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COVID cash for Morinville

Up to $1 million available to cover pandemic costs
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The province is offering Morinville up to $1 million to cover costs related to the pandemic, and the town’s chief financial officer Shawna Jason says she plans to use every penny of it. 

Morinville council got a report Oct. 13 on the province’s Municipal Operating Support Transfer program. 

The federal and provincial governments are offering some $606 million to Alberta municipalities to help them pay for losses and expenses incurred due to COVID-19, council heard.  

A report to council showed Morinville qualified for up to $1,082,292 of this money, which it could use to pay for pandemic-related expenses it accrued between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021. This includes protective equipment, communications, lost revenue at the Morinville Leisure Centre and the use of the Community Culture Centre for council meetings.  

In an interview, Jason said the town would get the full $1.08 million up front and would have to prove it used the money for eligible expenses. Any unused funds would go back to the province. 

“I will work my darndest to not give a red penny back,” Jason joked. 

Jason said she is still working out what would and wouldn’t qualify as an expense for this fund. The town has racked up about $105,000 in direct pandemic costs so far, most of which related to protective gear, for example, but may also have lost money due to delayed investments and tax payments. Some of those costs were also offset by savings from cancelled conferences and temporary layoffs, the latter of which had saved the town some $500,000. 


Kevin Ma

About the Author: Kevin Ma

Kevin Ma joined the St. Albert Gazette in 2006. He writes about Sturgeon County, education, the environment, agriculture, science and aboriginal affairs. He also contributes features, photographs and video.
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