The Community Building Program is a renewed Gas Tax program that's been provided by the federal government to municipalities across the country. It's intention is that municipalities can do whatever they need with the funds to repair infrastructure. Changes to the program are being considered and Portage city council is watching what happens.

Portage City Councillor Joe Masi attended the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Board meeting where discussion was made about the topic, and explains it's a transfer from the federal government to municipalities and provides numbers that are predictable which makes it quite beneficial, and have proved to be of great benefit. 

"One of the concerns FCM has expressed to the federal government is that the federal government wants to tie and put some strings on to that program, sort of tied to housing," says Masi. "We agree that housing is certainly needed in our country, but we feel that that program was an excellent program and should be left as it is to allow municipalities to make their own decisions about what they want to use that program for."

Masi notes various needs arise in any given municipality. He says this will be another item that they'll push for at Ottawa over the next month, seeing as it must be addressed before the federal budget is finalized.