Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The extremely high cost of municipal services in Fort McPherson is ridiculous, Mr. Speaker. Over the past few years, the Hamlet of Fort McPherson incurred a deficit of over $2 million. The hamlet council took this expense upon itself to better the community services, only to be pulled deeper into
debt. The cost of municipal services dramatically increased. The average cost of water, septic and garbage services in March 2014 was $150 per household. Come April of 2014, the cost went through the roof and now Fort McPherson homeowners are paying, on average, $425 every month and upwards of $1,400 per month.
Constituents call me, asking why they now have to be the ones to pay back the amount the council overspent. The local housing authority is not getting an extra subsidy for the increase in water. Elders on a fixed income are not compensated for extra costs, and homeowners barely making it now have to pay almost three times what they were paying normally.
As it stands, we have a hard enough time keeping food on our tables for our children, let alone trying to keep up with paying sky high water prices.
I want to ask the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, where is the control? At what point does the department step up and say there’s something wrong here? Where are the auditors? Who authorizes funding to councils under such a deficit? The department needs to realize that the responsibility is shared.
My question to the Minister is: At what point would you step in again and revisit the situation? Clearly, something is not working.
The community members call me on a regular basis on the same issues over and over again.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted