For Wellington North, getting two out of three funding applications isn’t bad.
The township was one of three northern Wellington municipalities on the receiving end of a multi-million dollar funding announcement for the Perth-Wellington area.
The announcement, made on June 5 by MP Gary Schellenberger, MPP John Wilkinson and area mayors, included over $35-million to stimulate the local economy through the creation of jobs by implementing various infrastructure projects.
Wellington North will complete nearly $5-million worth of projects through the Building Canada Fund and Infrastructure Stimulus Fund.
The provincial and federal governments each pay up to one third of the costs of the approved projects, while the local municipality funds the remaining amount. Though the combination of funding announcements is $35-million, the majority of funds from the announcement headed to Perth County.
Grants as they affect northern Wellington municipalities are:
Building Canada Fund (Communities Component)
– Minto, Palmerston Lions Park rehabilitation, $950,000;
– Mapleton, Alma community hall, $1,561,700; and
– Wellington North, Egremont Street water and sanitary sewer, $3,125,000.
Infrastructure Stimulus Fund
– Minto, Harriston community centre upgrades, $187,000; and,
– Wellington North, Cork Street sewage pumping station, $1,800,000.
Schellenberger said, “Our government is getting shovels into the ground and flowing money faster to stimulate the economy and create jobs for Ontarians.”
The grant amounts are total project costs which are to be divided equally among the three levels of government.
Wilkinson added, “During times of global economic turmoil people expect all three levels of government to work together in partnership. There is no better time to invest in jobs today while building the foundation for a better future.”
At Wellington North council on Monday night, Mayor Mike Broomhead said with the announcement on Friday, word had certainly spread.
“We were extremely successful in this round of infrastructure funding.”
He received the call about the announcement late Thursday.
Broomhead said only two of the three projects submitted by the township were accepted, but they were the two most expensive ones.
The project not accepted the Arthur works yard, because not all the paperwork is back for the site’s environmental assessment. Broomhead said that work is expected to be completed shortly.
The projects being selected were those that were ready to start right away, he added.
The Cork Street and Egremont projects will start this year. “And although we haven’t formally been told this, there is going to be another round of funding applications possibly within the next three weeks.”
At that time, he expects the Arthur project will be favourably considered.
More cash for Wellington
Wellington-Halton Hills MP Michael Chong announced funding for five projects in the central and southern part of the county this week.
Residents of Centre Wellington, Puslinch and Erin will benefit from federal and provincial infrastructure funding that was announced. The five projects that will receive funding are:
– $950,000, Erin, reconstruction of Sideroad 5;
– $860,000, Erin, rehabilitation of streets in Hillsburgh;
– $1.21-million, Erin, Deer Pit storm wastewater facility;
– $1.33-million, Centre Wellington, reconstruction of Church Street in Elora; and
– $495,000, Puslinch, construction of a new storage building.
“Thanks to the cooperation between governments, we are working together to help communities and the economy thrive, now and in the future,” said Chong.
The governments of Canada and Ontario will each contribute $1,615,334 for these five projects, and local municipalities will contribute a total of $1,615,334. The total cost of these five projects is $4,845,999.
Canada’s economic action plan is accelerating and expanding the existing federal investment of $33-billion in infrastructure across Canada with $12-billion in additional infrastructure stimulus funding over the next two years.
A spokesman at Chong’s office stated the plan is to make an announcement about more grants from the Build Canada Fund on June 12 at 4pm at the county museum in Aboyne.
