TRURO, N.S.
The Truro and Colchester Chamber of Commerce is adding its voice to a collective of chambers from across Atlantic Canada opposing a move by the Nova Scotia government to amend the Municipal Government Act.
The local chamber supports a letter recently sent to Premier Stephen McNeil and Derek Mombourquette, minister of Municipal Affairs, from the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce asking the province to reconsider its position to amend Chapter 18 of the Municipal Government Act. The amendments would confer an exemption from long-standing regulations that prohibit municipalities from providing fiscal and real property incentives to private businesses uniquely for Cape Breton Regional Municipality.
“Our chamber urges local governments to work collaboratively together whenever possible for the greater good of all businesses and residents in our region,” said local chamber president Joanne McRae.
“However, we believe this move to change regulations by the provincial government will have a negative impact on many regions, including right here in Truro and Colchester, that will result in damaging the health of the business environment by impeding growth, productivity and overall competitiveness.”
The chamber has provided the three local municipal units of Truro, Stewiacke and Colchester County with a copy of the letter and is seeking feedback from its membership on this issue.
As a business organization, the Atlantic Chamber and its network, including the local branch, “strongly” support competitive markets, not artificial incentives, as the best means of attracting investment opportunities with sustainable profitability, it said, in an emailed news release.
In the letter to the premier, Sheri Somerville, CEO of the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce, said such amendments will create “discord, eliminate fairness” and that the entire province will suffer.
She added the objective would be best accomplished by the province creating globally-competitive infrastructure and cost structures across the entire economy, and ensuring access to an appropriately trained workforce.
“Many of our members agree that municipal governance needs to be modernized, but this specific circumstance is not helpful,” Somerville wrote. “We understand the objective but fear the consequences of such an approach.”
And she said it is essential that municipalities be encouraged to work together to achieve prosperity.
“In the long run, no one will win when municipality is pitted against municipality to provide potential investors with more for less.”
