Recommendations from Northern Mayors for FedNor

The mayors from the north’s five largest cities have written the northern Ontario Liberal caucus regarding FedNor.  The letter raises a number of concerns and calls on the northern Liberal members to advance this issue on their behalf.  The Northern Ontario Large Urban Mayors group says many of the Liberal members campaigned and raised their own concerns regarding FedNor.  The mayors are calling for FedNor funding to be increased to 100-million dollars annually to match the NOHFC budget.  The mayors say there has been a 38% decline in the FedNor budget over a 10-year period and the Liberals have been slow to restore the budget.  The mayors are also calling for the government to grant FedNor full agency status—its argued more autonomy would enable FedNor to spend monies more effectively.  They are also calling for the funding approval process to be streamlined.  The mayors say in 2014, FedNor returned 8.6-million dollars to the treasury of a 45.5-million dollar budget.