healthy economically, that businesses are going to be attracted to the city,” he said.
He says he hopes government can work together in a non-partisan way to find better solutions to Saint John’s deficit.
