Municipal announcements have begun to roll out more details of the Ontario government’s nearly $1 billion investment in 54 projects across 60 municipalities to develop, repair, rehabilitate and expand drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure.
The first round of investments from Ontario’s new Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund will include 20 projects in western Ontario, 19 projects in central Ontario, and 11 projects in eastern Ontario, although most project details have yet to be made public.
Norfolk County has secured $16.5 million from the fund to upgrade the wastewater treatment plant in Port Dover, an endeavour that’s anticipated to cost some $35 million as local officials aim to increase daily capacity from 5,400 m³ to 7,500 m³.
The City of London has also secured some $23 million to cover 73% of the cost to replace 175 metres of sanitary sewers under the Thames River. The upgrades are expected to support the construction of some 17,500 new homes in London.
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The Town of Tecumseh has also received more than $15 million to support a development that includes the installation of 1.8-km of trunk water main and 1.7-km of trunk sanitary sewer. The new infrastructure will enable approximately 4,059 homes to be serviced, Tecumseh officials announced.
“We know that thousands of families would love to call Tecumseh their home, but cannot find the housing that they need today,” area MPP Andrew Dowie announced in a statement about the new funding.
The Ontario government is also investing up to $29.7 million to enable the construction of 12,900 new homes in the City of Brampton, where officials will use the funding to enhance stormwater management in the downtown by upgrading 600 metres of Etobicoke Creek to improve the flow of stormwater runoff.
