SYDNEY, N.S. — A pair of Cape Breton Regional councillors is out to determine whether the municipality got a raw deal when it was amalgamated 25 years ago.
Councillors Kendra Coombes and Steve Gillespie put forth a resolution at Tuesday’s council meeting that the Cape Breton Regional Municipality write an official letter to Nova Scotia Municipal Affairs Minister Chuck Porter demanding answers to a series of financial questions dating back to 1995 merger. The amalgamation of Sydney, North Sydney, Sydney Mines, Glace Bay, New Waterford, Dominion, Louisbourg and the former County of Cape Breton began with the fledgling municipality taking on a collective $58-million debt.
The resolution, which was subsequently approved by council, began with “whereas, we have always heard the CBRM is treated differently than other municipalities and that we are a special case.”
It continued, “and whereas, we have heard of other municipalities being provided financial incentives if they amalgamated, we believe it would be beneficial for council and the residents of the CBRM to have a comprehensive list of any financial incentives provided to other amalgamated municipalities.”
The resolution went on to demand answers as to whether other municipalities received financial incentives to amalgamate and, if so, why was the CBRM not provided the same. It also asks how many municipalities had their debts forgiven by the province and questions what the ramifications would be had the municipality had its collective debt forgiven at the time of amalgamation.
Allegations of the province’s unfair treatment of the CBRM are nothing new. Many councillors, some more vociferous than others, have long contended that the municipality is treated less favourably than other communities, namely the Halifax Regional Municipality.
District 12 Coun. Jim MacLeod had no qualms about placing the blame for many of the CBRM’s fiscal woes squarely on the shoulders of the provincial government.
“They don’t want Sydney or the CBRM to succeed with business or development because then Halifax would have a problem and that’s most unfortunate that this is the way it is,” said MacLeod, who served on council at amalgamation.
District 1’s Clarence Prince picked up on the “special case” mention and responded with a glum overview of the state of the municipality.
“We are a special case, but for all the wrong reasons — we have high unemployment, high addiction rates, we have high numbers of health issues such as diabetes and cancer, high out-migration, high commercial taxation, high childhood poverty, increase in food bank usage — my God, we’re leading Nova Scotia in the wrong statistics,” proclaimed Prince.
“We need honest answers from the minister of municipal affairs and the government, and I am sure there are answers out there and many of them — in the past, we have asked the province for the treatment we deserve, but we haven’t got anything.
“By sending this to him (Minister Porter) it will be on his desk and hopefully he’ll have the decency and courtesy to give us an answer that we can discuss at the council and relay it to the public.”
The Cape Breton Post’s last two requests for an interview with Porter have been declined.
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