The Government of Ontario announced an investment of $200 million to help more than 400 small, rural and northern communities build and repair critical local infrastructure—including roads, bridges, water and wastewater infrastructure.

Premier Doug Ford was on hand with Infrastructure Minister Laurie Scott to make the announcement in Parry Sound on January 17.

"Ontario's economy is thriving, but we must ensure every person and every region across the province can share in this prosperity," said Ford. "Investing in infrastructure is critical to helping rural communities attract, support and sustain economic growth and job creation."

The investment will be funded through the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF), which helps communities invest in local infrastructure and asset management planning to address their priority needs. The fund specifically targets communities with populations of 100,000 people or fewer, and all rural and northern communities.

"This funding builds on our ongoing commitment to support small, rural and northern municipalities across Ontario," said Laurie Scott, Minister of Infrastructure. “With this OCIF funding, we are working directly with our municipal partners to help them build much-needed community infrastructure."

The province uses a fair and transparent formula to distribute funding, recognizing that municipalities have different infrastructure needs. These investments will help eligible communities attract jobs and investment, as well as build local capacity to grow and thrive.

Over 50 municipalities will receive more than $1 million in funding under this allocation. The most significant investments among them include:

• Sudbury – $9.3 million
• Thunder Bay – $5.8 million
• Municipality of Chatham-Kent – $5.4 million
• Quinte West – $4.1 million
• Brantford – $3.5 million
• Niagara Falls – $3.4 million
• Belleville – $3.2 million

"OCIF is an excellent example of the stable, predictable infrastructure funding small and rural communities need to help sustain and develop local communities and economies," said Jamie McGarvey, president of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. “The announcement of the 2020 OCIF allocations is timely and much appreciated."