Iqaluit council wants in on gas tax committee

Iqaluit city council wants to ensure that Iqaluit is represented on a new advisory committee that will recommend how to divide up Nunavut’s share of federal gasoline tax revenues.

The fund gives Nunavut $37.5 million a year over the next five years to pay for water, waste-water and solid waste schemes within municipalities. After five years, the federal contribution will drop to $15 million a year.

To figure out how to split up Nunavut’s share, the Government of Nunavut and the Nunavut Association of Municipalities will form a body called the Community Infrastructure Advisory Committee.

Deputy Mayor Chris Wilson said he’s not suggesting that “Iqaluit is not sensitive to the other communities,” but he said it’s essential for the city to be involved in the committee’s work.

A GN press release says the committee will recommend long-term capital plans and set criteria for the new money. The advisory committee will also make recommendations for municipal infrastructure projects that use either federal or territorial money.

The federal government will distribute about $1 billion a year’s worth of money, collected through the federal tax on gasoline, to municipal governments throughout the country.

Ottawa is insisting that the money be spent on “environmentally sustainable” infrastructure, such as water and sewer projects, solid waste management, and roads and bridges.