Whereas federal Gas Tax funding is available to local governments under the Community Works Fund for capital infrastructure and capacity building including water and sewer utilities but excludes not-for-profit strata councils and not-for-profit private utility systems that act as purveyors of utility services to their communities from accessing these funds; And whereas the costs of providing water and sewer services to rural property owners are becoming increasingly prohibitive; And whereas not-for-profit strata councils and not-for-profit private utility systems construct and maintain utility services comparable to those provided within service areas established by local governments; And whereas, unlike their local government service area counterparts, those utility ratepayers are currently responsible for the entire costs of construction, maintenance and necessary upgrades of these community utilities: Therefore be it resolved that the provincial government be requested to call on the federal government to amend the Federal Gas Tax Agreement by making not-for-profit strata councils and not-for-profit private utility systems eligible to access and utilize gas tax funding for construction and improvements to water and sewer utilities, and other capital projects that provide community benefits within the criteria otherwise set out in the Gas Tax Community Works Fund agreement.
