The following letter was published by Charles Sampson of the NSEF. Charles is 100% on point with regards to the mayor and council squandering opportunities to present the governments illegal manipulation that exposes the governments lack of accountability and transparency regarding its noncompliance with its constitutional commitment. The consequences are to deny the taxpayers of the CBRM their benefits constitutionally and our residents here in the CBRM pay a much higher rate of property taxation because of this. Our MLAs, MPs and municipal government are aware of how we are being robbed and have done nothing about it.

Here is Charles’s letter:



CBRM COUNCIL ‘SQUANDERED’ OPPORTUNITY, SAYS READER



8 Dec 2023


The financial underfunding remedy of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) is within the view and grasp of council.



But to date, despite being made aware of this remedy, the councillors and mayor refuse to question Premier Tim Houston and Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing John Lohr on the relevant category in the federal equalization funding, which is municipally related in the federal equalization formula.



Recently, the CBRM mayor and councilors squandered an excellent opportunity when they appeared before the government’s Law Amendments Committee regarding Bill 340.



Instead of introducing and questioning what has happened to this year’s federal equalization transfer of approximately $600 million for the municipal deficiency in tax capacity “related to property taxes and miscellaneous revenues,” which would have taken the government outside its comfort zone of Bill 340, council, for some reason, played inside the parameters of Bill 340 set by the government.



Why?



The mayor and council knew that this was not going to change anything. The government told them so. Yet they went through a performance designed to protect the government from its constitutional accountability and transparency.



Why?



The mayor and council’s refusal to use the federal government’s supplied constitutional equalization information, which is funding sufficient for this province to comply with its constitutional commitment, has never been explained by the mayor and councillors.



Why?



The mayor and council’s unexplained behaviour to defend its overtaxed constituents against the government’s noncompliance with our constitution leaves the constituents with the one proper political remedy: which is to not re-elect any politicians who have failed to protect the citizens’ constitutional rights to which we are legally entitled to.



Charles W. Sampson

Sydney Forks



We want you to look at this important short video clip. When a Minister of Municipal Affairs can not answer a simple question about the federal equalization and a specific category within the transfer that relates to OUR municipal deficiency, there is a problem. There is a clear conclusion to draw: The provincial Government does not comply with its constitutional commitment pursuant to section 36 of the constitution act of 1982?

Why?

It must not be only Kendra Coombes that is challenging the provincial government. Why aren’t the other MLAs and other elected representatives not speaking out on this?

Here is the video clip:

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=3729869993808652