Rankin Inlet (May 11/05) - How communities will be impacted by gas-tax revenues was the hottest topic of conversation at the Nunavut Association of Municipalities (NAM) annual general meeting in Arviat this past month, said John Hodgson.
The Rankin Inlet SAO said a committee has been formed, comprised of NAM, Community and Government Services and Department of Finance representatives, to decide how revenues should be allocated.
The new federal plan will provide $37.5 million in revenues for Nunavut communities during its first five years, and $15 million per year thereafter.
"It's important to point out that this is not going to be a major windfall for every municipality," said Hodgson.
"There will be a lot of sharing by everybody, but at least it's new money."
Hodgson said the revenues are to referred to as green dollars, which leaves municipalities in the dark as to how the criteria to access the money will be set up.
He said one of the biggest debates at the AGM was whether criteria should be slanted towards a per-capita basis, by region, or individual proposals.
The criteria is expected to be established by the end of the current fiscal year, which would see the dollars start to flow in 2006.
"Mayors from across the territory said there's a desperate need for community centres to be renovated, upgraded or replaced. But it still isn't clear if those types of projects will fit into the strategy."
Rankin Inlet has plans for a new complex to combine municipal offices with a recreational facility.
Hodgson said the municipality would like to know if it utilized technology that decreases the amount of heat required - such as piggybacking with the Nunavut Power Corp.'s heat-sharing program - if that would allow access to gas-tax revenues.
"When you hear the term green infrastructure, it's referring to water-plant upgrades, sewage-plant development or projects related to energy conservation.
"It remains to be seen if there will be room for us to manoeuvre so we can access some of those dollars towards a new complex project."
