WELLINGTON COUNTY – North Wellington municipalities will receive a combined total of more than $3.6 million through a key provincial funding program next year.
Local allocations through the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF) were announced by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing on Nov. 3.
Mapleton’s 2021 allocation is $862,600, up $29,300 from $832,700 last year.
Minto faces a cut of $20,600, with the 2021 allocation at $1,520,200 compared to $1,540,800 in 2020.
Wellington North will receive $1,277,500, a reduction of $6,200 from the current year’s allocation.
Province-wide in 2021, the government will provide $500 million to 389 municipalities through OMPF.
The program primarily supports northern and rural communities. The unconditional grants can be used for local priorities, unlike application-based funding programs.
“Small and rural municipalities face unique financial challenges,” said Perth-Wellington MPP Randy Pettapiece in a Nov. 3 press release.
“They need and deserve the province’s support and I’ve made that case many times over the years and I’m very pleased that our government has heard us.”
At the Nov. 3 Minto council meeting, local officials reacted positively to news of the town’s allocation.
“We are not too unhappy … that we’re $20,000 less than last year,” said Mayor George Bridge.
He added, “We know already where we’re at. So that’s good for our budget process.”
Treasurer Gordon Duff said, “I really breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that. I was quite pleased because I know in the last couple of years we’ve had reductions quite a bit greater than that.”
Noting some local municipalities received increases, while others took cuts, Duff said “It’s hard to see a pattern.”
“There’s no pattern,” said Bridge, who added “in fairness to the province,” the Ontario government maintained the province-wide commitment funding for OMPF at $500 million for 2021.
