CFIB releases first Nova Scotia Municipal Spending Report
Halifax, November 27, 2019– Today, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is releasing its 1st edition of an analysis into spending trends of Nova Scotia’s largest communities. This report is intended to give perspective on municipal finances and to act as an accountability tool for local government spending.
“It’s encouraging to see Nova Scotia controlling its spending, but there’s still room for improvement,” said Jordi Morgan, CFIB’s Vice president, Atlantic. “The overall spending numbers look pretty good throughout the province but while many municipalities and towns have been successful in controlling their spending, others have struggled”.
In Nova Scotia’s Municipal Spending Report, 1st edition, public policy and entrepreneurship intern Ibrahim Ali, and CFIB’s Nova Scotia Policy Analyst, Nick Cunningham, collected and analyzed financial data on the 33 largest communities in Nova Scotia from 2010-2017. The report uses annual statistical reports published by the Nova Scotia Department of Municipal Affairs to paint a more transparent and complete picture of the spending habits of local governments.
“With one of the most heavily taxed small business sectors in Canada, local governments in Nova Scotia need to be held accountable on how those tax dollars are being spent,” Morgan added. “Going forward, consistent and uniform standards in municipal financial reporting is necessary to ensure the data collected from one municipality is comparable to another.”
With this report, CFIB encourages government to examine their current practices and adopt our recommendations to improve spending habits into the future.
For media enquiries or to arrange an interview with Jordi Morgan, please contact: Ryan Richard, at (902) 420-1997 or email ryan.richard@cfib.ca.
About CFIB
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 5,200 members across Nova Scotia in all regions and sectors. CFIB is dedicated to increasing business owners’ chances of success by driving policy change at all levels of government, providing expert advice and tools, and negotiating exclusive savings. Learn more at cfib.ca.