2017 federal budget good for the Sault, says Sheehan

Sault Ste. Marie’s member of parliament says the 2017 federal budget unveiled today will be a good one for Sault Ste. Marie and area.

Federal finance minister Bill Morneau tabled the budget today in the House of Commons.

Terry Sheehan, MP for Sault Ste. Marie, said the budget includes important measures to protect Canada’s steel industry.

“These tools are going to be in place to respond to unfair dump and subsidized imports in the steel industry,” said Sheehan.

The new trade protections come in the form of proposed legislative and regulatory amendments, said Sheehan.

“We haven’t seen this much modernization in response to the dumping issue in more than a decade. It’s very important for the community of Sault Ste. Marie and for the steel industry that these measures are in place and wil help respond to the dumped steel by putting in an effective matrix of strategies that are in black and white and concrete,” said Sheehan.

The Sault will also benefit from a $25 million increase in Fednor funding to spur economic growth in northern Ontario, said Sheehan.

The $25 million will be spread over five years, for a total of $230 million over that same period.

“That $230 million budget investment over five years will go hand in glove with some other initiatives that will help strengthen and diversify our riding,” said Sheehan.

The increase does not bring Fednor funding to a level matching the provincial Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation’s $100 million a year, but Sheehan said there are other economic development funds the federal government offers.

“Regional economic development is not the only way the federal government funds economic development, diversification and innovation,” said Sheehan.

He cites, for example, the recent $12.6 million announcement for funding three post-secondary projects in the Sault, which were not funded through Fednor but through the government’s Strategic Investment Fund.

“That 12.6 million dollars wasn’t part of the Fednor budget, but made a significant impact,” said Sheehan.

Additional Canada 150 infrastructure projects are expected to be announced throughout the year, said Sheehan, to accompany already-announced projects like $100,000 for lighting at Strathclair Fields and the same amount of funding for a new theatre at St. Mary’s College, among others.

The 2017 budget, said Sheehan, sets aside $1.8 billion in funding to support cultural and recreational infrastructure projects.

“There may be an opportunity for people in our riding to invest in recreational facilities and the kind of spaces that are aging,” said Sheehan.

He declined to give examples of recreational facilities that may access the funding, saying it is up to local municipal governments to choose the projects to apply for as they see fit.

Sheehan also highlighted changes to daycare, investing in job training and a national housing strategy.

He hopes the government’s support of infrastructure projects, combined with the new trade measures to protect the steel industry will be a boon to local production.

“Any time you are building, you’re using steel,” said Sheehan.