The federal and provincial governments recently joined forces to pledge $6.2 billion for Ontario infrastructure, $362 million of which is slated for communities of less than 100,000 residents.
Details of how that money will be doled out — between now and 2014 — have yet to be released, but local officials are planning to apply for every dollar they can get their hands on.
“It’s good to see that the upper level governments are stepping up to the plate. Hopefully that will be able to relieve some of the burden at the municipal level,” says Coun. Sylvia Bradley, chair of Orangeville’s finance and budget committee.
“Tax increases at the municipal level have been higher than most people like, but there hasn’t been really much recourse because these things have to be done.”
A roads need study presented to council last fall indicates $24.6 million should “ideally” be spent on upgrading Orangeville roads in the next five years. The report identified seven kilometres of road in “poor” condition and two kilometres in “extremely poor condition,” with 11 kilometres in need of surface reconditioning.
“Certainly Orangeville hopes that some of the money that has been allocated will find its way to ... a variety of projects that Orangeville would like to get done,” public works director Jack Tupling says of the new infrastructure funding.
“We’ll need to find out what the process is going to be and for sure Orangeville will be making applications at the appropriate time.”
Dufferin-Caledon MPP Sylvia Jones, a member of the official opposition, expects more information about the new initiative to be unveiled later in the summer, possibly at the annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario convention.
That, she says, is where the provincial government likes to highlight its municipal programs.
“Overall, I think it’s a good move,” she says of the joint commitment. “When you talk to municipal governments ... the consensus is that we are behind in repairing our roads and our bridges.
“It’s nice that the feds have come online and it will be one less excuse that the province can use when we highlight the problems,” adds the Progressive Conservative community and social services critic.
Dufferin-Caledon MP David Tilson, a member of the Conservative government, couldn’t be reached for comment at press time.
Bradley says she’d be satisfied if the infrastructure money was provided on a cost-sharing basis from all three levels of government.
“We can come up with a third,” she says. “Even if we were to keep our capital budget at the same amount, we could do three times as much, or we could reduce our capital budget by 60 per cent.”
Perhaps the biggest benefit to Dufferin-Caledon will be an expansion of broadband services, Jones says, suggesting it will meet the funding criteria being developed.
“Dufferin is not fully covered yet,” she says, noting Dufferin County previously received a $1 million grant to expand broadband Internet access in rural areas. “I know that they’re putting together a proposal.
“Whether they are successful or not is another step, but at least the program is still out there.”
Jones is also pleased the federal government has committed further sharing of gas tax money with municipalities.
“It would be wonderful if the province did the same,” she says.
Additional assistance for municipalities may be on the way, when the Provincial-Municipal Fiscal and Service Delivery Review is completed. Premier Dalton McGuinty announced the review in August 2006, with a timetable for completion and release in spring 2008.
As of the end of July, the review hasn’t been released, prompting opposition members to criticize the government’s delay.