The following letter to the editor was published today in the Cape Breton Post. When we prepare these studies and comparisons, we can clearly see why Nova Scotia receives equalization. The HRM has one economy, and the rest of the province has another. The big business who controls our politicians, and we believe they do, want the focus to be on Halifax where their investments live such as office buildings, condo developments, etc. By using our funding for the past 25 plus years, they have grown while the rest failed but one day, they will be held accountable for their actions. The representation we are currently receiving from our local politicians (MP’s, MLA’s and our municipal government officials) regarding the federal equalization transfers must be regarded as unacceptable representation by the public. We will continue to provide comparison studies on other similar size municipalities across Canada. Please do not allow your political representatives to ignore this grave injustice. That is what has allowed this to continue, for all these years. Thanks for sticking with us folks. Your support and encouragement are what fuels us to continue this fight! Here is today's letter: Dear Editor. The Reason Nova Scotia Receives Equalization is Ignored by Politicians: The NSEF Group’s volunteers have been conducting comparison studies to other similar size municipalities/cities across Canada. The latest study was comparing the CBRM and Peterborough, Ontario. Peterborough, according to the 2021 Census, had a population of 83,651 while the CBRM was hovering around 100,000 residents. From Peterborough online: Council's approval of the 2022 Budget on Monday, December 13, 2021: The Operating Budget includes $298.4 million for programs and services, such as waste management, road maintenance, wastewater sewers and treatment, social assistance, affordable housing, recreation, arts and heritage, fire services, and policing. The Capital Budget includes $93.8 million for various infrastructure and capital projects such as flood reduction efforts, facility maintenance, building a new Fire Station #2, sanitary sewer repairs, road work, construction of a new twin-pad arena, and police capital projects. The CBRM in 2021 claimed just over $156 million in revenues ($115 million was collected in taxes) and reported just over $139 million in expenses. Now let us have a look at the tax rates comparison: The residential rate in the City of Peterborough is 1.338 The residential rate in the CBRM is 2.266 & The commercial rate in City of Peterborough is 2.007 The commercial rate in the CBRM is 5.457 After comparing the above information, you can clearly see that we are not equal in anyway and therefore equalization is sent to this province. To level the playing field with the help from every taxpayer in Canada. What a great notion but the problem is the politicians, especially the ones from “home”. When we conduct this research, we always send a copy to the elected officials in the CBRM. That includes the mayor, councillors, MLAs, MPs and of course, the RCMP (for their ongoing investigation). On this particular study, we heard back from one official and that was Steve Parsons (CBRM Councillor). Not one other official has anything to say about this injustice. Why? It is in the best interest of the money hoarders in Halifax to keep us in a situation of a poor and unsustainable fiscal capacity. That is what generates the equalization payment in the first place. Halifax has a strong fiscal capacity and generates zero in equalization payments for the province. If every community in the province had an economy like Halifax, Nova Scotia would not receive equalization. We will continue to present the facts and we will continue to challenge the elected officials, but the community should be aware that we are ignored and now that is happening by our own politicians from Cape Breton and only you, the voting public, can change that. Challenge them all and never stop doing so until our taxation is reduced, and we are living somewhat comparable to the rest of the province and country. Halifax is not the center of the universe! Rev. Dr. Albert Maroun on behalf of The Nova Scotians for Equalization Fairness