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Yvonne Jones, MHA for the District of Cartwright-L’Anse au Clair, is angry
with the minimal level of funding granted through the Community Enhancement
Program (CEP) for her district. Jones says approximately $725,000 in
applications were made to government under this program, while only $75,000
was approved.
"The people of Cartwright-L’Anse au Clair deserve better treatment from
this government," said Ms. Jones. "The $75,000 that has been approved will
do little to satisfy the need that is present in my district. Not only would
this money provide necessary infrastructure upgrades, it would have provided
employment to individuals who are struggling to survive in their
communities. With the downturn in our fishery and tourism sectors, people
are hurting financially and require this short-term employment to make ends
meet.
"While government may not recognize the need that exists for this type of
funding in rural areas of our province, I can assure the minister that many
communities were relying on this program. It will be a great disappointment
to the community leaders who spent their time and energy drafting these
proposals, only to be ignored by government. This is truly unfortunate for
people who dedicate their time seeking to provide solutions for their
declining populations, unlike this provincial government.
"Last year’s funding under the CEP was far from sufficient for my
district, and this year’s funding is significantly less. I cannot understand
the logic of a government that states they are looking to strengthen rural
areas of our province, but continuously cutback funding that is designed for
these regions. Unfortunately, this year’s program will only force more
people to leave the province."
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