Federal budget viewed through Durham eyes
by Blake Wolfe/The Scugog Standard

Durham Riding residents can expect more infrastructure funding and a new rail line in the next few years following the announcement of the 2010 federal budget, said local MP Bev Oda.

The Conservatives’ 2010 budget was announced Thursday afternoon (March 4) by Finance Minister and Whitby MP Jim Flaherty, who described the document as a “jobs and growth budget.” The budget announcement comes only days after MPs returned to work, following Parliament’s prorogation in late December 2009. The provincial government is expected to announce its 2010 budget later this month.

This year’s federal budget features:
- $19 million in the second year of Canada’s Economic Action Plan, including $3.2 billion in personal income tax cuts and $7.7 billion in infrastructure funding;
- the elimination of tariffs on machinery and imported goods that will be further manufactured Canada;
- no plans for increased taxes; and
- an aggressive timeline to cut Canada’s deficit to $27.6 billion by 2011-12, with a deficit of only $1.8 billion projected for 2014-15.

Locally, Durham MP Bev Oda said that residents can expect to see a continuation of infrastructure stimulus funding toward municipal projects, such as Port Perry’s waterfront revitalization and the expansion and renovation of Nestleton Hall. Ms. Oda also cited continuing construction at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), which includes a brand new Automotive Centre of Excellence for the school’s engineering programs.

Although vague on possible job growth in Durham, Ms. Oda said that the elimination of manufacturing tariffs could have a positive effect on employment numbers in the riding.
The minister also confirmed that plans are still on track for the re-establishment of the rail line that once ran along Scugog’s eastern border and connected commuters from North Durham and the City of Kawartha Lakes to transit lines in the Region’s southern end. Originally announced in the 2008 budget and pegged at the time for a cost of approximately $150 million by Canadian-Pacific Rail, the minister said that the project is still “on the books.” A timeline for construction is yet to be confirmed.

“This is the budget of a government that is governing well and plans to continue,” said Ms. Oda, when asked if she thought this was a pre-election budget.

As for the recent question of revamping the lyrics to ‘O Canada,’ Ms. Oda said that she “does not have any specific thoughts on the matter,” but that “a lot of people appear to feel strongly about it.” A single sentence in last week’s throne speech hinted at a possible re-examination of the national anthem’s lyrics to make them more ‘gender-neutral.’ The idea has since been abandoned by the federal government following public backlash to the news.