Placing a Municipal Lens on the Federal Election

St. John’s – In advance of the 2025 Federal Election, Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador is calling upon all candidates running in this province to prioritize municipal issues in their campaign work and to engage with municipal leaders.

Today, MNL launched its Municipal SUCCESS campaign, which aligns with its strategic advocacy priorities, and is driven by a collaborative, problem-solving approach:

• Municipalities in Newfoundland and Labrador must have Sustainable Infrastructure
• Municipal issues are Urgent issues and must be addressed.
• Municipal Climate Resilience needs to be supported and resourced.
• Community Health and Safety must be prioritized.
• Regional Economic Development requires support.
• Municipalities require fiscal Stability.
• Municipal leaders must always have a Seat at the decision-making tables that affect them.

To achieve municipal success in this province, MNL is asking Federal Election candidates, and leaders, to commit to the following:

• Increase municipal fiscal stability through new revenue-sharing tools that ease the reliance of municipalities on property taxes to balance budgets.
• Increase water and wastewater funding directly available to municipalities. Specific focus needs to be on funding wastewater system treatment solutions in Newfoundland and Labrador.
• Provide ongoing and additional support to municipalities in Newfoundland and Labrador to reach compliance with the Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations (WSER) by funding two WSER compliance officers working under Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador.
• Continue support available to municipalities for climate adaptation and mitigation, including natural infrastructure solutions.
• Continue direct support to municipalities to help address the housing crisis through programs such as the Housing Accelerator Fund, so that they can increase their capacity to respond to housing needs in the province.
• Increase, rather than decrease, RCMP community policing.
• Review the regulatory regime for the CRTC as it relates to cell phone service providers and increase funding available to support improved cell phone coverage in Newfoundland and Labrador.
• Support regional economic development in Newfoundland and Labrador that is driven by local entrepreneurs.
• Make municipalities an active part of all Federal program and policy design on files that involve them, rely on them, or impact them.
• Change the Federal Income Tax Act to make volunteer councillor remuneration tax exempt.

“As the association representing the 274 municipalities in our province, we want to hear from election candidates and leaders that municipalities will get the respect and the resources that they require to set them up for success. As the order of government closest to the people, our voices must be heard, and we all have to work together.” – MNL President Amy Coady.

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Background: 

Federal Election information for MNL members

Media Contact: 

Tobias Romaniuk
Communications and Marketing Officer, MNL
tromaniuk@municipalnl.ca
709-725-1440