Northeastern Ontario municipalities brace for 'challenging' budget meetings

Municipalities across northeastern Ontario are in budget deliberations this week, and they say the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has posed some extra challenges.

North Bay Coun. Tanya Vrebosch, who is the city's budget chief, said many of the municipalities revenues have not bounced back since the pandemic started.

"Transit hasn't bounced back. Parking revenues haven't bounced back," she said.

"Our arena rentals haven't bounced back. And hear today about another [COVID-19] variant coming. So we're struggling just with those."

Vrebosch said the city's insurance rates have also gone up 10 per cent over the last couple of years and higher fuel rates also impact the city's finances.

She said she expects the conversation around the city's reserves to come up in this year's deliberations.

"They [some councillors] want to use reserves to reduce the levy," she said. "But at some point you can't deplete it, because you need to save it for, say, like a global pandemic." 

Greater Sudbury Ward 7 Coun. Mike Jakubo, who chairs the city's finance committee, said he is not looking forward to this year's budget meetings.

"There are a lot of challenges and it is an election year," he said.

"You know, from our part, it's really going to be about making sure that we continue to invest in the renewal of our infrastructure that has so many ripple benefits for the rest of the community and for attracting business."

Jakubo said that, as in North Bay, many of Greater Sudbury's revenue sources have not rebounded. 

He said he hopes higher COVID-19 vaccination rates, and the introduction of vaccines of children between the ages of five and 11, will lead to a "return to normal" for 2022.

Greater Sudbury's finance and administration committee has meetings scheduled from Monday, Nov. 29, to Wednesday, Dec. 1, to finalize the city's budget.