To me, affordability includes investment in municipal services such as public transportation, parks & recreation, libraries, and rinks.
While the cost of living continues to climb and wages stay stagnant (or decrease if accounting for inflation), low- and middle-income households should not be forced to juggle the financial burden of multiple vehicles. If we had an accessible and robust public transit system, families could choose.
Investment in public transit can reduce wear and tear on our roads by reducing the volume of vehicles using our streets. It has positive environmental and public safety impacts by reducing the number of vehicles on our roads. Investment in public transit can reduce impaired driving and gives options for drivers facing health changes who may be safer if they were not behind the wheel. Public transit also offers social connection for people who are isolated. I would love to see collaboration between municipalities on the Island to explore the potential community and tourism benefits of having transit available to connect the different natural attractions and cultural experiences Cape Breton offers.
Recreation opportunities such as the Making Waves festival, Lumiere, events by the Whitney Pier Group, and New Victoria Recreation Society all create low or no-cost entertainment and engagement for our communities and citizens. Our libraries offer far more than "just books". CBRL's Library of Things includes tools such as radon and carbon dioxide detectors, recreation and wellness equipment, and some adaptive equipment.
There are many great recommendations in CBRM's Strategic Task Force's 2023 Report (starts on page 79) that offer direction towards potential solutions for some of CBRM's many challenges. The Task Force was made up of over 50 community members and focused on Housing, Transit, Affordable Housing & Homelessness, and the Downtown Sydney.
There are many provincial, federal, and even some private funding opportunities that CBRM staff don't necessarily have the time or capacity to keep up with and apply for every single opportunity available. A well-informed municipal Councillor could support in sourcing grant opportunities and providing a loose framework for applying. We could motion to suggest enacting the Strategic Task Force's suggestion of creating a Grant Writer position so that we CBRM would have the staff capacity to apply for funding opportunities when they come up. We need thoughtful governance from our leadership to see through these changes for the betterment of our communities.
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