The Ontario government is providing a total of $3,122,624 to help municipalities in the riding of Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry address ongoing COVID-19-related operating costs. The new financial relief will help ensure the delivery of critical services during the pandemic and keep capital projects on track.
“This new funding will ensure that those municipalities in the most need to offset costs will be able to provide the everyday critical services we all rely on,” said Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry MPP Jim McDonell.
This 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.
Local funding allocations were as follows: North Dundas, $186,938; the City of Cornwall, $1,432,263; United Counties of SDG, $751,692; South Glengarry, $230,437; South Stormont, $216,568; South Dundas, $191,690; North Dundas, $186,938; and North Stormont, $113,036. As well, the Township of North Glengarry is receiving $188,869.
“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’s important that we step up and provide more financial relief. At the same time, we need the federal government to join us and provide our municipal partners with the additional support they deserve.”
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.”
