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MHA Sweeney calls Harbour Grace's share
of stadium funding unfair to its taxpayers
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George Sweeney, MHA for the District of Carbonear-Harbour Grace, says that while he is pleased with government finally approving funding for the S.W. Moores Memorial Stadium, he is not happy with the amount the Town of Harbour Grace is required to provide to finance this project. In a letter to the council dated May 15th, 2007, the Minister of Municipal Affairs advised the town that government approved $287,536 for upgrades to the stadium. The cost-sharing arrangement for the project was based on a 50.5/49.5 provincial/municipal ratio, with the provincial share at $145,206 and the municipal share at $142,330. AThis stadium is a regional facility serving a number of communities and the provincial government should have been more generous in its share of funding for this project,@says Sweeney. AThis capital works project is certainly not fair to the taxpayers of Harbour Grace who are being asked to finance repairs to this stadium that is enjoyed by people from all over the region. AI disagree with government=s small portion of funding in this project and ask that it reconsider and provide a fairer and more equitable financing arrangement so that the taxpayers are not on the hook for such a large amount. Regional facilities in the past were offered much better terms by previous administrations than is being offered here, with some as low as a 10 per cent share.@ The Liberal MHA points out that at the same time that the province is strapping the town with this financing requirement, the Harvey Street Road in Harbour Grace remains in a deplorable condition and needs urgent attention. AThe province has to appreciate that towns across Newfoundland and Labrador, including Harbour Grace, have lost a great deal of their tax base with outmigration and can no longer provide the level of service that is needed without better government fiscal support.@
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