Cape Breton Regional Municipality announces spending freeze

Cape Breton has halted all non-essential municipal spending until a new budget.

The Cape Breton Regional Municipality is putting a freeze on any extra spending until the new fiscal year.

At Tuesday evening’s council meeting, the municipality’s Chief Administrative Officer put forth a directive that all non-essential spending is to be halted until a new municipal budget is considered, according to CBRM Mayor Cecil Clarke.

Clarke said there is too much uncertainty surrounding the federal and provincial budgets, along with the impacts on oil and gas prices from the war in Iran.

“Some of it is year-end spending, maybe for vehicles or for equipment, that people think they are going to get ahead,” Clarke said. “Traditionally in governments, people have called it ‘March Madness’ to spend the extra money. There is no extra money to be spent because we’re going to need it for the next budget.”

Clarke added the goal is to have a new municipal budget in place before the end of March.

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