The Ontario government has announced an infrastructure-funding package worth nearly $2 billion over the next five years for small, rural and northern communities.

The money, which will be distributed through the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF), was announced by Premier Doug Ford on December 8. It includes $1 billion in extra funding for the communities via a doubling of the annual funding minimum—to $100,000—beginning in 2022.

“Our small, rural and northern communities will be at the forefront of our efforts to build Ontario for the future,” said Premier Doug Ford. “With this investment, we are saying ‘yes’ to helping these communities build and repair the vital infrastructure they need to keep their communities working for decades to come.”

The money is allocated to communities with populations under 100,000, along with all rural and northern communities for spending on repairs and construction of local roads, bridges, water and wastewater projects.

In 2021, the province allocated approximately $200 million in funding to its 424 small, rural and northern communities. Funding allocations are based on a formula that recognizes the different needs and economic conditions of communities across the province, and municipalities may stockpile their funding for up to five years to address larger infrastructure projects.

"The redesign of the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund to increase the funding allocation over a five-year period answers the call from municipalities to provide a sustainable and predictable funding stream to address the burden of asset replacement and the emergent need of broadband in rural Ontario,” said Candice White, Chief Administrative Officer at the Township of Asphodel-Norwood. “This funding commitment will allow municipalities to prioritize the criticality of these issues in a consistent, timely manner."

The province’s investment in OCIF is part of its 2021 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review: Build Ontario. The plan lays out how the government will build Ontario’s future with shovels in the ground for highways, hospitals, long-term care, housing and high-speed internet.

Over the ten years, the province plans to make more than $148 billion in infrastructure investments.

Featured image: Road work un Thunder Bay. (City of Thunder Bay)