The city of Guelph is not yet sure how it will allocate almost $140,000 in provincial funding for revitalization of downtown, but Mayor Cam Guthrie said city council will figure it out.
“We will put it to good use here in our downtown core,” said Guthrie.
The announcement was made by MPP Liz Sandals on Thursday morning at City Hall.
Municipalities across the province are sharing in $26 million as part of the provincial government’s Main Street Revitalization Initiative, which is being administered by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO).
Guelph’s share of the funding is up to $139,960.
Sandals noted that despite the name of the fund, the money can be allocated to any downtown improvement project, not just on the municipality's main street.
No decision has been made to how the funding will be used by the city, but Guthrie said the matter will be discussed by city council in the near future.
During the announcement, Guthrie assured Sandals that the city will use every last penny of the funding.
The funding can be used for improvements in the city’s downtown core, for projects that may include way finding signage, landscaping or installation of pedestrian crosswalks, among others.
A press release from the office of Liz Sandals, MPP for Guelph, can be seen below:
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Ontario is helping communities like Guelph attract investment and tourism, create jobs and enhance local economic growth by investing in the revitalization of many of the county’s downtown and main street areas.
Liz Sandals, MPP for Guelph, was at City Hall in Guelph today to make the announcement. The province is providing the City of Guelph with up to $139,960 through the Main Street Revitalization Initiative, to help revitalize downtown and main street areas.
Vibrant main streets help attract visitors, create jobs and increase the competitiveness of small businesses, which are the backbone of our communities. That's why the province is helping municipalities enhance and revitalize their downtown and main streets through improvements such as the installation of pedestrian crosswalks or landscaping. Municipalities can also direct funding to local businesses to improve the appearance of their storefronts by installing lighting or new signage.
Supporting small businesses and communities across the province is part of Ontario's plan to create fairness and opportunity during this period of rapid economic change. The plan includes a higher minimum wage and better working conditions, free tuition for hundreds of thousands of students, easier access to affordable child care, and free prescription drugs for everyone under 25, through the biggest expansion of medicare in a generation.
Quotes
“Our government is committed to ensuring the downtown cores in our local communities thrive today and for many years to come. Investments that support small businesses and main streets will help communities be better positioned to attract investment, create jobs, and grow their local economies.” - Liz Sandals, MPP for Guelph
“Our government understands the unique challenges faced by many small businesses all across Ontario. By supporting the development of healthy and vibrant main street areas, we can help to improve local economic development, strengthen small businesses, and create good jobs across the province.” - Jeff Leal, minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Minister Responsible for Small Business
“Downtown Guelph is experiencing growth and development unlike anything we’ve seen in decades. This funding will help us continue the momentum, and continue to make our historic downtown a destination for people from across Guelph and beyond. I look forward to working with Council to determine which project or projects will be able to move forward thanks to this funding.” - Mayor Cam Guthrie, City of Guelph
Quick facts
- Ontario is investing up to $26 million in the Main Street Revitalization Initiative, which will be administered by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and its rural arm, the Rural Ontario Municipal Association.
- This initiative is part of a $40 million investment over three years in the Main Street Enhancement Initiative, which will help strengthen small businesses in downtown and main street areas and enhance the digital presence and capabilities of small businesses through increased access to digital tools like e-commerce.
- The revitalization initiative expands upon and complements the Downtown Revitalization Program that supports main street revitalization in rural areas.
- Funding will be allocated to municipalities based on population size, using the most recent data from the 2016 Statistics Canada Census of Population.
- The funding formula includes an adjustment for those municipalities that have fewer than 25,000 residents. This adjustment ensures that small communities are provided an appropriate level of funding where their population figures would otherwise limit their respective funding allocations within the parameters of the program.
- About one-third of Ontario workers are employed by small businesses, which are businesses that employ less than 100 paid employees.
- To strengthen Ontario small businesses, the province is providing more than $500 million over three years in new initiatives that include lowering the small business tax rate by 22 per cent from 4.5 per cent to 3.5 per cent, investing in youth employment, providing support for downtown main street businesses and reducing red tape.
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