The mayor of Portage la Prairie says the new federal budget looks to be good news for the city. Mayor Irvine Ferris says the budget will be beneficial for municipalities and will put a lot of funding into infrastructure.

"Overall, this is a good news budget for municipalities. It proposes unprecedented levels of investment in municipal infrastructure, and a stronger federal-municipal partnership. What I was looking for was news on infrastructure, and there was lots and lots of good news."

He comments on another aspect of the budget that will be beneficial.

"We saw increases in the federal contribution to a maximum of 50% of total eligible cost for projects funded under the new public transit infrastructure fund and the clean water and wastewater fund. That could potentially have a huge positive impact on Portage. I think most people realize that we're doing nutrient removal upgrades shortly and with a new funding agreement, that could really benefit the citizens of Portage and the businesses in Portage."

Ferris public safety was also assessed, which is important for Portage.

"Under 'Public Safety' they committed $143,000,000 over 3 years to sustain existing rail safety measures and support new investments in oversight, enforcement, better risk management, and additional support to first responders to provide better tools and information to better protect communities. In Portage, the main line for CN Rail and CP Rail runs right through the heart of our city and we welcome these changes."

Ferris adds he didn't hear anything about a tax increase and says he's very optimistic about the budget.