Ontario Opens COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream for Municipalities

$250 million will allow municipalities to quickly advance critical local infrastructure projects

The Voice of Canada News:

To build on governments’ commitment to protect the health and well-being of individuals and families during the pandemic, Ontario is now accepting applications from municipalities for local infrastructure projects under the new Local Government sub-stream of the COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure stream to allow local governments to proceed with tendering and procurement as soon as possible.

On October 28, Ontario announced up to $1.05 billion in federal-provincial funding through the COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure stream under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) to build or renovate health and safety-related projects in long-term care, education and municipalities that will help Ontario respond to the impacts of COVID-19. This includes up to $250 million for the Local Government sub-stream that will help municipalities to address critical local infrastructure needs, which they can start applying for today.

“This investment in local infrastructure will help communities keep Ontarians safe and healthy while creating good local jobs and supporting local businesses,” said Laurie Scott, Minister of Infrastructure. “We are moving fast to respond to the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Our government will continue to ensure that communities are able to get shovel-ready projects underway so they can kickstart their local economies and create jobs.”

Eligible projects include infrastructure to support physical distancing, social infrastructure, active transportation and disaster mitigation projects. Each municipality is allocated a certain amount of funding for which they can apply, with a minimum allocation of $100,000. Successful projects will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis and be nominated by the Province to the federal government for approval by March 2021.

“We look forward to collaborating with the federal government to secure quick approvals for these important projects that will help keep communities across Ontario safe,” said Minister Scott.

Quick Facts

• The application deadline is December 21, 2020, for municipalities submitting single projects and January 7, 2021, for those with multiple projects through the Transfer Payments Ontario website.
• In addition to nearly $250 million allocated to municipalities under the Local Government sub-stream, up to $700 million will be directed to education-related projects nominated by the Ministry of Education, and up to $100 million for long-term care projects nominated by the Ministry of Long-Term Care. Those ministries are working directly with their respective sectors to nominate projects.
• ICIP is a 10-year, $30-billion federal, provincial and municipal program that provides funding to improve public transit; community, culture and recreation; green; rural and northern community, and other priority infrastructure. Ontario is investing $10.2 billion in this program.
• The federal COVID-19 Resilience stream has been adapted from ICIP by re-allocating funds to respond to the impacts of COVID-19. This stream will be 80 per cent cost-shared by the federal government and 20 per cent cost-shared by the Province for public infrastructure projects.