Mayor Sam Katz says the Manitoba government’s PST hike won't help fix more roads in Winnipeg.
Katz and other municipalities have been lobbying the province for years for a percentage point of the sales tax to fix crumbling infrastructure.
The added percentage point to the PST announced by the Manitoba government on Tuesday is expected to generate $277 million more a year, but the mayor says the city won't see any of that hike for roads and bridges.
Katz also said there was no money in the provincial budget to make up the funding gap for the southwest rapid transit route.
"With the announcement of yesterday's budget we are extremely disappointed that there is very little, I would say, next to hardly any money, going towards the infrastructure,” said Katz.
He did say the city might go after more federal money for the project.
The province issued a press release Wednesday about funding for infrastructure.
The province said the 2013 budget will provide $21 million more “targeted at repairing potholes and improving residential streets in the City of Winnipeg.”
The province also said the budget will supply $21 million over the next three years for a new Municipal Roads Improvement Fund, which municipalities outside Winnipeg can apply for up to 50 per cent of the cost of new incremental municipal road projects.
Over the next 10 years, the provincial government is pledging $3.5 billion for municipal roads, bridges and other infrastructure work.
