The city is tallying up the impacts of recent provincial budget cuts.
Spokesperson Linda Evans told council last night that the consequences will include paying more for paramedic services.
“Our early assessments at this point indicate [for] 2019 a shortfall of between $330,000 and $515,000,” Evans explains.
Councillor Mark Bentz says the province has shown it’s not afraid to cut services, but he’s not sure if it’s pushing municipalities to do the same or to raise their property taxes.
“They want to balance the budget by 2022, I think, which is admirable. But if you’re cutting services, is there any messaging going through that they expect those cuts to flow through the municipality and actually become cuts?”
City Manager Norm Gale says while he can’t speak for the province, the PCs’ first budget says municipalities are expected to find savings.
City staff are still calculating the financial effects for the Health Unit, police, Conservation Authority, property assessments, garbage and recycling, library services, child care, social services, and wastewater.
That report will come back in July.
