ON: New funds for municipal infrastructure projects could utilize low-emission propane

On November 17, 2020, the Ontario government announced funding of up to $250 million for COVID-19 related municipal infrastructure projects. Many of these projects could utilize low-emission propane as a clean and affordable energy solution.

For example, the fund targets projects such as:

• Community, recreation, health and education renovations, including building retrofits, repairs or upgrades to long-term care homes, publicly funded schools and co-located childcare centre facilities and recreation centres or shelters; and
• COVID-19 response infrastructure such as heating, ventilation, air-conditioning up-grades.

Municipalities may now apply for these funds under the new Local Government sub-stream of the COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure stream to allow local governments to proceed with tendering and procurement as soon as possible.

The $250 million is part of the government’s recent announcement of up to $1.05 billion in federal-provincial funding through the COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure stream under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) to build or renovate health and safety-related projects in long-term care, education and municipalities that will help Ontario respond to the impacts of COVID-19.

Eligible projects include infrastructure to support physical distancing, social infrastructure, active transportation and disaster mitigation projects. Each municipality is allocated a certain amount of funding for which they can apply, with a minimum allocation of $100,000. Successful projects will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis and be nominated by the Province to the federal government for approval by March 2021.

The ICIP is a 10-year, $30-billion federal, provincial and municipal program that provides funding to improve public transit; community, culture and recreation; green; rural and northern community, and other priority infrastructure.