Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne has announced $100 million annually to fund infrastructure projects in small, rural and northern communities in the province.
"Infrastructure investment doesn't mean the same thing in every community, we know how important roads, bridges, highways and transit - depending on where you are in the province - how important they are to making a community an appealing place in which to live and work and that when businesses consider where to invest, they give a lot of weight to the state of the infrastructure in a community."
Speaking in St. Thomas, Wynne announced the new Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund, which is to be used for critical road, bridge, water and wastewater projects.
Half the funding will be allocated using a formula, while th other half will be distributed on an application-based process.
Gary McNamara is mayor of the Town of Tecumseh, near Windsor. He feels the province is on the right track when it comes to this funding approach.
“It’s very easy, then, to do a 10-year capital expansion plan when you know you’re going to get those dollars every year.”
But NDP Finance Critic Catherine Fife questions how the plan is being funded, “Where are they going to get the money from? We know they are planning to sell off public assets like the LCBO and OPG and Hydro One, and those public entities deliver huge revenues to the province of Ontario.”
The province hopes that by supporting infrastructure projects, growth and job creation will be supported.
