Friday, January 08, 2010

The Johnson Street Bridge and Provincial Funding

A number of members of the City of Victoria council that are known to have strong NDP connections and the NDP MLA Rob Flemming have complained the provincial government has not provided funding for the Johnson Street Bridge Project. I just realized I have no idea what funds the city had applied from the province and been turned down for.

We know the province could not offer joint stimulus funding because the project was not a shovel ready stimulus type of project. The Federal government would not offer money from the stimulus pot either. There are various provincial capital infrastructure cost sharing programs did they all come up with no money?

Given the lack of detailed design and the lack of a budget for the project, frankly all federal and provincial sources of money should turn down the Johnson Street Bridge project.

It feels like BC New Democrats are looking for a way to attack the provincial government more than finding provincial funding for the bridge. I know that the opposition MLAs are supposed to attack the government and use whatever is at hand for ammunition, but it seems to me wrong to have city councilors blame the province for what I suspect are their own shortcomings on the project.

I really am curious as to what funding the city applied for and did not get from the province? Does anyone know what money was applied for from the province?

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