Paul Dewar goes urban

The NDP leadership candidate has announced the broad points of his urban agenda.

The NDP leadership candidate has announced the broad points of his urban agenda.

Dewar committed to ensuring a seat at the table for municipalities in federal-provincial/territorial negotiations dealing with their interests. He also committed to guaranteeing an additional cent of the existing gas tax to provide municipalities with stable, long-term infrastructure funding.

The federal government currently transfers $2 billion in gas tax revenues to municipalities. An additional cent of the gas tax would equal, by the Dewar campaign’s estimate, another $500 million. But the gas tax promise was included in the last NDP election platform, so this might not differentiate Mr. Dewar in any particular way.