CUPE has condemned the British Columbia provincial government’s plan to eliminate municipal equalization payments.
“We’re shocked and alarmed that the B.C. government would announce such radical measures,” said Barry O’Neill, president of CUPE BC. “This will mean that more than $57 million will disappear from municipal operating budgets. That’s money that’s spent on road repairs, garbage collection, recycling programs, and a host of other services that British Columbians depend on.”
“Glen Clark seems to be copying a page from the Chretien handbook. We’ve seen what happened when the federal government slashed transfer payments to the provinces - massive cuts to health care and education right across the country.”