March 21, 2024
Today OBCM Chair and Mayor of Burlington Marianne Meed Ward and OBCM Member Mayor David West of Richmond Hill joined Premier Doug Ford, Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy, Minister Kinga Surma and Minister Michael Parsa along with Mayor Lynn Dollin of Innisfil, Past President of AMO in Richmond Hill. Today’s announcement outlined that the Ontario government is investing more than $1.8 billion in housing-enabling infrastructure funding, including $1 billion for the new Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program and $625 million more for the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund, bringing its total funding to $825 million. These new funding programs will help municipalities build the critical infrastructure that is needed to meet our housing goals.
OBCM municipalities are committed to working with the provincial government to reach our shared goal of 1.5 millions homes in ten years. Although municipalities do not build homes, we do build the critical infrastructure needed for new homes and complete communities. The Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program will support core infrastructure projects that help enable housing for growing and developing communities, such as roads and water infrastructure. This funding will help municipalities get shovels in the ground on critical infrastructure that will lay the groundwork for more homes across the province.
Funding for critical infrastructure is one of the key priorities of Ontario’s Big City Mayors for our growing municipalities. OBCM is looking forward to hearing how the province will address our other key priorities; a new municipal fiscal and service delivery review and help to address the urgent homelessness and mental health crisis in next week’s budget.
“We are thankful that the province is listening to municipalities and working with our Mayors to address the issues we are facing in our communities to build more housing,” said Marianne Meed Ward, Mayor of Burlington and Chair of OBCM. “Funding for critical infrastructure including water and wastewater, roads and bridges is necessary if we are going to achieve our housing goals. We look forward to learning more details about this new funding and continuing to work with the government to build thriving, complete communities across Ontario.”
About Ontario’s Big City Mayors
Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM), formerly known as the Large Urban Mayors’ Caucus of Ontario, includes mayors of 29 single and lower-tier cities with a population of 100,000 or more, who collectively represent nearly 70 percent of Ontario’s population. OBCM advocates for issues and policies important to Ontario’s largest cities.
Media Contacts
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, Chair Michelle Baker, Executive Director
chair@obcm.ca michelle@obcm.ca
905-335-7777 647-308-6602