Mayor Pleased with Over $1.4 M Provincial Funding

HALTON HILLS, ON. Recent correspondence received from two ProvincialMinisters advised of funding as part of the federal-provincial Safe Restart Agreement which provides dedicated support to municipalities for COVID-19 operating costs and related pressures. Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs advised that the Town would receive $1,334,000 as part of Phase 1, to support the municipality with COVID-19 operating costs and related pressures. The exact application of the funding is still to be determined but may be applied to a variety of costs related to technology, communications and infrastructure improvements related to health and safety. Through a similar letter, Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney, advised that Phase 1 funding to support Halton Hills’ COVID-19 municipal transit pressures would be $71,987. The Town will use these monies to offset ActiVan expenses related to COVID-19. “This is certainly welcome news for Halton Hills,” said Mayor Rick Bonnette. “I am pleased that the Government of Ontario recognized the extraordinary circumstances presented by the pandemic and the burdens in responding to this event during these unprecedented times.” Last month the Province announced that up to $4 billion in emergency assistance would be awarded to Ontario’s 444 municipalities. The funding is divided between municipal operations and municipal transit systems to support the delivery of critical services and the restart of the economy. The Town will be required to complete documentation to detail COVID-19 expenses, cost containment efforts and the municipality’s financial position prior to the disbursement of the Phase 2 allocation. Chris Mills, Commissioner of Corporate Services advised that the Town has been keeping strict records on costs related to dealing with the pandemic. “Back in March when Town Council declared an emergency, we made the decision to immediately implement a process to track COVID-19 expenses,” he said. “We knew that it was important to Council and our taxpayers that we could demonstrate our fiscal prudence and the responsible actions taken in addressing the numerous issues related to health and safety and service delivery.” In June, the Mayor advocated to the Provincial and Federal Governments for funding as part of a joint request from the Halton Region COVID-19 Recovery Committee. The Mayor asked for financial and economic relief to address the local impacts of dealing with the pandemic. The Town continues to keep a dedicated COVID-19 web page with updates on health and safety protocols and amenities. Learn more on the Town’s website.