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The Ontario government is helping build more than 500,000 new homes across the province through the first round of investments from the province’s Housing Support Water Systems Fund. In the first round, the province will invest $970 million in 54 projects in 60 municipalities to help municipalities develop, repair, restore and expand drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure. To meet the high demand for funding, the government will also allocate an additional $250 million for the second round of applications, which will open on August 14, bringing the total amount of the fund to $1.2 billion.
“Our government’s historic investments in infrastructure are helping to address Ontario’s housing supply crisis and build more homes across the province,” said Premier Doug Ford (photo). “The investments we’re announcing today alone will help build more than half a million homes, including nearly 47,000 in Peel Region. We’ll continue to work with our municipal partners to make the dream of homeownership a reality for more Ontario families.”
As part of the first round of funding, the provincial government will provide $35 million to the Region of Peel to support the expansion of the GE Booth Water Reclamation Facility. The project will provide 46,784 homes in the Region of Peel and includes expanding the water system and installing new facilities such as aeration ponds and filtration systems. Other projects that have been approved for funding will be announced in the coming weeks.
“By investing in drinking water and wastewater facilities and connecting pipes to the land, we are helping municipalities build more houses,” said Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma. “Without drinking water and wastewater connections, houses cannot be built.”
In this year’s budget, the province announced more than $1.8 billion in funding for housing support infrastructure through the $825 million Housing Support Water Systems Fund and the $1 billion Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program, supplementing previously announced funding through the province’s Rapid Build Fund. To meet the huge need for investment in water and wastewater infrastructure so more homes can be built, the province is transferring $275 million from the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program to the Housing Support Water Systems Fund, in consultation with municipalities, to meet this need. In addition, $120 million reserved for small, rural and northern communities from the Rapid Build Fund is flowing to these communities through the Housing Support Water Systems Fund.
“When interest rates began to surge and put tremendous pressure on housing starts, our government focused on making historic investments in infrastructure so that our municipal partners would have the tools to unlock development potential once the Bank of Canada began cutting interest rates, something Premier Ford has repeatedly called for,” said Paul Calandra, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “We heard loud and clear that infrastructure is the biggest barrier facing our partners, and we will continue to do everything we can to help them build more homes, faster.”
Further information on the remaining funding for the Council’s Housing Infrastructure Program, including eligibility and application details, will be released in the coming weeks.
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