The reviews are in

The Toronto Star:

For a program that's supposed to get people working by cutting red tape, Ottawa's $4 billion Infrastructure Stimulus Fund seems overburdened with onerous tangles. Indeed, there are so many restrictions on federal money for municipalities that a cynic might question Ottawa's dedication to contributing to what Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has dismissively called "the pothole business."

Although Flaherty announced the new stimulus fund in his January budget, municipalities only received the criteria for acceptable projects two weeks ago – and the deadline for applications is this Friday. That didn't give cities much time to complete their paperwork.

Municipalities across Canada are scrambling to meet the deadline. For example, York Region council last week considered a hurriedly assembled $223 million list of potential projects. "It's like dangling a carrot out there," said Vaughan Councillor Joyce Frustaglio at the council meeting. "The timing is so short they (the federal government) obviously have no idea how local governments work."