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Ontario Invests in Small and Rural Municipalities in Nipissing

NORTH BAY – Ontario’s government is working for the people to improve local service delivery and efficiency in the province’s municipalities. On March 20, 2019, Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing announced a one-time investment for many of Ontario’s small and rural municipalities.

The 11 municipalities in Nipissing will receive a combined total of $3.61 million to improve service delivery by finding smarter, more efficient ways to spend money that help those who need it most while respecting taxpayer dollars. This will support some of Ontario’s small and rural municipalities that may have limited capacity to plan, modernize and improve the way they provide services to their communities.

“Taxpayers need their local government to deliver modern, efficient services that show respect for their hard-earned dollars. This funding will help small and rural municipalities improve how they deliver services and reduce the ongoing costs of providing those services,” said Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “I look forward to continuing to work together with our municipal partners to help people and businesses in communities across our province thrive.”

Ontario’s government for the people was elected to restore transparency and accountability in Ontario’s finances. The province undertook a line-by-line review of its own expenditures, and we have been clear that we expect our partners, including municipalities, to be taking steps to become more efficient. Examples could include service delivery reviews, development of shared services agreements, IT solutions, capital investments or other projects. Municipalities will decide how to best target funding to benefit their local communities.

“Our government is committed to supporting small and rural municipalities in Nipissing deliver the best possible modern services to their residents, and this investment is proof of that,” said Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli.

The funding supports Ontario’s commitment to reduce the cost of government.

QUICK FACTS

• Funding amounts for individual municipalities in Nipissing are as follows:

• 405 small and rural municipalities will receive funding across Ontario.
• To ensure investments are targeted to where they are needed most, funding will be allocated based on the number of households in a municipality and whether the municipality is urban or rural.