The people are speaking. Are our political leaders listening? At every level of government, it’s budget time, and that’s when we really see the priorities come to the fore. It’s a tough balancing act between being fiscally responsible and citizen expectations. We should soon see, as the Federal budget will come out this month under a shroud of secrecy until the big day. In Canada, this document is classified as “secret” and produced in lock-down conditions. Morneau provided a glimpse as what to expect in his economic update last fall which projected a deficit of $26.9 billion for 2017-18 and the provincial budget will likely follow suit, but deficits are not allowed at the municipal level.
The local budget process is more open, with public comment welcome. To develop a better understanding of where your municipal tax dollars are spent, take the time to participate in the discussions next Monday evening. It’s where we learn about democracy at the grassroots level. KG
