Over 30 mayors from across the Atlantic region are in Bridgewater today for the start of the Atlantic Mayors Congress.
Top of mind for many is the infrastructure money Ottawa has been promising.
Mayor Don Downe says there are lots of projects to invest in, but they’re still missing one important piece.
“One of the problems we`ve been having is they`re announcing a lot of money. But we haven`t been able to get a hold of that money as quickly as we need it for the core infrastructure that we`re talking about.“
He says no matter the scale of the project federal help will be needed.
Halifax Mayor Mike Savage says municipalities can make up their own minds on how to spend that money.
“I think what most municipalities will tell you is, give us the money and let us determine what we need to do as much as possible. But we want flexibility.“
He says, dealing with a two and a half billion dollar refit of water treatment facilities in Halifax will need help from the feds.
The congress will host a roundtable by the mayors tomorrow morning.
Minister Mark Furey and Parliamentary Secretary Adam Vaughan will make presentations before the event wraps up Friday night.
