Baddeck, there is a solution to your problems! Crumbling infrastructure, rising property taxes and a lack of economic development is the reason that Nova Scotia receives equalization. HRM does not generate any of it for the province and it is the towns and rural areas, like Baddeck, that generates this important transfer. The Constitution states the reason that equalization is provided to a receiving province and that is to: · a) promoting equal opportunities for the well-being of Canadians; · (b) furthering economic development to reduce disparity in opportunities; and · (c) providing essential public services of reasonable quality to all Canadians. Parliament and the government of Canada are committed to the principle of making equalization payments to ensure that provincial governments have sufficient revenues to provide reasonably comparable levels of public services at reasonably comparable levels of taxation. (The above is directly from section 36.2 of Canada’s constitution.) Now does this sound correct as it relates to Baddeck? Has any focus been provided for economic development in your beautiful town? The NSEF has met with politicians for the last 25 years to discuss this issue and when we met with your MLA, Keith Bain, several years back along with Alfie MacLeod and Eddie Orrell, Mr. Bains comment was that he did not know or understand equalization. We instantly had respect for his statement and at least he was honest about his lack of understanding. Today, Mr. Bain is the Speaker of the House in the Provincial Legislature and to be honest with you, most in that legislature know about as much as Keith Bain, about equalization. You see, party leaders have told their MLAs to not discuss this grave issue with constituents. That hampers the manipulation that is taking place with this funding and the less it is discussed, the better for the manipulators. Now let us discuss Municipal Affairs and their role in all this. Here is their mission statement as listed: Mission Statement of Municipal Affairs and Housing Nova Scotia Municipal Affairs enables municipalities to build healthy, safe, and viable communities, enhances fire and building safety, and works in collaboration with municipal, provincial and federal departments to strengthen provincial and municipal preparedness through planning, training and exercise. Do you believe that this statement is correct as it also relates to Baddeck? Is your community viable because of Municipal Affairs? That department has bureaucrats so deep rooted within the department that it gives a whole new meaning to the word “manipulation.” Just ask one of these bureaucrats about the NSEF (Nova Scotians for Equalization Fairness) and you will hear that we are dangerous. Imagine a bunch of University Professors, Priests, Clergy Members, School Teachers, and retired Political Scientists, etc, being dangerous. We guess we are dangerous in ways such as educating the public about corruption within our provincial government. Standing up for people who are unaware of how their elected officials are working against them so the capitol region and the big businesspeople who seem to think that they run this province, can continue to benefit from funding that the federal government is sending to assist towns such as Baddeck. This year alone, the Province of Nova Scotia will receive $2.45 billion to assist the areas of the province that are struggling. Our provincial government places this important transfer (that comes from every taxpayer in Canada through federal taxes) into general revenue and then takes out $30 million and uses it in the provincial program called “Fiscal Capacity Grant” and from our records, we see that Baddeck receives $0. Why? We have heard that Baddeck has one of the oldest domestic water systems in the province, if not the country and that system is failing. Baddeck also has many seasonal residents and now that the tax cap system is being removed, those seasonal residents will be gone as they will not pay the exorbitant amount of taxes you will now have to charge to keep afloat. If you want to fix your problems, stop this grand manipulation government scandal, and demand the funding that Ottawa is sending your town. The NSEF is prepared to come and meet with you and present our 30 years of information gathering on this topic and keep in mind that the data that we will present is the government's own data. It is this government data that the government refuses to sit down and discuss with our group. Why? If you choose to ignore this email because someone from Municipal Affairs is telling you that we do not know what we are talking about, then accept your fate and continue to struggle. Just questioning this issue in the CBRM has provided our municipality with an extra $15 million this year. Don’t your residents, who are most affected by this corruption, deserve to hear the truth? We welcome the opportunity to meet with residents, town officials and anyone you wish to have in attendance, including Municipal Affairs officials. When they refuse to partake in the discussion, your alarm bells should be ringing loudly. They simply can not defend their past practices or actions. We hope to hear back from you and unlike your elected officials who continue to remain quiet about equalization, we have solutions for your problems, and we are prepared to have lawyers assist us in this fight for our future. We all deserve to prosper and grow and hopefully the rest of rural Nova Scotia are tired of watching this happen in the HRM only. Regards, The Nova Scotians for Equalization Fairness