The Ontario government is investing up to $26.3 million in water infrastructure projects across Shawanaga First Nation, the District of Muskoka, the Town of Parry Sound, and the Village of South River.
The funding was announced on February 13 by Parry Sound-Muskoka MPP Graydon Smith and will be provided through the province’s Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program – Health and Safety Water Stream. The stream has increased by $700 million, bringing its total to $875 million to support access to safe drinking water, housing development, job creation, and protection against extreme weather events.
“We are committed to supporting small towns and rural communities by investing in the essential infrastructure they need today and for the future,” said Smith.
The District of Muskoka will receive $8,285,605 to support backup power upgrades aimed at strengthening water and wastewater system resiliency. District Chair Jeff Lehman said the funding will support forty different projects in the district.
“This is an enormous investment, not just in the size of the number, but in the number of projects,” he said. “It is absolutely essential to support housing growth but also responds to that broader need for infrastructure housing that municipalities can rely on, maybe for the things that we don’t always think of.”
The Town of Parry Sound is set to receive $7,163,125 for upgrades and rehabilitation work at the Parry Sound Sewage Treatment Plant. Shawanaga First Nation will receive $9,342,801 for its Drinking Water Distribution Rehabilitation project.
The Village of South River will receive $1,523,875 to upgrade its water treatment plant. Mayor Jim Coleman expressed the Village’s appreciation for the grant.
“These vital pump upgrades and new centrifuge will boost efficiency, slash sludge management costs, and continue to deliver clean, affordable, safe drinking water for our residents today and future residents as we grow,” Coleman said. “What we’re getting is really going to help the people in South River.”
The investment is part of Ontario’s broader $4 billion Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program, included in the province’s $220 billion capital plan to build transit, highways, hospitals, schools, and water infrastructure that supports new housing development.
