$35M in water infrastructure funding will help enable 1,350 new homes
NEWS September 12, 2024
ST. GEORGE — The Ontario government is investing $35M to enable the construction of new homes in St. George. The funding is being delivered through the first round of investments under the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund, which includes $970 million to help municipalities develop, repair, rehabilitate and expand drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure.
This funding will support St. George Water Pollution Control Plant (WPCP) Expansion. This project will enable 1,350 homes in St. George.
“I am so pleased that our Government is investing and helping to enable new home construction in the County of Brant”, said Brantford-Brant MPP Will Bouma. “This funding announcement is another example of Ontario’s dedication to the continued and sustained expansion of infrastructure which is a key component to a strong and vibrant community”.
The government is also allocating an additional $250 million and accepting a second round of applications through the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund, bringing the province’s total investment in the fund to $1.2 billion.
“On behalf of the County of Brant, I extend our sincere gratitude to the province of Ontario for its investment in our community by providing funding for the St. George Water Pollution Control Plant Expansion,“ said County of Brant Mayor David Bailey. “This is great news for us. As we know, the County of Brant is a highly desirable place to live, and this funding is a crucial step in ensuring we can provide reliable, safe, and sustainable wastewater treatment to support the construction of new homes and the needs of our growing community.”
“By investing in drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities and connecting pipes to land, we are helping municipalities build more homes,” said Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure. “Homes can’t be built without connections to drinking water and wastewater.”
In this year’s budget, Ontario announced more than $1.8 billion in housing-enabling infrastructure funding through the $825 million Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund and the $1 billion Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program, in addition to funding announced previously through the province’s Building Faster Fund. In response to the significant demand for investments in water and wastewater infrastructure to enable the construction of more homes, and after consulting with municipalities, the province is transferring $275 million from the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program to the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund in order to meet this demand. In addition, the $120 million from the Building Faster Fund that was reserved for small, rural and northern communities is being flowed to these communities through the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund.
QUICK FACTS
- Details about the second application intake and eligibility will be available at ca/watersystemsfund on August 14, 2024. The second intake will provide an additional $250 million in funding.
- The Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program will support core infrastructure projects that help enable housing, such as roads and water infrastructure.
- Investing in key local infrastructure through programs like the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund and the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program is part of the province’s capital plan of over $190 billion to build critical infrastructure and get more homes built faster to support growing communities and lay a strong foundation for future generations.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
- Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund
- Ontario Investing Over $1.8 Billion to Build More Homes
- Ontario Builds: our infrastructure plan
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For more information, 519-759-0361 or will.bouma@pc.ola.org