NEWS RELEASE
BARRIE-SPRINGWATER-ORO-MEDONTE MPP DOUG DOWNEY
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The Ontario government is providing over $6 million to help renew and rehabilitate local infrastructure in Oro-Medonte, Springwater and Simcoe County.
The funding is being delivered through the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF) and is part of the government’s overall investment of $400 million in 2023.
“This funding has become key in our partnership with municipal and rural partners, and helps them plan future growth with the knowledge they will have stable, annual funding to help achieve their goals,” said Doug Downey, MPP for Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte. “Ensuring this long-term planning can take place is essential to help municipalities ensure critical infrastructure meets growth in these communities.”
OCIF provides funding to eligible communities every year to help them address critical infrastructure needs, including road, bridge, water and wastewater projects. Additionally, this funding helps strengthen these communities by providing municipalities with the stable, ongoing and flexible funding they need to address issues and meet community needs.
“Ontario’s small, rural and northern communities, like Oro-Medonte, Springwater and Simcoe County, are essential to the growth and prosperity of the province,” said Kinga Surma, minister of infrastructure. “Our government is continuing to provide stable funding to meet local infrastructure needs and provide support in response to pressures from inflation. By supporting key community infrastructure projects, we are helping to grow and build safer, more resilient communities for generations to come.”
Municipalities will receive funding through a transfer pay agreement that specifies the municipality’s payment schedule, based on its allocation. Under the OCIF formula component transfer payment agreements, municipalities are required to submit high-level plans for their OCIF investments in the spring, and report on actual investments in the fall. This allows the province to track how the OCIF funding is spent, and ensure that each municipality receives the correct allocation for their needs.
In December 2021, the Ontario government announced an additional $1 billion for critical infrastructure projects that support economic growth and job creation in small, rural and northern communities, bringing the government’s total investment to nearly $2 billion dollars over five years.
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