News Release

FREDERICTON (GNB) – A report on the province’s community funding and equalization grant system has been released.

The report was prepared by Nora Kelly, a former longtime provincial civil servant and deputy minister, and Université de Moncton professor Pierre-Marcel Desjardins, whose area of expertise is economics and local government. They began their work in May, conducting research and consulting with stakeholders on grant options.

“I want to recognize the detailed and diligent work of these individuals over the past few months. They advised government on a key piece of our financial system and gave government a lot of information and options to consider,” said Local Government and Local Governance Reform Minister Daniel Allain. “This formula required an in-depth review to meet the needs of the new local governance system.”

Their recommendations for a new system of fiscal transfers were presented to the government earlier this month.

Amendments to the Community Funding Act are expected to be introduced in the legislative assembly in October.

“We have heard calls from many local governments concerned with the level of change recommended and we have listened to them in what we will bring forward next week,” said Allain.

The report is available online.