More than 400 small, rural and northern communities across the province will share in nearly $200 million worth of infrastructure funding in 2021.

Infrastructure Minister Laurie Scott announced the funding through the 2021 Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF) on January 25. The money can be used to help offset the construction of roads, bridges, water and wastewater infrastructure. 

"COVID-19 has created challenges for everyone, including our municipal partners," said Scott. "By making this stable, predictable investment, our government is not only improving critical infrastructure, we are strengthening local economies, creating jobs and laying the foundation for our long-term recovery."

OCIF helps eligible communities invest in local infrastructure and asset management planning to address their priority needs. The fund was created to provide assistance to those communities across the province with populations of fewer than 100,000 people.

This year’s funding allocation is the same as the funding issued in 2020. Municipalities are permitted to accumulate their funding for up to five years to address larger infrastructure projects.

More than 50 municipalities will each receive more than $1 million in funding. The largest among those is the City of Greater Sudbury, which receives nearly $9.3 million. The City of Thunder Bay will collect $5.8 million, Chatham-Kent more than $5.3 million, Quinte West just over $4 million, and Brantford just under $3.5 million.

Complete funding details are available on the province’s website.