MUSKOKA, PARRY SOUND, ON-
Muskoka and Parry Sound are going to receive $4.1 million in funding to help repair the damage caused by the 2019 flooding.
Approved by the Province of Ontario, the funding also includes an amount to construct more resilient infrastructure to better withstand any future flooding events.
Bracebridge is set to receive $2.3 million, Huntsville to get $666.318.18, Township of Muskoka Lakes will be given $1 million, and McMurrich/Monteith will get $100 thousand.
Mayor Graydon Smith said the town is pleased to receive these funds from the Provincial Government in the wake of the unprecedented flood in 2019. “This money will allow us to repair and improve our local infrastructure and be better prepared should flooding occur in the future.”
After over 1,000 properties were impacted by the flooding, the Town of Bracebridge requested that the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing put in place the Municipal Disaster Recovery Assistance program to allow an important funding mechanism to assist with the cost of recovery. During this, the Minister announced that municipalities across the province would be provided additional consideration in efforts to build new climate-resilient infrastructure.
Over the months following the flooding, the town had all of the damage assessed and identified assets that would benefit from a more resilient design and construction to help mitigate any future impacts.
While some of the rehabilitation and construction efforts have already been completed, others are underway and the enhancement projects are expected to be finished in the next two years.