Ontario is inviting small, rural and Northern municipalities to apply for infrastructure funding to build and repair critical infrastructure, like roads and bridges, under the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund.
To be eligible for the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund, municipalities must have a population of less than 100,000 as of the 2011 census or be located in northern or rural Ontario. Eligible municipalities will have access to $100 million per year to revitalize core infrastructure and support asset management planning.
The province approved 78 projects under the first intake of the fund, and expressions of interest for the second intake will be accepted from July 28, 2015 to September 11, 2015.
This funding is part of the largest infrastructure investment in Ontario's history - more than $130 billion over 10 years, which will support more than 110,000 jobs per year on average with projects such as roads, bridges, transit systems, schools and hospitals.
Investing in municipal infrastructure is part of the government's plan to build Ontario up. The four-part plan includes investing in people's talents and skills, making the largest investment in public infrastructure in Ontario's history, creating a dynamic, innovative environment where business thrives, and building a secure retirement savings plan.
Quick Facts
- In 2013, municipalities advised on the design of the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund through province-wide consultations. Based on that feedback, the fund uses a formula to allocate $50 million per year across 426 communities to support improvements and repairs to road, bridge, water and wastewater projects. Communities can also request additional funding for crucial infrastructure projects through the $50 million application-based portion of the fund.
- A Conference Board of Canada report estimated that Ontario’s public infrastructure investment would add more than $1,000 to the average annual income of Ontarians in 2014 and lower the unemployment rate by about one percentage point.
Source: OMAFRA