Federal Budget.... Impact upon Ontario and Municipalities

Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty presented the Government’s 2009 Budget today including new and accelerated investment in municipal infrastructure, new funding for social housing construction and repairs, and an extension to Employment Insurance (EI) benefits that will reduce pressure on municipally cost-shared Ontario Works benefits.

The Budget includes additional funding for the Communities Component (municipalities less than 100,000 population) of the Building Canada Fund (BCF). The Federal Government will provide an additional $500 million over the next two years in new funding for the Communities Component – an estimated extra $195 million in federal funding in Ontario.

The government will also create a $500 million fund for recreational facilities like hockey arenas, swimming pools and community centres and provide $225-million over three years to extend broadband coverage to unserved communities.
Northern Ontario will receive $170 million over two years to secure a more sustainable and competitive forest sector;
Providing funding of $60 million to support infrastructure-related costs for local and community cultural and heritage institutions such as local theatres, libraries and small museums.
Providing a one-time federal investment of $1 billion over two years for renovations and energy retrofits for up to 200,000 social housing units on a 50–50 cost-shared basis with provinces.

Further details are available at:
http://www.amo.on.ca/Content/NavigationMenu/PolicyIssues/AertsandFYIs/default.htm

New Municipal Building Discussions Continue

A Special Meeting of Council will occur at 10:00 a.m. on February 2nd to more closely identify options for a new Municipal Administration building. On this matter, a tabled motion from December was withdrawn and a motion which came to Council last night, was defeated. Wanting to identify as many realistic and timely options before us, there was strong support at Council last night to recognize what many members of the public had said to us last summer, which was to explore options.

The B.A. Parker option (or not), leasing, and infastructure readiness will likely come before us as we continue the deliberations of a new Administration building.