The Ontario government has committed to provide the City of Brampton with nearly $30 million to enable the construction of 12,900 new homes.

Premier Doug Ford and Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma announced the funding in the city on September 3.

The money is being delivered through the first round of investments under the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund, which includes $970 million to help municipalities develop, repair, rehabilitate and expand drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure.

“We’re working with our municipal partners here in Brampton and across Ontario to get more homes built faster,” Ford said. “With billions of dollars in investments in housing-enabling infrastructure, our government is helping get more shovels in the ground to keep the dream of homeownership alive and help families find a home that meets their needs and their budgets.”

The City of Brampton will use the funding to enhance stormwater management in downtown Brampton by upgrading 600 metres of Etobicoke Creek to improve the flow of stormwater runoff and floods. As part of the city's Riverwalk project to create a long-term solution to eliminate the flood risk in downtown Brampton, the project will support the city’s growing population, unlock more housing opportunities and support economic growth.

“By investing in stormwater management infrastructure, our government is reducing the impact of flooding and ensuring public safety in local neighbourhoods, while also helping municipalities build 511,000 new homes through the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund,” said Surma.

The government is also allocating an additional $250 million and accepting a second round of applications through the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund, bringing its total investment in the fund to $1.2 billion.

Under the second intake, $120 million will be dedicated to projects in small, rural and northern municipalities without housing targets.

In this year’s budget, the province also announced more than $1.8 billion in housing-enabling infrastructure funding through its Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund and its Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program.

In response to the significant demand for investments in water and wastewater infrastructure to enable the construction of more homes and after consulting with municipalities, the province is transferring $275 million from the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program to the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund to meet this demand.