FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Government places priority on pavement over people in capital budget
Charlottetown, PE – Today the King government released its capital budget outlining its priorities over the next five years. It is clear to the Official Opposition that the government values pavement over people.
“This is definitely not a Green budget. When we were asked in September to provide our priorities to government, we made a submission outlining the areas Islanders have been telling us need immediate and long term attention,” said Michele Beaton, Official Opposition Critic for Finance. “Despite asking for investment in areas like mental health, housing, schools, and the environment that will improve the lives of Islanders, government is stubbornly committed to putting down blacktop.”
The Official Opposition capital budget priorities can be found here: https://peigreencaucus.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Official-Opposition-Capital-Budget-Submission-2021-2022.pdf
“There is little to no investment in areas desperately in need of attention. For example, we see continued delays on the PC election promise to immediately build a mental health campus on Day One; government’s commitment to housing is only a quarter of what it is investing in roads; it is investing in rental supplements, but these supplements only serve to ensure landlords are paid and do nothing to resolving the housing crisis,” said Beaton. “With only $5M committed over five years, there is also no significant investment in active transportation; and by renewing a commitment to investing in burning wood for heat, government is missing a critical opportunity to do more than lip service to its commitment to Net Zero.”
“We had hoped Premier King was sincere when he campaigned on the motto – It’s about People. However, the numbers presented today show it’s actually about paving. Maybe if government had a better vision for infrastructure, they could build the buildings that Islanders need and not just the road up to them.”
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Jonathan Hamel
Director of Communications
Office of the Official Opposition
Tel: (902) 213-0718
Email: jdhamel@assembly.pe.ca