$88,000 in Support for Chisholm’s Wildfire Recovery
March 22, 2024Funding will help cover costs of emergency response
NIPISSING – Vic Fedeli, MPP for Nipissing announced that the Ontario government is providing the Township of Chisholm with $88,000 in provincial disaster recovery funding to help cover emergency response costs related to a wildfire. This financial support is being provided through the Municipal Disaster Recovery Assistance (MDRA) program.
“Our government is proud to support our municipal partners like the Township of Chisholm to help them in their recovery efforts, without facing unmanageable financial burdens as a result of natural disasters beyond their control,” said MPP Vic Fedeli.
“On behalf of Chisholm Township, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to the Province and MPP Fedeli for the funding support we are receiving from the Municipal Disaster Recovery Assistance program. It will most definitely go a long way in alleviating the financial burden the township incurred as a result of the Forest Fire in May of 2022.” – Mayor Gail Degagne, Township of Chisholm.
On May 12, 2022, the Township of Chisholm experienced a wildfire which started unexpectedly and spread quickly. The fire burned over 30 hectares of land and required fire suppression services beyond the municipality’s capabilities to protect residents, private property and municipal property. The Chisholm Fire Chief has stated that this is the worst wildfire the township has seen in more than 25 years.
Ontario’s MDRA program helps municipalities address extraordinary emergency response costs as well as damage to essential property or infrastructure like bridges, roads and public buildings, as a result of a natural disaster.
QUICK FACTS
- Eligible expenses under the program may include operating and capital costs that are over and above regular municipal budgets and are directly linked to the disaster.
- A municipality may be eligible for the program if its disaster-related costs reach a threshold of three per cent of its own-purpose taxation levy.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION