Halifax Central Library
In December 2014, Halifax opened it's new central library, costing $56.7 million.
It is interesting to note that Halifax received $18 million from the Federal Government and $13 million from the Nova Scotia Provincial Government towards the creation of this facility, leaving the balance of $25.7 to be paid by the Halifax Regional Municipality.
This demonstrates how an important facility can attract senior government financing when an urban area speaks with one voice rather than the 13 competing municipal voices of Greater Victoria. As has been said many times, given Greater Victoria's fractured governance structure, it is virtually impossible to attract senior government funding for significant cultural, entertainment or other facilities because there is no agreement between municipalities on working together. The failure to make any progress on the sewage treatment issue is a glaring example of this dysfunction.
One of the many advantages of amalgamation is that Greater Victoria would speak with one voice when lobbying senior levels of government for infrastructure funds. Greater Victoria, with its combined population of about 330,000, could and should be part of the Big City Mayors' Caucus of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. However, as no one municipality of the 13 meets the minimum population size criteria, Greater Victoria is excluded from this important and influential group.
Read more details on the members of the Big City Mayors' Caucus.
In December 2014, Halifax opened it's new central library, costing $56.7 million.
It is interesting to note that Halifax received $18 million from the Federal Government and $13 million from the Nova Scotia Provincial Government towards the creation of this facility, leaving the balance of $25.7 to be paid by the Halifax Regional Municipality.
This demonstrates how an important facility can attract senior government financing when an urban area speaks with one voice rather than the 13 competing municipal voices of Greater Victoria. As has been said many times, given Greater Victoria's fractured governance structure, it is virtually impossible to attract senior government funding for significant cultural, entertainment or other facilities because there is no agreement between municipalities on working together. The failure to make any progress on the sewage treatment issue is a glaring example of this dysfunction.
One of the many advantages of amalgamation is that Greater Victoria would speak with one voice when lobbying senior levels of government for infrastructure funds. Greater Victoria, with its combined population of about 330,000, could and should be part of the Big City Mayors' Caucus of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. However, as no one municipality of the 13 meets the minimum population size criteria, Greater Victoria is excluded from this important and influential group.
Read more details on the members of the Big City Mayors' Caucus.
