CHARLOTTETOWN, PE - Premier Dennis King along with PC Candidates Tim Keizer and Kristi MacKay released a plan to build strong and resilient communities across the province, including a new funding formula for municipalities, additional funding for community infrastructure, and introducing measures to make communities safer for all Islanders.
Over the last four years, the PC government under Dennis King has worked collaboratively with municipalities and communities across the province to fund a record number of infrastructure projects, expand access to high-speed internet to 96% of Islanders, and work with residents to expand access to programs and services locally in their community.
Today, Premier Dennis King introduced a number of initiatives that a re-elected PC government would implement to make communities stronger, safer, and more resilient, which include:
- Build a stronger, more equitable funding formula for all communities - large and small, rural and urban;
- Establishing a $25 Million dollar Community Infrastructure Program to assist communities in retrofitting and upgrading key community facilities such as arenas, and community centres;
- Invest in provincial policing resources by investing in an expansion of the Atlantic Police Academy in Summerside so more Islanders can train, live and work in their home communities. This would include an expansion of specialized training in mental health, addictions, and working with marginalized communities;
- Introduce additional shared services programs for municipalities so that communities can remain independent and autonomous while working together in providing high-quality, timely services to residents;
- Provide $500,000 in funding for Community Legal Information to continue their work on intimate partner violence, workplace sexual harassment, and cyberbullying;
- Establish a Community Legal Aid Service to increase access to justice including legal representation which is not currently provided by existing legal aid programs;
- Create a multi-sectoral task force to develop an action plan to address cyberbullying behavior and promote cyber safety;
- Funding the service costs for community use of schools, turning 65 public resources into true community assets;
- Invest $10 Million dollars in Provincial Parks across the province to modernize and enhance the programs and services they bring to rural communities.
“Our communities across the province - large and small, rural and urban - need to continue to grow and build resiliency so that they have the autonomy to provide the necessary programs and services to support their residents to live, work and raise a family in their community,” said Premier Dennis King. “In order to do that, our government would support our communities by providing adequate funding and the tools and resources such as expanded access to justice programs to create safe and caring places for Islanders to call home.”