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TORONTO – Steven Del Duca, Ontario Liberal Party Leader, is calling for immediate support to Ontario’s municipalities.
“Ontario’s municipalities are facing unprecedented hardship as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. In order to stave off a crisis, they will need both the provincial and federal governments to step-in and provide significant and urgent financial support,” said Del Duca.
In a new letter to Doug Ford, Del Duca calls for:
- The creation of the Ontario Emergency Municipal Support Fund which would make available a minimum of $4 billion, cost-shared with the federal government, to provide urgent relief funding to municipalities facing financial hardship;
- Doubling the funding provided to qualifying municipalities in 2019 through the existing Provincial Gas Tax Program so that those communities with local public transit have the support needed to continue operating their systems without fare increases; and,
- Expediting provincial infrastructure funding to already-approved and viable projects that municipalities have previously budgeted for as a form of important local and regional economic stimulus.
“The nearly 15 million people who call Ontario home rely on the essential services provided by their local municipalities. Without a significant financial bridge, many communities will be forced to make draconian decisions that will only jeopardize our long-term health and prosperity – we can’t allow that to happen,” he concluded.
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