Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Walker has announced that local municipalities will receive an additional $2,187,549 in funding to help address COVID-19 related operating costs.
The Ontario government is providing the following amounts:
Arran-Elderslie – $55,626
Bruce County – $501,184
Chatsworth – $57,043
Grey County – $619,680
Georgian Bluffs – $95,714
Grey Highlands – $100,984
Hanover – $66,875
Meaford – $106,127
Northern Bruce Peninsula – $96,223
Owen Sound – $187,212
Southgate – $58,770
South Bruce Peninsula – $133,840
West Grey – $108,271
“The new financial relief will help our municipalities in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound ensure the delivery of critical services during the pandemic and keep capital projects on track,” said Walker. “Our municipalities have been hit hard by the pandemic and this funding will be available for things like personal protective equipment, cleaning supplies, bylaw enforcement and purchasing online meeting tools to support remote council meetings.”
Today’s announcement is part of the province’s $500 million investment to help ensure the stability of Ontario’s 444 municipalities as they plan for the year ahead. The funding is being prioritized to help municipalities hardest hit by the pandemic and can be used for things like personal protective equipment, cleaning supplies and by-law enforcement.
“Our government continues to adapt and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic as it evolves, and we know our municipal partners are on the front lines of this effort – providing the critical services people depend on every day,” said Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “Our municipalities have been clear that they need ongoing operating funding in 2021, and it is important that we step up and provide that support so our municipal partners can continue to deliver the services Ontarians rely on each and every day.”
This provincial investment builds on the $1.39 billion in operating funding that was provided to municipal partners through the joint federal-provincial Safe Restart Agreement. The second phase of the Safe Restart Agreement was allocated to all Ontario municipalities in December, to ensure that no community entered 2021 facing an operating deficit from 2020.
“Municipalities are important partners in the fight against COVID-19,” said Peter Bethlenfalvy, Minister of Finance and President of the Treasury Board. “We know the global pandemic has created significant financial challenges for communities across the province. That’s why we have been there with support from the very beginning. I encourage our federal partners to step forward with additional investments as all three governments work together to protect people’s health and jobs.”
