Last night at the PC Leadership debate, frontrunner Tim Houston reaffirmed his commitment to double the provincial Equalization transfer. This would mean approximately $15 Million more for the CBRM.

We can take control and lock this in. Here's what you can do right now:

The PC candidates are in a race to sign up members. It's only these members that get to vote exclusively to decide who is the next PC leader will be. Note: Not the Premier, just the PC leader. You can lock it in by signing up and casting your vote for the guy pledging $15 Million more for the CBRM. That's Tim Houston.

It's a $10 fee, but that it is one of the best investments we can make. $15 Million is much needed for the CBRM and only Houston is committed to sending that money our way if he's elected.

You're not obligated to vote PC in the next election just because you are a PC member and vote for Tim. When the time comes for the provincial election, you can vote for whomever you want (PC, NDP, Liberal, CBUP, Green, Independent). But right now, you have an opportunity to make sure that the best PC candidate for the CBRM is in place. And that's Houston.

We're struggling. We need this $15 Million desperately. If Houston becomes Premier, we'll get it. But first things first. He needs to secure the PC leadership or we risk other candidates that aren't offering anything - or say they'll abolish Equalization transfers (like Cecil Clarke) - from winning the spot instead.

Sign up to bring the CBRM one step closer to Houston's plan of doubling Equalization and getting us $15 Million more in cash for our needs

A Cautionary Note

If you watched the debate, it was clear that just being from Cape Breton, or talking really loudly doesn't count for much.

Surprisingly, Cecil Clarke's plan is in the other direction. He says he wants to terminate Equalization altogether.

That will make the CBRM more dependent on requesting monies from the province. Taking away our autonomy to spend according to our needs is a very bad idea. We do enough begging to the province for our projects now.

Over 6 years as the CBRM mayor, Clarke has been unable to get the second cruise berth in Sydney built. Part of the challenge was getting commitments on funding, although the CBRM was late to follow through on making their own commitment of funds. The result is that the lowest bid by contractors was $4.75 Million over budget.

And that means the CBRM's taxpayers (us) are either on the hook for the extra millions (which we don't have to give) or we have to scale back the project and receive less than what was promised for our major investment in downtown Sydney.

We have among the highest housing and commercial taxes in the province. We have the highest rates of child poverty. Our roads are in a rough state and CBRM councillors called the last road budget a disaster and "pathetic". People are increasingly unable to actually pay their taxes with rising arrears. Unemployment is high. Due to outmigration and deaths without enough families expanding with new babies, we're losing about 1,000 people per year.

Somehow Cecil Clarke is simultaneously fully aware of these conditions as mayor but still wants to work against us for getting more resources to the CBRM.

It's time to register as a member and make sure we put the PC candidate that's making us the best offer ($15 Million more to work with) in place as leader.

Whether you vote for them or not, if the PCs do end up winning a majority in the provincial election, we'll be able to celebrate millions coming our way.

I don't know who I'll vote for in the next provincial election. But I definitely know that Tim Houston is the guy making the best offer for the CBRM right now. If he becomes Premier, we have $15 Million more coming our way.

NOTE: The views expressed above are my own and do not represent lokol (goCapeBreton.com). Read more