Ontario Supports Modernization of Small and Rural Communities

August 13, 2021

Funding helps improve the delivery of critical programs and services while saving taxpayer dollars

NIPISSING – Vic Fedeli, MPP for Nipissing announced that the Ontario government is providing up to $170,000 to help improve the delivery of critical programs and services in two municipalities within the District of Nipissing. The funding is being delivered through the Municipal Modernization Program and will support the following project:

City of North Bay Financial Systems Solution
Township of Chisholm Municipal Services Software Improvement and Digital Integration

“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen how crucial it is for municipalities to be able to efficiently and conveniently deliver services the people within their communities,” said Vic Fedeli, MPP for Nipissing. “These projects will help ensure that both North Bay and Chisholm will benefit from innovative and streamlined solutions in a way that will positively impact services and save taxpayer dollars.”

The government is investing up to $26 million across the province to support the modernization of 233 small and rural municipalities in Ontario. A total of 271 projects will receive funding under Intake 2 of Ontario’s Municipal Modernization Program.

“Our government is committed to working with our municipal partners to make life more convenient and affordable for families and businesses in all corners of our province by modernizing critical municipal services and programs,” said Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “This investment in small and rural communities across Ontario will support municipalities in identifying and implementing ways to modernize and improve service delivery in their communities, and help ensure people can conveniently access the services they need.”

Municipalities will use the funding to find efficiencies and implement a wide range of initiatives to digitize, streamline and/or integrate programs and services with neighbouring communities, such as developing an online system to improve the local process for approving residential and industrial developments or setting up new shared services with neighbouring municipalities.

Ontario has committed up to $125 million over four years through the Municipal Modernization Program to help small and rural municipalities modernize services. Under Intake 1, the Province invested $11.8 million in 180 modernization projects and identified over $100 million in savings and efficiencies.

QUICK FACTS

In March, Ontario announced $10 million through the Audit and Accountability Fund to help large municipalities improve the delivery of critical programs and services during COVID-19.
The historic federal-provincial Safe Restart Agreement secured up to $4 billion in emergency funding to support municipalities throughout COVID-19.
Ontario continues to call on the federal government to increase its funding for municipalities, which will be critical as they continue to recover from the ongoing impacts of COVID-19.

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