N.B. organizations react to funding loss

It was a tough day for two New Brunswick organizations when the provincial budget was presented by the Progressive Conservative government Tuesday.

Both the New Brunswick Provincial Capital Commission and the Advisory Council on the Status of Women discovered they lost their funding when Finance Minister Blaine Higgs released the budget.

The loss of the advisory council was unexpected, said Rosella Melanson, the group's executive director.

"Well there was surprise, I mean because there was mention in the government's platform that they would work more closely with the advisory council," Melanson said.

Higgs said the council's functions will be transferred to the Women's Issues Branch of the Executive Council Office.

But Johanne Perron, executive director of the Coalition for Pay Equity, said one of the most valuable things about the council was its independence.

"The Women's Issues Branch is there to support the elected officials in what they want to do, whereas an independent organization like the advisory council was there to bring forward issues, whether or not they were on the radar of the government," Perron said.

Student groups critical

The government also eliminated funding for the Provincial Capital Commission.

With three full-time and two part-time employees, as well as 15 volunteer directors, the commission manages about 15 projects including New Brunswick Day festivities and promotion of the Legislature.

Higgs said its functions will also be taken over by government departments.

However, the commission's chair, Walter Brown, is refusing to throw in the towel despite the loss of about $400,000 in operating revenue.

"I want to stress this very strongly, right now the capital commission is in business and will continue to operate," said Brown. "But then we'll have to sit down and see how this affects us and what type of priorities we want to set for the future."

Some provincial student organizations are also critical of the budget.

The government hopes to save $1.6 million by reinstating the parental contribution in student loan assessments. This means loans will once again be based on what the student's parents earn.

University of New Brunswick Saint John student union president Anthony Enman said middle and upper-income families will find it harder to get student loans.

"What happens with the middle-income families when their parents make money, but they don't make a lot of money and they have other contributing factors at home?" asked Enman.

Sam Gregg-Wallace, president of the New Brunswick Student Alliance, said the move is an unexpected and unwelcome change.

"Really, it's very presumptuous," said Gregg-Wallace. "It states that students, regardless of your personal situation, you should have a good relationship with your parents. You should be receiving funding from your parents. And that's simply not the situation for the majority of students."

Gregg-Wallace is also disappointed that the budget allows universities to increase tuition by a maximum of $200 in the upcoming academic year. He said it might not sound like much at first, but it can be considerable when it's worked out.

"New Brunswick already pays the second highest tuition in the country," he said. "We already have low access because of that high tuition, so students who initially thought that perhaps they were able to afford or attend post secondary education — any more increases really damage those chances."

Small business happy

New Brunswick's environmental watchdog says the province is balancing its books by dipping into money meant to help protect the environment.

David Coon, executive director of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, said the budget transferred $4.5 million from the environmental trust fund into general expenditures.

Coon said revenue collected from bottle deposits is meant for the trust fund and not the department's day-to-day expenses.

"So people's Coke and Pepsi habits are helping keep the lights on at the department of environment's offices," said Coon. "So that's how appalling really the environment department's budget has been for some time, so that's disappointing."

Small-business owners, however, are giving the budget a passing grade.

Andreea Bourgeois, director of provincial affairs for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said the $220 million spending cut was necessary.

"Maybe not all New Brunswickers realize it right now, but we are going to see significant spending cuts for next year," said Bourgeois.

"We're talking about 1.6 per cent," she added. "It may appear small, but it's actually quite significant. And if that happens, it's the second-largest spending cut in the history of New Brunswick in the past 15 years. It would put us back to balanced budget in a fairly short term."