$17 Million to Support Critical Water Infrastructure

February 5, 2026

NORTH BAY – Vic Fedeli, MPP for Nipissing, announced that the Ontario government is investing $17 million to build and rehabilitate water infrastructure in Nipissing through the Health and Safety Water Stream. This funding helps municipalities expand or rehabilitate aging water, wastewater, stormwater, flood, and erosion infrastructure.

“As we continue to navigate the uncertainty caused by the U.S. tariffs, the Ontario government is protecting Nipissing by investing in critical infrastructure that promotes growth, creates jobs, and strengthens our communities,” said MPP Vic Fedeli. “Today’s $17 million investment through the Health and Safety Water Stream provides access to safe drinking water, reliable wastewater services, and protection during extreme weather events.”

The MHIP-HSWS funding will be used for the following projects:

$11, 561,375 to the City of North Bay for improvements to the Wastewater Facility and Collections System to prevent recurrent flooding
$4,312,298 to the Town of Mattawa for their water reservoir and related waterworks, including a new supply well assessment
$983,081 for the Nipissing Township for their culvert replacement project at Bear Creek Road and South River Road

“Our sincere thanks to the Province of Ontario and MPP Fedeli for their support of this critical project,” said Mayor Peter Chirico. “This funding will allow North Bay to upgrade our wastewater system, safeguard public health and essential services during extreme weather events, and support the continued growth of housing and economic development in our community.”

“In the early 90’s, the Town of Mattawa was put on notice by engineers that our aging (1949) water reservoir was insufficient for the future and, without investment, was destined for total and catastrophic failure. The $4.3 million in Health and Water Stream Funding will allow for the installation of a new reservoir on our Dorion Road (Mountain View subdivision), which will not only contribute to the development of the area but also increase our potable water reserve threefold, all the while increasing our firefighting ability throughout the town. This project is like “transplanting a heart” into our future residential and light industrial development. Following the other provincial contribution to the Dorion Road Hill Reconstruction (ICIP), this new Investment Ontario to secure and enhance our water infrastructure will be felt throughout the town and serve future generations.” – Raymond Belanger, Mayor, Mattawa.

“The Township of Nipissing is grateful to the Province of Ontario for the generous financial assistance we will receive from the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program: Health and Safety Water Stream Grant. With this funding we will be completing replacement of two culverts on single access roads, protecting access to approximately 135 properties, which includes tourist resorts, marinas and single-family dwellings. For a Township with a population of 1,707 (MPAC), facing the failure of three major culverts between 2024 and 2025, the infrastructure repairs were a strain on reserves and threatened the stability of our taxation base. With the Provincial contribution, we are able to complete two essential repairs within our financial abilities without a devastating effect on our tax payers. In this time of financial difficulties for so many families across our Province and Country, being able to maintain a dependable budget is vital. Aging infrastructure is a challenge facing all municipalities. Thank you, MPP Fedeli, and the Province of Ontario, for recognizing these challenges and working so hard to help us overcome them.” – Dave Yemm, Mayor, Nipissing Township.

Investing in local infrastructure is part of the government’s more than $220 billion capital plan to protect Ontario by building more transit, highways, hospitals, schools and housing-enabling infrastructure. This is the most ambitious capital plan in Canadian history.

QUICK FACTS

In August 2025, Ontario increased the MHIP to $4 billion to speed up construction of homes and core infrastructure, such as roads and water systems. Since its launch in 2024, the MHIP has made about 800,000 more new homes possible.
The MHIP is comprised of four funding streams: the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund (HEWSF), the Housing-Enabling Core Servicing (HECS) Stream, the Health and Safety Water Stream (HSWS), and the Agriculture and Irrigation Stream.
In January 2025, Ontario announced an initial investment of $175 million to launch the HSWS.

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