MAPLETON – Mapleton and Wellington North are submitting a joint application for nearly $32.5 million in federal funding through the Canada Housing Infrastructure Funding (CHIF).
The funding would accelerate the construction and upgrading of wastewater infrastructure necessary for the townships’ populations to continue to grow, “thereby directly supporting the creation of new homes in the northern part of the County of Wellington,” states a report about the application.
Mapleton is applying for $15 million for wastewater capacity expansion and forcemain twinning and Wellington North is applying for $17.5 million for a wastewater treatment plant expansion.
The CHIF includes $6 billion in federal funding over 10 years. Rural, northern and Indigenous communities are set to receive 20% of that funding.
Project selection will be administered by the provinces and territories.
Joint applications are expected to yield higher scores than individual submissions, the report notes.
The partnership between Mapleton and Wellington North will “focus on developing a comprehensive business case that addresses critical housing concerns in northern Wellington County,” it continues.
“By highlighting this significance of a substantial federal investment, we aim to demonstrate how it will not only alleviate housing shortages but also enhance the protection of the Grand River watershed, which is vital for the ecological health of the region.”
One of the aims of the CHIF is to “accelerate the construction and upgrading of housing-enabling drinking water, watewater, stormwater and solid waste infrastructure,” states the report.
Council requested Mayor Gregg Davidson “obtain letters of support from MP John Nater and MP Tim Lewis, acknowledging the significance of advancing our mutual objectives and promoting increased federal investment in rural Ontario, which is essential for the growth and sustainability of our communities.”
“Obviously our batting average isn’t very good this year for applications,” said Mapleton CAO Manny Baron while presenting the report to Mapleton council during a regular meeting on March 18.
“So, the government loves joint applications so joint applications they shall receive.
“But I do think, in all seriousness, the joint application is thinking beyond the nine dots in the senses that … we’re really trying to focus on what we discharge into the watershed and what eventually ends up downstream.
“If and when we get the application approved … we could potentially make the 1300 cubic metres a day last a little bit longer because we could expand our discharge period hopefully,” Baron said.
“Its quite remarkable that we are able to work together this way to not only address Wellington North’s growth pressures but ours as well and take a wholistic view of the northern part of Wellington and how we can support both of the municipalities as well as take care of the watershed and the discharge periods and things like that.”
Mayor Gregg Davidson said “with a joint application they’re going to look at that and say ‘okay these communities are coming together and working together.’
“And if we look back just a few months ago the County of Wellington and Minto did a joint application and received a lot funding to do road work there,” he said.
“So we’re really hopeful that this is going to be something that, you know they’re asking for and we’re giving it to them, so we’re hoping that that’s going to be putting us over that threshold – that line – that we will get some funding from this,” Davidson said.
