Media Release
January 31, 2022 – OWEN SOUND – Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Walker is pleased to announce that seven local municipalities will receive a total of $638,647 from the Municipal Modernization Program.
The Ontario government through the Municipal Modernization Program is providing over $28 million to help 322 small and rural municipalities find better and more efficient ways to deliver local services for residents and businesses. Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound projects to receive funding include:
Implementation Project Stream:
• Municipality of Arran-Elderslie: $87,616 – Digital Maintenance Management Solution, $41,976 – Digital Records Management Implementation.
• Township of Georgian Bluffs: $69,451 – Online Services Modernization.
• Grey County: $33,072 – Digitization and Records Management Modernization.
• Town of Hanover: $190,800 – Operations Work Processes Modernization.
• Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula: $59,530 – Digital Records Management Modernization.
• Town of South Bruce Peninsula: $79,373 – Asset Management Database Modernization.
• Municipality of West Grey: $46,301 – Intern for Records Management Modernization
Third Party Review Stream:
• Municipality of Arran-Elderslie: $30,528 – Digitization of Building Permits Review.
“This funding is very important for our local communities as they look to improve service delivery and find efficiencies in their operations,” said Walker. “This program is helping municipalities in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound and across the province keep their programs affordable and sustainable. Thank you to Minister Clark for his continued commitment to assisting our communities as they grow and recover from COVID-19.”
Municipalities can use the funding to conduct reviews of local services and administrative operations to find efficiencies, including accelerating the creation of new housing through streamlined development approvals and working with neighbouring municipalities to share services.
“COVID-19 has highlighted the need for municipalities to be as efficient and nimble as possible, while ensuring services remain financially sustainable today and in the future,” said Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “Through the Municipal Modernization Program, our government continues to support our municipal partners to operate more efficiently and streamline processes to deliver high-quality, sustainable services for residents and businesses, when and where they need them.”
With the Municipal Modernization Program, as well as the new Streamline Development Approval Fund and the Audit and Accountability Fund, our government is helping municipalities across the province make their planning and approvals processes more efficient in order to unlock and fast-track new housing to address the housing supply crisis.
QUICK FACTS
Over the lifespan of the Municipal Modernization Program and Audit and Accountability Fund, Ontario is providing up to $350 million to help municipalities identify and implement modern solutions.
· At the January 19th Ontario-Municipal Housing Summit, Ontario announced a new $45 million Streamline Development Approvals Fund, as well as an additional investment of over $8 million through the Audit and Accountability Fund, to help large urban municipalities identify efficiencies and streamline processes, such as development approvals, with the goal of building more homes faster to address the housing supply crisis.
The province’s ongoing work to address housing supply complements our continued supports for supportive and affordable housing for our most vulnerable Ontarians. Through the Community Housing Renewal Strategy and Ontario’s response to COVID-19, the province is providing more than $3 billion between 2020 and 2022. This includes over $1 billion through the Social Services Relief Fund to municipal and Indigenous partners, which is one of the largest investments in affordable housing and homelessness supports in the province’s history.
