Quote:
Originally Posted by Keith P.
Colin, are you suggesting we cannot build any new large-scale projects ever again? Even ones supported by a revenue stream?
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I think the fear of taking on major projects is really starting to hurt the city. If a third bridge had been built, to take one example, the current project likely would have been much less painful and there would have been more options in terms of HOV or transit lanes, etc.
The alarmist stuff about how the city, province, or country are on the verge of bankruptcy and can't afford to build anything (or run deficits) doesn't hold up to water at all. Infrastructure projects are necessary in any city and the capacity of the city and province to build new projects is much higher today than it was in the 1950's-70's when a lot of the current infrastructure was built. HRM and NS debt levels have both been falling and interest rates are low. The city population and economy are also vastly larger than they were in the past.
Here's what Statistics Canada has to say about the labour market in Halifax over the past year (
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/lfss04a-eng.htm):
Labour force - +4,300 from September 2014 - September 2015 (+1.8%)
Employment - +5,100 (+2.3%) -> This means that 5,100 more people are trying to get to work this year than one year ago.
Yet many people still think that new infrastructure is not really needed or is too risky. It's absurd.
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