WELLINGTON COUNTY — The province will continue its investment of significant money to support the infrastructure of Wellington County as well as the towns and townships that make up its communities in 2023.
The investment is through the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF). It involved the provincial government pouring $400 million into the needed infrastructure for “small, rural and northern communities.”
Centre Wellington received $2,596,074 through the program in 2022 and will receive $2,985,485 in 2023.
Erin got $548,545 in 2022 and will receive $466,263 in 2023.
Guelph/Eramosa received $918,994 in 2022 and is set to get $781,145 in 2023.
Puslinch got $331,262 in 2022 and will get $380,951 in 2023.
Minister of Infrastructure Kinga Surma noted the importance of small, rural and remote communities to the economic wellbeing of the entire province.
“Ontario’s small, rural and northern communities are essential to the growth and prosperity of the province,” Surma said.
OCIF support helps in multiple ways. It develops infrastructure. It reduces the strain from rising inflation. On top of that it provides stable support.
“As part of our plan to build Ontario, our government is continuing to provide stable funding to meet local infrastructure needs and provide support in response to pressures from inflation,” Surma said in a news release.
The intended impact is to create jobs and grow the economy, now and in the future.
“By supporting key community infrastructure projects, we are helping communities attract jobs and build local capacity to grow and thrive for generations to come,” Surma said.
OCIF is directed at 425 communities across the province.
In a general sense the relevant infrastructure projects include work on “roads, bridges, water and wastewater projects.”
Jesse Gault is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.
