The Ontario government has announced the initial round of funding through its House-Enabling Water Systems Fund, allocating $970 million to support 54 projects in 60 municipalities.
This investment is aimed at developing, repairing, rehabilitating, and expanding essential water infrastructure, which includes systems for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater.
Due to high demand for this funding, the government has pledged an additional $250 million for a second application round starting on August 14. This increases the total fund amount to $1.2 billion.
Premier Doug Ford remarked, “Our government’s transformative investments in infrastructure are addressing Ontario’s housing supply crisis and facilitating the construction of more homes throughout the province.
” He noted that the investments announced would enable the building of over 500,000 homes, with nearly 47,000 in Peel Region. “We will continue collaborating with our municipal partners to make homeownership attainable for more families across Ontario,” he added.
A major recipient of this funding is the Regional Municipality of Peel, which will receive $35 million to aid the expansion of the G.E. Booth Water Resource Recovery Facility.
This project is vital for supporting the development of 46,784 housing units in Peel Region and involves extending water systems and introducing new components like an aeration tank and filtration systems. More approved projects are anticipated to be revealed in the upcoming weeks.
“By investing in drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities and connecting pipes to land, we are assisting municipalities in constructing more homes,” stated Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure. “Homes cannot be built without access to drinking water and wastewater services.”
This year’s provincial budget has allocated over $1.8 billion for infrastructure that enables housing, including the $825 million Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund and the $1 billion Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program.
The government is reallocating $275 million from the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program to the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund, following discussions with municipalities regarding the urgent need for water and wastewater infrastructure to support housing projects.
Additionally, $120 million from the Building Faster Fund, designated for small, rural, and northern communities, will be allocated through the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund.
Ontario’s industry and municipal associations have expressed their support for the government’s initiatives.
Source :Ontario
