Saint John’s mayor says new cost-sharing legislation is a step in the right direction for the region.
Last week, changes were introduced that would see several outlying communities cover the costs for regional facilities such as TD Station.
Don Darling says in order to move forward, change is something the region will have to get used to.
“It’s not only important to Saint John, it’s important to Greater Saint John, and 2020 is going to be all about restructuring,” he said.
“It’s about treating the greater region including all the local service districts as part of a partnership, that we are all connected, we all thrive together or we will all struggle together.”
Darling says the new legislation is a step in the right direction.
“This is an example of a relatively small to medium scale change, but for us to thrive and grow and move forward we’re going to have to embrace significant other areas of change as well,” he said.
But, he says it’s just a small piece of the bigger puzzle that is Saint John’s financial future.
“It won’t change the game for us. Comprehensive tax reform is critical, the arbitration reform legislation that is now been introduced. So the regional facilities piece is a piece of the puzzle, but it’s not the biggest piece,” he said.
So far, the changes haven’t been well-received in the outlying communities.
Those in communities like St. Martins and Rothesay have expressed their disappointment over the new legislation, and are concerned about seeing their costs rise.
“the numbers are not huge frankly,” said Darling.
He says he understands the concerns, but a discussion about fairness needs to happen.
“We understand that there’s an implication to those in the communities that are going to see new funding requirements,”
“I would ask folks to think about the role that (Saint John) plays. The city is leaned on by the greater region for services, for entertainment, for all types of things, and the way that the city pays its bills is with tax base,” he said.
