The projects are part of the government's strategy to invest more than $500 million over five years to transform correctional services and improve health and safety through new hiring and infrastructure improvements.

The province said the new funding comes in addition to nearly $1.4 billion received from the federal government and given to communities earlier in the pandemic.

The town will use $2.7 million in funding from the federal government to upgrade digesters at its wastewater treatment plant to turn food waste into clean energy.

A DDI is a traffic-management solution that enables vehicles to merge on and off highways without crossing oncoming lanes of traffic. Construction of Ontario’s first is expected to begin this spring.

The $9.9 billion worth of permits issued in the month was a jump of more than 8 percent from December, and surpasses the previous record of $9.6 billion set in April 2019.