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NDP Finance Critic: Time for Tories to Get Serious About Rural Economic Development |
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Written by NDP News Release
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Wednesday, 29 March 2006 |
Graham Steele, NDP Finance critic and member of the Legislature's Standing Committee on Public Accounts, says that it appears the government's financial assistance to Magic Valley in Pictou County was given for personal, rather than business, reasons. Steele made the comment after former Premier John Hamm appeared before the Public Accounts Committee this morning to discuss the role he played in giving the loan to Magic Valley.
"Rural Nova Scotia and rural businesses deserve better," says Steele. "The story here today is about public money being given because of guilt and friendship, not about rural economic development."
"John Hamm felt he had to make amends to a childhood friend who had lost business because of previous government decisions. But that shouldn't be the basis for spending the taxes of today's hardworking families."
The Finance critic is calling for a smart rural economic development strategy based on what entrepreneurs bring to the table, "not who they know".
Steele says that after today's meeting he and his NDP colleagues are confident the former premier has told the Committee all that he could about the loan to Magic Valley. Steele says he and his NDP colleagues feel the time has come to move on to other issues.
"One thing is clear," says Steele. "No one thinks that giving $350,000 to Magic Valley was a good use of public money. Even the theme park's owners say that this money will not do too much for them. The money has not been disbursed and it's not too late for the government to go back and do this right."
"So the real question to be answered is not what John Hamm did in the past, but what is Rodney MacDonald going to do now about this loan in particular, and in developing a sensible rural economic development strategy?" |
