This week I made the trip to Ottawa to hear the details of the federal budget as it was presented in the House of Commons by the Finance Minister. Here are a few of the budget announcements and what they could mean for us;
Infrastructure spending: the 2016 federal budget pledges $120 billion over the next 10 years. This has potential to bring federal investment for the Third Crossing, affordable housing and public transit in Kingston.
Innovation: $800 million to support innovation networks and clusters. As we continue work to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in Kingston there is great potential to build an innovation cluster through a partnership with Queen’s, St. Lawrence College, RMC and technology entrepreneurs like Innovate Kingston.
Youth Employment: the budget speech hinted at investments in programs to create more co-op and on the job learning opportunities. This kind of investment would line up with our made-in-Kingston youth employment strategy. I look forward to further details and how we can leverage more federal investment for youth jobs in Kingston.
Arts and culture: $1.9 billion for the arts and culture sector. We have an incredibly vibrant arts and culture scene here in Kingston and it’s great to hear recognition of the importance of continued investment in arts and culture and the significant role it plays in quality of life.
While there is still a lot of detail yet to come on the roll out and implementation of these investments, I will continue to look for opportunities to align our Smart and Livable City vision and strategic priorities with the federal government. I look forward to working with MP Gerretsen to advocate for investments in our community.